2019 was a good year for apple snails on the upper Wakulla River

2019 was the best year since 2011 for apple snail egg clusters. Here’s an updated chart of apple snail egg cluster counts through 2019. I only total the counts for the three months that have been consistently counted since 2006.
 
See the Wakulla Springs Alliance website for Dana Bryan’s assessment of the relationships between apple snails and limpkins at Wakulla Springs.

Thanks to Sean McGlynn of McGlynn Laboratories for supplying the technical data and graphs http://mcglynnlabs.com  850-567-6323

Friends of Wakulla Springs 02-23-20 meeting photos

Wakulla Springs Update
What's the water like now?

Wakulla’s mysteries continue this month. Cal Jamison reports, "Our visibility remains in the 30’-40’ range now with a conspicuous green cast. Some of our subterranean waters are coming from the north while others are now coming from the south too. It’s these waters that are bringing us more mystery. Since mid November of last year Wakulla has been experiencing a prolonged spike in specific conductivity (see chart below) and our hypothesis is that reflects an increase in salinity. Park boat drivers have reported noticing a die off of some less salt tolerant plant species like bulrushes. This past week researchers Seán McGlynn and Cal Jamison collected water samples from all the monitoring wells in the Park’s cave system and at Sally Ward Spring.

Neither the samples from the north (B, C or D tunnels) nor from Sally Ward showed a high conductivity. There is, however, very high conductivity ranging in the 600-800 (uS/cm) coming from the south through A and K Tunnels. We observed that at the coast Spring Creek #1 and #4 are currently siphoning saltwater into the cave system and through dye traces we know that it reaches Wakulla Spring. A Sonde instrument is being deployed at Wakulla’s main boil this week. Readings for specific conductivity and salinity, as well as other parameters will be recorded every 15 minutes. Hopefully this new data will provide more clues. The mystery continues...

Thanks to Sean McGlynn of McGlynn Laboratories for supplying the technical data and graphs http://mcglynnlabs.com  850-567-6323

Upper-Wakulla-River-Wildlife-Abundance-Trends-1992-2018

This report analyzes long-term trends in the abundance of 24 species surveyed by park staff and volunteers from 1992 through 2018. It also analyses trends for three shorter time periods defined by significant perturbations to the upper Wakulla River ecosystem: (1) invasion of the exotic hydrilla spurred by excess nitrogen in the spring (1992-2000), (2) the hydrilla management period (2000-2012) when mechanical harvesting and herbicides were used to combat the invasive exotic plant, and (3) the post-hydrilla management period (2012-2018) following the cessation of herbicide treatment in 2013. READ MORE...

Hard work and dedication has its rewards.

Last Thursday the Northwest Florida Water Management District presented the Wakulla Springs Alliance (a citizens organization) with its Springs Champion Award for their on going efforts in protecting Florida springs and especially for their work at Wakulla Spring. WSA Board members Sean McGlynn and Cal Jamison were there to receive the award. Congratulations to Wakulla Springs Alliance!