The Florida Wildlife Commission presented its updated Lakes Management Plan for the Kissimmee Chain last week in an “Open House” format at the Kissimmee Civic Center.
The event was well attended, with 15 or more people reviewing the plan at any given time during the st hour. The plan focuses on Lake Tohopekaliga, Cypress Lake, Lake Hatchineha and Lake Kissimmee, since these are the most interconnected of the area’s lakes. The goals, objectives and actions from the plan outline future FWC management in four basic areas: Fish and Wildlife Management; Habitat Management; Public Use and Recreation; and Communication and Interagency Coordination.
The revised plan has been in progress since February 2020, when a kickoff public meeting was held at the Osceola County Administration Building. The plan that debuted on Wednesday night was the culmination of numerous ld studies and numerous stakeholder meetings, workshops, interviews, surveys, and input from other experts. Paul Gray, Audubon Florida’s Everglades Science Coordinator, has been advocating for more comprehensive plans that look at the whole ecosystem, and for standardization across lakes and with similar plans developed by other state agencies, such as the South Florida Water Management District.
“In their defense, ecosystems are really complicated and writing management plans for them are too, but I think these plans need much more work,” said Gray in an email last week. “We have recommended FWC get ‘outside, independent peer review’ to ensure maximum rigor of these plans but so far, they have not agreed to that.
Florida Audubon is also calling for more emphasis on actions to benefit mammals and other vertebrates as opposed to just the animal species singled out in the plan.
In the plan, FWC noted the need for more and better interagency coordination, which was in part of its goals, objectives, and actions.
According to the results, the Lakes remain impaired by an overabundance of nutrients, leading to a dense plant population. The subsequent decomposition when the plants die off reduces the available oxygen, which harms wildlife.
Despite the challenges to the lakes’ health by excess nutrients, the outlook for the largemouth bass population looks good for Lake Toho. This is welcome news for area anglers and the commercial interests that rely on the numerous national bass tournaments that come to Kissimmee each year.
The situation for Lake Kissimmee is, unfortunately, not as good. Fieldwork as part of the plan documented a lack of submerged vegetation that shelters both small prey h and young bass. Surveys showed very low counts of immature bass in the lake, meaning fewer trophy bass in the coming years. One cause for the lack of vegetation was the apparent “scouring” of the lakebed during Hurricane Irma in 2017, amplified by the lake’s size and width relative to the wind direction of the storm.
The plan can be accessed at: https://bit. ly/3wVdYtt.
