As part of a 4-year initiative to preserve the costal dune lakes, the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance will begin mapping, treating and controlling exotic plant species ? with a little help from local students.
?It?s a good project to get students involved, while getting a good end product,? said Phillip Ellis, project coordinator with the CBA.
The end product comes in three parts.
? Students will map the coastal dune lakes to determine the location and prevalence of exotic and invasive plant life. Creating a map will help identify future problems and let the CBA know the extent of the current condition.
? Students will then begin treating the affected areas. Since treatment can only take place during the spring growing season, full treatment will not be completed until 2008.
? Students will also create an education and outreach campaign to raise public awareness of the issues surrounding the coastal dune lakes in hopes of gaining better community support and involvement.
Ellis said it?s important to have members of the community involved with the actual removal process, as it creates a better appreciation for the lakes. The students currently expected to help the CBA are from the collegiate high school program at Okaloosa-Walton College.
The exotic species to be removed include torpedo grass and the Chinese tallow, also known as popcorn trees. The species overtake other vegetation, eliminating the native diversity.
The herbicide treatment is targeted and localized, removing only the non-native species without sacrificing the others.
The project is in its early phases, as mapping will not begin until the spring. The CBA and the Coastal Dune Advisory Board will present the project to the Walton County Board of County Commissioners for a vote of support. The CBA will evaluate the project?s success in 2009.
It is a great learning experience for students, Ellis said, especially considering they will participate in the actual fieldwork. It is just one issue in helping maintain the dune lakes, and Ellis said giving the students control of how the outreach program is designed is important to spreading the word.
?We want to inspire community involvement,? he said.
Other schools that wish to join the project can call Suzanne Wilson at (850) 892-8172. Students must be at least 14 years old. Training on how to recognize and treat the different species will begin in December.
?It?s a good project to get students involved, while getting a good end product,? said Phillip Ellis, project coordinator with the CBA.
The end product comes in three parts.
? Students will map the coastal dune lakes to determine the location and prevalence of exotic and invasive plant life. Creating a map will help identify future problems and let the CBA know the extent of the current condition.
? Students will then begin treating the affected areas. Since treatment can only take place during the spring growing season, full treatment will not be completed until 2008.
? Students will also create an education and outreach campaign to raise public awareness of the issues surrounding the coastal dune lakes in hopes of gaining better community support and involvement.
Ellis said it?s important to have members of the community involved with the actual removal process, as it creates a better appreciation for the lakes. The students currently expected to help the CBA are from the collegiate high school program at Okaloosa-Walton College.
The exotic species to be removed include torpedo grass and the Chinese tallow, also known as popcorn trees. The species overtake other vegetation, eliminating the native diversity.
The herbicide treatment is targeted and localized, removing only the non-native species without sacrificing the others.
The project is in its early phases, as mapping will not begin until the spring. The CBA and the Coastal Dune Advisory Board will present the project to the Walton County Board of County Commissioners for a vote of support. The CBA will evaluate the project?s success in 2009.
It is a great learning experience for students, Ellis said, especially considering they will participate in the actual fieldwork. It is just one issue in helping maintain the dune lakes, and Ellis said giving the students control of how the outreach program is designed is important to spreading the word.
?We want to inspire community involvement,? he said.
Other schools that wish to join the project can call Suzanne Wilson at (850) 892-8172. Students must be at least 14 years old. Training on how to recognize and treat the different species will begin in December.
