2. Public meetings Winter Garden/Oakland/Ocoee Apopka Lake County
Tuesday, January 10th
Guest speaker: Dr Erich Marzolf (SJRWMD)
Apopka
Wednesday, January 11th
Guest speaker: Mayor Joe Kilsheimer
Lake County
TBD

3. Current Board Members Jim Thomas - President Deborah Green
Joe Dunn – Vice President
Jim Hawley
Rachel Comstock -  Secretary
Dennis Jones
Ed Aduss – Treasurer
Mona Phipps
Tim Bachmeyer
Dennis Renfro
Glenn Burns
Drew Shatzer
Taressa George
Science Adviser – Jim Peterson
Phoebe Gonsalves
Theo Graham

4. Lake Apopka 4th largest lake in Florida: 30,000 acres
Orange & Lake counties
Average water depth 5 feet
Former largemouth bass fishing capital of US

5. FOLA Mission FOLA is a citizen advocacy group
focused on restoring Florida's 30,000-acre lake
to its once pristine condition

6. Friends of Lake Apopka Enormous progress in past 20 years
We need to finish the restoration
You can make a difference !

7. Key Milestones 1941 21,000 acres of muck farm created
1991 FOLA founded
1998 $100M purchase of muck farms
1999 Oakland Nature Preserve established
2003 Marsh flow-way begins operation
2015 Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive opens

8. 20 Years of Progress North Shore acquisition Marsh flow-way
Gizzard shad removal
Planting native aquatic plants
Stocking largemouth bass

9. North Shore Acquisition
Single largest factor in
nutrient reduction
Recreation area and
wetlands habitat restoration

10. Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
360+ species of birds
13.5 mile Wildlife Drive
Open Fri/Sat/Sun
(& Federal holidays)
33,000 cars 2016
83,000 visitors
18 mile Apopka Loop trail
LAWD Facebook page

11. 20 Years of Progress North Shore acquisition Marsh flow-way
Gizzard shad removal
Planting native aquatic plants
Stocking largemouth bass

12. Marsh Flow-way 5+ volumes of the lake processed since 2003
Nearly 100% removal of solids and chlorophyll
30% reduction in total phosphorous

13. 20 Years of Progress North Shore acquisition Marsh flow-way
Gizzard shad removal
Planting native aquatic plants
Stocking largemouth bass

14. Gizzard Shad Removal
1 million pounds of gizzard shad/year for 23 years
Directly removes phosphorus source
Prevents nutrient recycling

15. 20 Years of Progress North Shore acquisition Marsh flow-way
Gizzard shad removal
Planting native aquatic plants
Stocking largemouth bass

16. Improvements in Aquatic Vegetation Enhancement
Increase in spatterdock and bulrush via planting
Natural increase in native submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)
Current data indicates 57 acres total of eelgrass

17. 20 Years of Progress North Shore acquisition Marsh flow-way
Gizzard shad removal
Planting native aquatic plants
Stocking largemouth bass

18. Sport Fish in Lake Apopka
Stocked approximately 7 million sunshine bass since 1980
Stocked “out-of-season” spawned largemouth bass
Department of Health 2016 report:
bass, black crappie, and bluegill are safe to eat

19. Resulting Improvements
Phosphorous (parts per billion)
Reduction from a high of 250+ppb
to currently approaching target of 55 ppb
Secchi transparency
Currently at 12 inches from a low of 8 inches in past
(fluctuates with lake level)
Chlorophyll-a (micrograms per liter)
Reduction from a high of 100+ to current level of 50

20. Eco-tourism
Eco-tourism is distinguished by its emphasis on conservation, education, traveler responsibility and active community participation, The Nature Conservancy.
Providing environmental education and awareness that encourages behaviors that contribute to the sustainability of Florida's natural ecosystems and resources, Florida Society for Ethical Ecotourism

21. Birdapalooza
Lake Apopka Wildlife Festival and Birdapalooza Birding Festival (January 20-22)
Participants from all over the U.S. and Canada.

22. FOLA Eco-tourism Concerns
Impact on the lake
Impact on the wildlife
Impact on LAWD/Loop Trail

23. Future of Eco-tourism Lake Apopka Restoration Center
Mayor Joe Kilsheimer
Magnolia Park improvements
Commissioner Bryan Nelson
Seaplane Base
Orange County

24. Current Restoration Initiatives
Innovative Dredging Projects
Eco-tourism oversight
Audubon Nature Center
Bike trail around Lake Apopka
North Shore restoration
Expand Oakland Nature Preserve (Hull Island)

25. Friends of Lake Apopka Enormous progress in past 20 years
We need to finish the restoration
You can make a difference !

26. Finish the job ! Save Lake Apopka
Join FOLA: annual dues $25 ($40 family)
Raise our collective voices
Get involved: volunteer

27. FOLA Volunteer Opportunities
North Shore restoration
FOLA booth at civic events
Birdapalooza, Town Festivals, etc
Committees
Citizen Science
Shoreline trash cleanup

28. Friends of Lake Apopka Social Media www.fola.org

29. Questions