Public meeting to provide updates on snail kites, Kissimmee Chain invasive-plant management
News Release
Monday, April 25, 2011
Media contact: Joy Hill, 352-258-3426
Updates on snail kites and invasive-plant management on the
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes is the focus of a public meeting in
Kissimmee on Thursday, April 28, from 10 a.m. until noon. The
meeting will be on the fourth floor of the Osceola County
Commission Chambers in the Administrative Building at 1 Courthouse
Square.
The meeting will be Webcast simultaneously at www.osceola.org/meetingsportal/265-10013-0/county_meetings.cfm
for those unable to attend.
This is a dual-purpose meeting. It will provide updates on
recent invasive-plant control measures by the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water
Management District on lakes in the Kissimmee Chain.
The FWC, the South Florida Water Management District, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers and the University of Florida will present
information on hydrilla management activities, herbicide monitoring
reports and an update on snail kite nesting activity. There will
also be a presentation by ReMetrix on Lake Tohopekaliga vegetation
mapping.
This meeting is also a follow-up to previous public meetings
where the FWC and partner agencies updated and answered questions
from the public on the hydrilla treatment program implemented last
November. This adaptive treatment approach is designed to help
protect the endangered Everglade snail kite by increasing the
bird's access to its food source, namely apple snails, while
recognizing the needs of recreational and business interests at the
lake.
The kite has lost most of its historic nesting and feeding
habitat in South Florida because of drought and floods, and in the
past few years many have moved north to Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho,
for short).
In October, at the first meeting held by the FWC and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the new treatment plans,
biologists detailed how hydrilla provides a food source and a
structure on which apple snails climb to the surface of the water,
where Everglade snail kites can eat them. Abundant hydrilla and
apple snails make Lake Toho one of the best areas in the state for
snail kites to find plenty of food and to nest.
As a result, the FWC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have
been taking extra precautions when controlling hydrilla in Lake
Toho this winter and spring to help the dwindling population of
snail kites. These agencies are working with stakeholders to
balance the needs of this endangered species with the needs of the
people and businesses that use the lake or depend on it for their
income.
For more information on the meeting, please contact Ed Harris at
407-858-6170.
Persons with Disabilities