NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

July 5, 2000

CONTACT: David Douglas (352)742-6438

LAKE DORA SHORELINE TO GET FISH AND WILDLIFE HABITAT ENHANCEMENT

During the week of July 10th nearly three miles of undeveloped Lake Dora shoreline will get much needed fish and wildlife habitat improvements. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will be supervising the planting of 11,000 native aquatic plants along the south shore of the Lake County lake. This effort is part of an ongoing shoreline restoration project being conducted on lakes Dora, Beauclair and Carlton which, when completed, will have replanted nearly seven miles of shoreline in these lakes with desirable native aquatic plants.

Species to be planted are giant bulrush and softstem bulrush, both highly beneficial to fish and wildlife. These new plants will replace dense monocultures of undesirable cattails which were smothering fish spawning areas and depositing large amounts of organic material on the lake bottom. Both species of bulrush provide superior bird nesting habitat and have a higher food value to wildlife compared to cattails.

These shoreline enhancement projects are a cooperative effort of the FWC, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Lake County Mosquito and Aquatic Plant Management. A majority of the funding for this project comes from the Aquatic Plant Trust Fund (Boat Motor Fuel Tax revenues). For more information on this project contact David Douglas, at (352) 742-6438.