QUICK
CLICKS
FOGL Volunteers hard at work
First Saturday of the
month work parties resumed Saturday April 7 when sixteen volunteers (including
7 students) removed weeds to restore native vegetation at the southwest
(Blackbird) restoration site on the southwest side of the lake AND found
six easter eggs hiding in the weeds in the process! We'll be working on
the plantings at the pied-billed
grebes nesting site on the southeast corner of the lake near Pitch
& Putt golf course on May 5. Join us any time between 9 and 12 of the
work party date as we get dirty and have fun restoring wildlife habitat
at Green Lake.
You can email us at friendsofGL@gmail.com to sign up, or you can just
stop by if you want. You don't have to sign up ahead. Come dressed
to get dirty and resist thorns, and bring gloves and weeding tools, if
you have them.
Restoring dense vegetation along the shoreline encourages the birds to
again raise their chicks on our urban lake, and provides spring flowers
for nectar-loving hummingbirds and later in the season, berries for foraging
songbirds. Friends of Green Lake is an association of volunteers whose
mission is "to ensure a healthy lake for wildlife and recreation".
FOGL volunteers removed blackberries from the shoreline last Oct. re-planted
with natives in March and April, and weeded and watered in May and July
(see pictures in the slideshow, above.) In November 2011 and April 2012
we weeded restoration sites. FOGL only exists because of volunteers. Like
what we do? Come join in!
FOGL has IRS approved tax-exempt status for environmental, scientific
and educational activities.Photos courtesy of Mickey Schurr and Garet
Munger.
CHARTING WATER CLARITY
IN GREEN LAKE
Green Lake water clarity varies with the amount of suspended sediment
(clays and silts) and/or plankton (microscopic plants and animals also
known as algae) in the water, as seen below. Click the graph to for a
larger version. See Monitoring page for
more details.
NEWS ITEMS
Photo by Karen Schurr
POTENTIALLY TOXIC ALGAE
SEEN AGAIN
by Gayle Garman, FOGL Pres.
Photo by Karen Schurr
Earlier this year several blue-green algae scums were tested and found
to include Microcystis and Anabaena, both of which can produce toxins.
“This does not seem to indicate an acute health or safety risk at this
time because the levels were below the DNR guidelines,” Sally Abella of
King County DNR said at the time. “However, because the algae were somewhat
dispersed by the time we investigated, it is quite possible that the state
threshold could have been exceeded if a true scum had been sampled."
So it is important to get pictures and samples as soon as possible after
the scums are seen. Abella has put out a call for volunteers to lend a
hand.
"Does anyone walk around the lake frequently? If so, could you carry
a pint-sized jar or container with you (clean glass) to be able to scoop
up a sample if you see a distinct scum? We would need the location as
closely as you can describe it and the date/time of the sample. Of course,
a picture of the site is worth gold! If you do take a sample, refrigerate
it ASAP and email me
[or you can call FOGL at 206-525-1974, ed.] so we can coordinate a toxicity
test with Dept of Ecology and the King County Environmental Lab."
GL EVENTS & MEETINGS
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DISCUSSED AT MEETING
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TAKE A WALK ON
THE WILD SIDE OF THE LAKE |
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Introductions -
About Us | Contact Us | How To Help | Links
©2012 Friends of Green Lake
PO Box 30544, Seattle, WA 98113
Updated
May 12, 2012
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