Colorful is the new lawn
Lawn of Peanut Grass
This discovery comes about partly because environmentally concerned homeowners have been demanding a groundcover alternative to their high-maintenance grass lawns. The University of Florida and other research facilities throughout the South are trying to find some answers. Much research has been done with ornamental peanuts. It seems that they may be an excellent choice for an environmentally friendly, low-maintenance groundcover.
Ornamental peanut is a relative of the common peanut, Arachis hypogaea. Selections chosen for ornamental groundcovers reach six inches high and produce yellow flowers throughout the summer. Tops will die back after frost, but plants will come back reliably in the spring. The soil is not completely bare in the winter, either, as the brown stolons remain, protecting the soil from erosion.
Perennial peanuts are well-suited to the hot climate and sandy soils of Florida . Excellent results have been reported in the lower regions of other southeastern states, extending from southeast Texas to southeast North Carolina .
Flowers of Peanut Lawn
Once established, little or no maintenance is needed. Since they are legumes, they fix their own nitrogen, so little or no fertilizer is required. They are a popular choice for roadside plantings where no maintenance is done other than mowing. Height can be maintained down to one and one-half inches short if mowed every two to four weeks. Regular mowing also stimulates flowering. Weed control is important during the early establishment period. If broadleaf weeds are allowed to grow, they may shade the new plants and otherwise inhibit their growth. Weed control later will not be a major concern.
University of Florida IFAS, Extension at the Leon County Agriculture Center
Gram can't believe it! Lake Otis, a joint project between the City of Winter Haven, Save the Lake Otis Chain, and LRLMD!
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) was the official first launch of the newly opened boat ramp on Lake Otis this week.
With the boat ramp now open, we expect a true lakes management plan for aquatic weed control, inspection, and maintenance will begin (again). If you happen to see an airboat or two on the lakes, it’s the calvary taking care of our lakes.
The Lakes Region Lakes Management used a new state-of-the-art pervious concrete that helps protect the watersheds.
Concrete is pervious to water
With pervious concrete, water is absorbed and soaks through filtering the water.
In 2007 the “Save the Lake Otis Chain”, or SLOC, a non-profit, was formed to help address major issues such as Hydrilla and pollutants in the Lake Otis chain.
View of the state-of-the-art pervious concrete.
SLOC has worked directly with the Lake Region Lakes Management District (LRLMD) and the City of Winter Haven to develop a public access on Lake Otis, install a new lift station, and beautify the area. The public access allows the lakes to qualify for state funding, which in turned puts the three lake chain under a true lakes management plan.
Experts from the Polk County Parks and Natural Resources, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, University of Florida IFAS, LRLMD and others, will closely monitor, protect, and restore the natural beauty and quality our lakes.
SLOC still continues to represent and work on Lake Link, Lake Otis and Little Lake Otis. Our goal is to continue to make this chain as healthy and as enjoyable as possible for all residents living on the lake, in the surrounding inland neighborhoods, and other’s to enjoy.
Lakes provide an important economic development and are the main reasons why people are attracted to the area. Now is a great opportunity - to promote our lakes and help make decisions that will affect future generations.
Polk Planning New Attack on Hydrilla in Lakes
LAKELAND | Hydrilla had been spreading across Lake Hollingsworth and Lake Gibson, and for months there wasn’t much Polk County’s aquatic weed control staff could do about it.
But by the end of the month, the problem should be under control, said James McLaughlin, an environmental operations specialist for Polk’s Parks and Natural Resources Division.
This problem has been noted by weed scientists in recent years and research is under way to find new herbicides that are effective and that won’t kill beneficial aquatic plants along with the hydrilla.
McLaughlin said he’s been working with scientists at the University of Florida to come up with a new combination of chemicals and a recent test killed 95 percent of the plants that were sprayed.
Rice Crispys & Lake Otis
Lake Region Lakes Management District is finishing the work on the driveway for the Lake Otis boat ramp using state-of-art pervious concrete, that looks like Rice Crispy treats! It has many advantages over normal concrete:
Managing Runoff
Permeable paving surfaces have been demonstrated as effective in managing runoff from paved surfaces.
Controlling pollutants
Permeable paving surfaces keep the pollutants in place in the soil or other material underlying the roadway, and allow water seepage to groundwater recharge while preventing the stream erosion problems. They capture the heavy metals that fall on them, preventing them from washing downstream and accumulating inadvertently in the environment. In the void spaces, naturally occurring micro-organisms digest car oils, leaving little but carbon dioxide and water; the oil ceases to exist as a pollutant.
Trees
Porous pavements give urban trees the rooting space they need to grow to full size. A “structural-soil” pavement base combines structural aggregate with soil; a porous surface admits vital air and water to the rooting zone. This integrates healthy ecology and thriving cities, with the living tree canopy above, the city’s traffic on the ground, and living tree roots below.
The team that make things happen.
Yes, that is Roger Griffiths, executive director of the Lakes Region Lakes Management District working the curb.
A squeaker of a race
The election was a close one, but in the end, Matt Kaylor won by 190 votes. This was an exciting and dramatic campaign. I’ve learned a lot through this process, and I met so many nice people.
Fortunately, with so much press surrounding this campaign, much light has been shed on the importance of valuing, protecting and preserving our area lakes. There are water quality issues as well as water sustainability issues that need to be tackled.
I’d like to congratulate Matt on a well run campaign. Oddly enough, I think we are better friends because of it.
-Ingram Leedy
A Measurement of Success
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.
-David Brinkley
As a candidate for Seat 1 of the Lake Region Lakes Management District, I would like to address the series of articles and press that this race has received.
Why has this Canal Commission race become so contentious? The reason is because there is so much at stake. People are realizing what a critical role our lakes and canals, our water quality and water availability, and our need to protect our natural resources plays in our community.
There is currently much discord at the Canal Commission which is affecting morale and progress. But the fact that this is a heated contest can in turn, be a win for everyone. The attention this race is receiving helps bring to the forefront the issues at hand.
Winter Haven and the surrounding areas are set for an explosion of growth with the coming of Legoland, CSX and exciting new ventures downtown. We have a small window of time — and a great opportunity — to make decisions now that will affect future generations.
Citizens of the Winter Haven area need to learn that we are at the top of our watershed, thus we receive no downstream water. We must hold more water in our lakes, reservoirs, and road side swales in order to refill our surficial aquifer which is currently down over 9 feet. These are the issues. By protecting our lakes, we protect Winter Haven’s way of life.
We can start working with land owners to protect critical areas of the Peace Creek basin and put into motion the Sustainable Water Resources Management Plan which has been developed by Mike Britt of the City of Winter Haven. The plan offers ways to raise lake levels, which will then allow canal passage and improve water quality. There are many great ideas and solutions, we just need to move forward with implementation.
I am very appreciative of the News Chief endorsement, and I hope to have the opportunity to serve – not in order to become someone’s rubber stamp — but in order to make a positive difference in our community. It will take the cooperation of many people including a multitude of government agencies, officials, and private citizens to build and execute a vision. I love Winter Haven, and I see great things in our future!
Ingram Leedy
www.leedyforlakes.com
Ingram@leedyforlakes.com
Currently, lake levels are down. But could things be better?
In a perfect and natural scenario, a drop of rainwater falls on the earth and slowly seeps into a shallow, underground aquifer, or “surficial” aquifer, which is separated from the deeper Floridan aquifer by a confining bed of clay.
This process allows for the filtering of fertilizers, pet waste, and other harmful substances. The filtered water is then delivered to our lakes through the aquifer during the drier months, when lake levels begin to fall. This is the natural process by which our lakes are kept full.
Each time we develop and pave over or drain an area, we alter the natural movement of water through that area. Rainwater now flows through our storm drains and directly to our lakes within minutes, short circuiting the natural process of recharging the aquifer and filtering the water.
Making matters worse, the storm water that flows to the Peace Creek Canal is quickly routed out of the watershed in a matter of days (a process that would normally take months). The levels of the Floridan aquifer and some lakes have dropped about 10 feet over the last 90 years.
Thanks to Mike Britt, the City of Winter Haven has worked with PBS&J (an environmental science consulting firm) and local experts to develop a Conceptual Plan for Sustainable Water Resource Management. With this approach, our rainwater would flow more naturally and the watershed would hold more rainwater.
By developing a water network that reflects the natural meander of water through the watershed, we would benefit from natural wet areas surrounding our city. These would offer habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities, and preserve our wetlands.
Keeping our aquifer levels up is a comprehensive way to restore natural systems, keep lake levels up, and improve water quality. During a drought, cleaner water would still be delivered to the lakes through the natural process of slow seepage.
This Conceptual Plan for Sustainable Water Resource Management is an opportunity to protect Winter Haven’s identity as not just another sterile community off a highway exit, but rather as a peaceful city with a unique intent to restore, preserve, and protect our natural resources.
-Anne-Marie Leedy
Please take the time to read carefully this Conceptual Plan. I would like everyone to be aware and supportive of this exciting initiative.
