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LAKE WORTH LAGOON: SAVING NATURE’S NURSERY
Educator’s Guide
Author Chris Lockhart
Editor Chris Lockhart
Curriculum Patricia Dye - Elementary School
Shelby Mann - Middle School
Elizabeth Cozzi - High School
Chris Lockhart – High School
Illustrations Creativision
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
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Production of “Lake Worth Lagoon: Saving Nature’s Nursery” and Educator’s Guide was funded by a grant from
South Florida Water Management District
and supported by or in cooperation with the following organizations: (listed alphabetically)
Florida Advisory Council on Environmental Education
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Florida Marine Patrol
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Historical Society of Palm Beach County
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park
Lake Worth Historical Museum
Palm Beach County Channel 20
Palm Beach County Reef Research Team
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management
Palm Beach County School District
South Florida Science Museum
Sunfest of Palm Beach County
The Palm Beach Post
U.S. Geological Survey
West Palm Beach Fishing Club
Our thanks also to the following Palm Beach County schools that participated in the video: Hagen Road Elementary School, Forest Hill High School Environmental Academy, and
Jupiter High School Environmental Academy
Printing Courtesy of
South Florida Water Management District
For DVD copies of “Lake Worth Lagoon: Saving Nature’s Nursery,” contact: South Florida Water Management District, 1-800-432-2045
Or view at www.HabitatSpecialists.com
This Educator’s Guide may be copied for use in classrooms for educational purposes. Any other uses, display, or reproduction requires permission from Habitat Specialists, Inc.,
P.O. Box 243116, Boynton Beach, FL 33424-3116. Email: [email protected] Original publication date December 1998. Revised November 2010. Web links have been added
where more detailed information is available. 1998, 2010
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TABLE OF CONTENTS How to use the Educator’s Guide . . . . . . 4
Sunshine State Standards . . . . . . . 5
Objectives . . . . . . . . . 6
Timeline . . . . . . . . . 7
Background Information, Part I . . . . . . 9
Background Information, Part II . . . . . . 11
Background Information, Part III . . . . . . 13
Elementary School Curriculum . . . . . . 15
Middle School Curriculum . . . . . . 33
High School Curriculum . . . . . . . 48
Appendix A. Vocabulary . . . . . . . 60
Appendix B. Script Summaries . . . . . . 62
Appendix C. Other Research Topics . . . . . 68
Appendix D. Reference List . . . . . . 69
Appendix E. Evaluation form . . . . . . 70
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HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
This Educator’s Guide is designed for use with the video “Lake Worth Lagoon:
Saving Nature’s Nursery.” The goal is to provide educators with an informative, user-friendly guide and an entertaining video for students in grades 4 through 12, teaching them about the history, biology, and environmental issues associated with the Lake Worth Lagoon in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The video is segmented to reflect the three themes and to allow for classroom discussion and activities. The video segments are available through the Palm Beach County School District Learning Village and online at: www.HabitatSpecialists.com . Part I (history) is 6:45 minutes in length, Part II (biology) is 13:35 minutes, and Part III (issues) is 8:30 minutes.
Approximately one week of materials is included in this guide. A list of possible research topics for further study is given in Appendix C. The curriculum materials are geared toward grades 4, 7, and 10, but may be adapted to other grade levels and curricula.
The Background Information summaries provide teachers with supplemental information on the topics in this video, and may supplement the high school curriculum. The timeline compliments Part I and presents a sequence of historic events relevant to Florida and Palm Beach County. A glossary of vocabulary words is given in Appendix A to complement the curricula. The script summaries in Appendix B aid students who are absent on video days. A reference list is provided in Appendix D. Additional JPEG graphics will be posted on the www.habitatspecialists.com web site as a separate file.
Where the text from the 1998 video differs from current information, you may see “2010 Notes” at the bottom of that section or activity. The Palm Beach Post had granted permission to copy the September 22, 1996 article, “Lake Worth Lagoon: A Century of Abuse” for classroom use, however it is no longer readily available. In lieu of that article, more current resources are referenced.
Graphics of the maps found in the video, the food web circle, and the seagrass populations are available in JPEG format for easy PowerPoint use or handouts. They will be made available online separate from this document.
These materials can be used to supplement the Palm Beach Post’s Newpapers in Education “Lake Worth Lagoon, Discover a Local Treasure” to be released in November 2010. In partnership with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management, look for additional resource materials at www.lwli.org.
Finally, an evaluation form is enclosed. Your constructive comments and input would be greatly appreciated. We hope that you enjoy the program, and that these materials are useful in providing some local ecological and historical information to your students.
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CORRELATION OF “LAKE WORTH LAGOON: SAVING NATURE’S NURSERY”
WITH THE FLORIDA SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS
I. PRE K-5 SCIENCE CURRICULUM GUIDELINES
STRAND G: How Living Things Interact With Their Environment
STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS:
1. The student understands the competitive, interdependent, cyclic nature of living things in the environment. (SC.G.1.2.1 through SC.G.1.2.7)
2. The student understands the consequences of using limited natural resources. (SC.G.2.2.1, SC.G.2.2.2., SC.G.2.2.3)
II. GRADE 7 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES: STRAND : How Living Things Interact With Their Environment
STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS:
D.2 The student understands the need for protection of the natural systems of Earth. (SC.D.1.3.3, SC.D.2.3.1)
G.1 The student understands the competitive, interdependent cyclic nature of living things in the environment. (SC.G.1.3.4, SC.G.1.3.5)
G.2 The student understands the consequences of using limited natural resources. ( SC.G.2.3.2 ) III. GRADE 10 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES: The purpose of the curriculum unit is to provide an overview of the estuarine environment and man’s impact upon the survival of such an environment. The unit can be used to 10th grade science, environmental science, or marine science classes. STRAND: How Living Things Interact With Their Environment
STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS:
1. The student understands the competitive, interdependent, cyclic nature of living things in the environment. (SC.G.1.4.2)
2. The student understands the consequences of using limited natural resources. (SC.G.2.4.2)
3. The student applies the knowledge of the nature of science and the scientific habits of mind to solve problems, and employ safe and effective use of laboratory technologies. (SC.H.1.4.1, SC.H.1.4.2, SC.H.1.4.3)
4. The student describes the unique characteristics of the marine environment. (SC.D.1.4.1, SC.D.1.4.2)
5. The student demonstrates a knowledge of marine communities, food webs and food chains. (SC.B.1.4.1, SC.B.1.4.2)
6. The student describes the interrelationships between man and the ocean environment. (SC.B. 2.4.4)
7. The student describes how science interacts with technology and society. (SC.B.2.4.4., SC.C. 2.4.6)
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OBJECTIVES
By viewing this video and participating in the activities and discussions in the Educator’s Guide, the student should gain an understanding of the geography and history surrounding Lake Worth Lagoon, an appreciation of the ecosystems that relate to estuaries in southern Florida, the relevance of science in real world problems, and the issues related to human impacts on natural systems. Specific concepts that students will understand include:
Identification of estuaries, barrier islands, and lagoons and how they formed
Natural islands of Lake Worth Lagoon
Historical aspects of Lake Worth Lagoon, including early Indians and settlers, the Barefoot Mailman, and the Intracoastal Waterway
Impacts of a growing human population on wildlife habitat and species richness
Ecosystems within Lake Worth Lagoon
Food webs and food chains
Producers, consumers and decomposers of an ecosystem
Types of mangroves in the lagoon and their function
Types of seagrasses in the lagoon and their function
Estuaries as ‘cradles of the ocean’
Energy flow in the estuary
Use of the lagoon by endangered and threatened plants and animals
How adaptations of organisms contribute to their survival
Differences between freshwater and saltwater environments
Current and past sources of pollution in Lake Worth Lagoon
Human impacts on water quality
Impacts of water quality on seagrass populations
Harmful effects and sources of air, water and land pollution
Water quality measurements
Turbidity - use of a Secchi disk and how to measure suspended solids
Preservation and restoration efforts by local agencies
Actions that individuals can take to reduce pollution and protect the lagoon
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TIMELINE
Editor’s Note: In partnership with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management, Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative, an updated timeline is available with other teacher resources at www.lwli.org.
120,000 B.C. Mastodons roamed the area now known as Palm Beach County.
12,000 B.C. The first humans colonize North America and enter Florida. The climate is dry, cool.
9,000 B.C. The Ice Age retreats. Florida’s land mass shrinks as the climate warms and seas rise.
5,000 B.C. The climate stabilizes. Rainfall increases, forming permanent rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Paleo-Indian camps establish along rivers and coasts.
3,000 B.C. Sea levels and coastlines are similar to those of today. Large villages are established.
2,000 B.C. The oldest record of pottery made in Florida.
500 A.D. Agriculture is first practiced in Florida, producing corn, beans, tobacco, and gourds.
1513 A.D. Ponce de Leon lands in Florida near the area of St. Augustine.
Mid 1500s-1600s Severe disease epidemics ravage and kill 90% of Florida’s native peoples within one century.
Late 1600s British and northern native tribes raid Spanish missions. Many natives are enslaved.
1763 Great Britain acquires Florida from Spain. Few Florida natives remain. Seminole Indians and African-American slaves migrate south into Florida.
1776-1783 The American Revolution. Florida is returned to Spanish rule after the war.
1817-1818 The First Seminole War.
1819 Florida becomes a Territory of the United States.
1827 Seminoles are forced to live on reservations in central Florida.
1835-1842 Second Seminole War. Most of the Seminoles are sent to reservations in western states. A few hundred escape into the Everglades.
1842 Soldiers name the lake “Lake Worth” for General William Worth after the Second Seminole War
1845 Florida becomes the 27th state.
1858 Third Seminole War. At the end, 300 Seminoles who refuse to leave, remain by hiding in the Everglades.
1860s Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse completed. It was darkened during the Civil War (1861 – 1865). Settlers begin to build home sites around “Lake Worth”, a fresh water lake
1877 The first stable inlet was made north of its current location and Lake Worth began to change to a salt water lagoon.
1880 Lake Worth Post Office established on the barrier island of what is now Palm Beach. The Cocoanut Grove House was first hotel to open in Palm Beach.
1885-1893 The Barefoot Mailmen carried mail from Jupiter to Miami, using boats through Lake Worth Lagoon and across rivers.
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Late 1800s Henry Flagler builds the Florida East Coast Railroad from St. Augustine to Palm Beach. The Intracoastal Waterway was dredged, connecting the Lake Worth Lagoon to the Jupiter Inlet. The first school house, Little Red Schoolhouse, is built.
Early 1900s Native Americans are declared U.S. citizens. Flagler extends the railroad to Key West. The Intracoastal Waterway was completed from the Lake Worth Lagoon to Biscayne Bay, and the South Lake Worth Inlet (the Boynton Inlet) was created.
1925 Lake Worth Inlet was deepened and widened, and the piled sediment created Peanut Island. The West Palm Beach Spillway (C-51 Canal) was dredged, creating a significant fresh water inflow into the Lagoon. Its creation provided drainage necessary for western development. Sewage drained into the lagoon.
1928 A major hurricane cuts through Palm Beach County and floods Lake Okeechobee.
1948 Everglades National Park is established.
Mid-1900s Massive development continues. More than 80% of mangrove shoreline is replaced by seawalls. Additional canals are dredged to allow for development, increasing storm water inflow into Lake Worth Lagoon. Pollutants from fresh water and sewage inflows resulted in unacceptable water quality. Seagrass populations are reduced by 94%.
1960s-present Extensive cleanup efforts begin; sewage is diverted to treatment plants. Massive fresh water discharges from canals remain a major pollutant source. Laws help to protect the remaining mangrove forests.
1972 Federal Clean Water Act, the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States, is passed.
1990s Palm Beach County restores Munyon Island and places artificial reefs in the lagoon. Both projects increase fish habitat. Seagrass populations improve to a 51% reduction level. A management plan is developed to improve water quality and wildlife habitat, provide for human uses of the lagoon, and increase public awareness about human impacts.
2000 to present Palm Beach County restores Peanut Island and revises the Lake Worth Lagoon Management Plan. State funding provides grants for numerous projects that have improved natural habitat and lagoon water quality. Seasonal coastal clean-up days include the lagoon. They are supported by many local organizations such as Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Lagoonkeepers, and the Palm Beach Fishing Club.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PART I: HISTORY OF THE PALM BEACH COUNTY AREA
Editor’s Note: In partnership with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative, this section was updated in 2010. It includes the history, topics for discussion and “Fun Facts”. Look for it under “Teacher resources” at www.lwli.org late in 2010.
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Topics for discussion:
1. A hurricane passed through Palm Beach County in 1928, severely damaging the Royal Poinciana Hotel. Other notable buildings have been destroyed by fire. The Breakers Hotel, originally built in 1896, was rebuilt in 1903-04 and 1925-26. The Hygeia Hotel on Munyon Island is gone. Compare some remaining historic buildings to their present use now; for example, the Flagler Museum, the Lake Worth Casino and Bath, and the old courthouse building where the Historical Society of Palm Beach County now resides. Discuss the effects of natural events (fire, storms) on present buildings and local populations.
2. Compare and contrast the wildlife seen around the lake in the 1880s with those seen today in coastal Palm Beach County. Make a list of wildlife species that were seen near the lagoon in the late 1800s and those seen now. Species richness is the number of different species present. The populations in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County in 1997 were 78,000 and 982,000, respectively. Plot the wildlife species richness against the human population in Palm Beach County over time (research the population of Dade County in 1890 or use 1,000 as an estimate of the population in the Palm Beach County region). Discuss how human populations can impact wildlife habitat and wildlife populations.
3. Discuss the role of disease and its sources, e.g., the lack of immunity by the Florida Indians to European diseases and the effects of poor water quality on us now (polio, sick fish, effects of coliform bacteria).
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PART II: THE BIOLOGY OF LAKE WORTH LAGOON
Lake Worth Lagoon is an estuary, meaning that it is a coastal body of water where the salt water of the open ocean mixes with the fresh water that runs off the land. Estuaries are often influenced by the rise and fall of tidal waters. You may wonder how estuaries are different from lagoons. Well, a lagoon is a shallow lake that is connected to the ocean, so it is one type of estuary. There are other types of estuaries like the mouth of a river or a bay.
Because the salinity varies greatly between fresh water, where it is zero parts per thousand (0/00), and the ocean, with an average value of 35 0/00, the area where the two first meet may ‘wedge’. The denser salt water tends to stay toward the bottom and the less dense fresh water tends to stay toward the top. If you are in the water in a salt wedge area, the water will appear blurry due to the collision of different salt concentrations. When testing for salinity, students may wish to sample surface water, mid-stream, and just above the bottom and compare the three.
The salinity of Lake Worth Lagoon varies greatly depending on the amount of fresh water that enters the lagoon. During the winter, when there is less rainfall, the salinity will rise. The opposite is true during the summer rainy season or after a major storm event. The average salinity range for Lake Worth Lagoon is 20 to 36 0/00. After heavy fresh water discharges, however, salinity values may drop to the single digits.
Over 70% of sport and commercial fish, crustaceans, and many other marine animals use estuaries during part of their life cycle. Because they serve as a nursery for many species, estuaries have been called “the cradles of the ocean.” Some animals have an indirect economic value because they are important elements in the food web of the animals that are harvested by the fishing industry. Without those fiddler crabs, snails, tiny crustaceans, and mullet, we would not have the snook, lobster, grouper, and snapper that many of us enjoy. Without seagrass and mangrove habitat for the base of the food chain, all elements are at risk.
Estuaries are also an important feeding, nesting, and breeding area for many coastal birds like the roseate spoonbill, herons, egrets, osprey, pelican, ibis, and the threatened least tern. Lake Worth Lagoon also provides needed habitat for endangered animals, including the West Indian manatee, the green sea turtle, and the wood stork.
The important ecological communities in Lake Worth Lagoon are the mangroves, the seagrass beds, and more recently, the artificial reefs. The primary producers of these habitats are mangrove trees, several species of seagrass and algae, and phytoplankton, respectively. As producers, these plants produce oxygen and make food in the form of carbohydrates for a variety of herbivores. The herbivores become tasty morsels for the carnivores, and the detritivores are happy to eat the scraps and help to break down the organic matter. In the highly productive estuary, the decomposers, i.e., the bacteria and fungi play a critical role in the food cycle. Without them, there would be a tremendous buildup of organic matter in an environment, and many nutrients would not be in a form useable by the plants. This would be a quick recipe for disaster.
The four mangrove species in southern Florida are the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa),
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and buttonwood (Conocarpus erecta). Mangroves perform several roles. Most important is the role of the dead, fallen leaves in the food web. Bacteria break down the cuticle layer of the dead leaves and produce a slimy protein layer for fish and other small animals to eat. In addition, the prop roots of the red mangrove trees shelter the small fish from larger swimming predators, and provide a substrate for the attachment of non-mobile organisms like oysters and barnacles. The roots also trap sediment, reducing shoreline erosion. Mangroves enhance water quality by acting as natural filters for pollutants and excess nutrients.
Seagrasses perform some similar functions. They produce oxygen, stabilize submerged sediment, provide shelter for small animals, food for herbivores, and recycle nutrients. Lake Worth Lagoon has seven species of seagrasses (see 2010 Note1): manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme), turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), shoal grass (Halodule wrightii), widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima), and three species of Halophila - paddle grass (Halophila decipiens), Johnson’s seagrass (Halophila johnsonii) and star grass (Halophila englemannii). Seagrasses are the primary diet for the West Indian manatee. They also harbor thousands of marine worms and amphipods (tiny crustaceans) on which small fish feed. These seagrass meadows also provide important foraging habitat for coastal birds. Several species of algae grow among or attached to seagrasses.
Johnson’s seagrass is federally listed as a threatened species because of its limited range. It exists almost exclusively in Indian River and Lake Worth Lagoons.
Beginning in 1992, artificial reefs were placed in Lake Worth Lagoon to increase snook and crawfish habitat. Within six to twelve months, concrete pyramid modules and concrete beams became covered with corals and sponges, providing new fish habitat for numerous juvenile fish, from snook to barracuda.
Editor’s Note: In partnership with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative, this section was updated in 2010. Learn more about the life in Lake Worth Lagoon at www.lwli.org under “Teacher resources” late in 2010.
2010 Note1: Five of the seven seagrass species are described in the video. Widgeon grass and star grass were recently discovered in Lake Worth Lagoon. All seven species of seagrass that grow in the State of Florida are found in both Indian River and Lake Worth Lagoons.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PART III - THE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
In its current state, Lake Worth Lagoon is a moderately polluted body of water. The key elements that threaten wildlife in the lagoon are poor water quality and loss of habitat. The need for change was first acknowledged in the 1950s. At that time, the lagoon smelled like a sewer because 10 million gallons of raw sewage flowed into the lagoon daily. Over the next 40 years, sewage treatment plants were built and wastewater was diverted away from Lake Worth Lagoon. As of the late 1990s, neither raw sewage nor treated sewage flows into the lagoon. Sometimes exceptions occur, for example, after extreme conditions of very heavy rainfall or a break in a sewer drain.
Sewage is not the only threat to water quality. About 250 square miles of Palm Beach County drain into Lake Worth Lagoon by means of the extensive array of canals that keep our streets and homes dry (see 2010 Note2). Smaller canals feed into three primary canals that pour directly into Lake Worth Lagoon: the Boynton Canal (C-16), the West Palm Beach Canal (C-51), and the Earman River (C-17). The water transports pollutants from as far away as Lake Okeechobee, carrying dirt, chemicals and nutrients from farms and our yards, animal waste, and oil and other pollutants from our streets.
The fresh water runoff from these canals is the primary polluter of Lake Worth Lagoon today. In addition to pollutants carried by the water, the fresh water itself impacts the brackish water of the estuary, often causing dramatic shifts in salinity (from the 20s to fewer than ten parts per thousand). Many estuarine organisms have limited tolerance to salinity variation and die when stressed by such extremes.
The C-51 Canal alone can discharge or pour out up to two million gallons per minute of fresh water into the lagoon after a major storm event. The large volume discharge, along with its polluted contents, stirs up and adds to the sediment particles in the lagoon. This turbidity results in very murky water, impairing boater visibility of manatees and reduced light penetration for the growth of seagrasses. As a result, a 2 ½ mile dead zone developed near this canal where seagrasses disappeared. Other dead zones exist due to deep dredging or pollution. Recent restoration projects by Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management (ERM) have filled in deep holes and seagrasses are beginning to return.
Habitat loss is another major issue in Lake Worth Lagoon. Water quality issues can affect wildlife beginning at the base of the food chain. Seagrasses need light to photosynthesize. When light is unable to penetrate the water column, seagrasses die and dependent organisms either move on or die. As water quality improves, seagrasses will colonize on their own. The seagrass graphic below demonstrates the effects of water quality on seagrass meadows. There was a steep drop in the area populated by seagrasses between 1940 (4271 acres) and 1975 (161 acres). Efforts to improve water quality have also improved seagrass habitat. A survey in 1990 measured 2010 acres.
More that 85% of mangrove habitat has been lost to seawalls and development, eliminating another key part of the food web. Efforts have been made to restore mangrove and fish habitat. Since 1992, Munyon Island has been transformed from a natural island, swollen to three times its size by piled up dredge sediment, back to a functional estuarine community. Non-native invasive trees like Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, and seaside
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mahoe were removed. Barge-loads of sediment were removed from the island to reduce the ground level to tidal elevations. The excess sediment was deposited into deep dredge pits within the lagoon to raise the sediment level to the photic zone, where plants receive enough light to grow. Tidal channels were dug on Munyon Island and red mangroves and coastal hammock trees were planted. The island is now teaming with life. A variety of seagrasses occupy the tidal channels, other mangrove species have come in on their own, and a boardwalk provides low impact people access and educational opportunities.
Other similar projects include the restoration of privately owned, Bird Island (formerly known as Beer Can Island). This island formed from the dredging of the Boynton Inlet. It has tidal channels and an area suitable for nesting by the threatened least tern. Bird Island is now owned by the Audubon Society. Peanut Island, near the Palm Beach Inlet, has been similarly restored by Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management (ERM). It is open for recreational use.
The Palm Beach County ERM and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection developed a Management Plan that addresses issues like water quality, impacts to natural resources, and efforts to enhance public awareness. To make restoration of the lagoon a success, it will take the cooperation and participation of both government agencies and county residents.
There are many ways that we as individuals can help to restore Lake Worth
Lagoon and reduce impacts. A few suggestions are given below.
Minimize the use of fertilizer and lawn chemicals. Do not apply if rain is forecast. The chemicals will wash into the water.
Water your lawn wisely. Watering two or three times per week is usually sufficient. Turn off sprinklers when rain is forecast. Keep water on your yard, not paved surfaces.
Landscape to avoid erosion.
Replace invasive non-native plants in your yard. Contact the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council for a current list: http://www.fleppc.org
Participate in volunteer activities. The Beautiful Palm Beaches sponsors cleanup days each fall and spring for the oceanside beach and Lake Worth Lagoon. Check with Palm Beach County ERM when they will need volunteers to help plant mangroves or assist with other restoration activities.
Learn more about the restoration projects in Lake Worth Lagoon at www.lwli.org.
2010 Note2: A 2010 watershed map includes basins that may drain into the lagoon, raising the size of the watershed to 450 square miles.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM
THE LAKE WORTH LAGOON
INTRODUCTION
In this unit, you will be studying a short history of Palm Beach County and one of its ecosystems, the Lake Worth Lagoon. You will learn that all living things including humans are inter-related, and therefore, interdependent. You will learn that the sun is the source of all the energy needed to complete the producer, consumer, and decomposer cycles of the food web and that matter continues to recycle over and over. Concluding the unit, you will have gained a better understanding and appreciation as to why we as responsible citizens need to preserve the ecosystem of the Lake Worth Lagoon.
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Prior to the 1700s, Florida was the home of more than 100,000 Native Americans that included the Jeaga, Jobe and Tequesta tribes. Scientists or archeologists have found “middens” or refuse piles left behind by these tribes. In the middens, they have found bones and seeds of sea life and plants that Indians used for food and shelter. By studying these middens, scientists are learning how the Indians interacted with the land and water for their survival.
Scientists have discovered that the early tribes were already practicing Ecology (the study of the relationship of living things to their environment) long before Columbus arrived in 1492. They did not take more from the land or water than they needed. The Native Americans knew that by taking more than what they needed was misusing their natural resources. Without these resources they could not survive.
Not much happened in southern Florida in the 1700s because disease killed nearly all of the early Native American tribes. Seminole Indians and escaped slaves moved south into Florida. Settlers south of the Indian River were rare. Only the occasional explorer found their way through the tangle of foliage, saw grass and cypress trees that lined the shores and banks of the local bodies of water.
In 1835, the second Seminole Indian War began and soldiers were sent to South Florida. It was Colonel William Jenkins Worth (for whom the City of Lake Worth and Lake Worth Lagoon were named) who was able to end the war in 1842.
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In 1835 and during the Second Seminole War, mail service was established between St. Augustine and Jupiter. It was carried over the land between Jupiter and Lake Worth. With mail service established and the war ended, early pioneers and settlers began to arrive. By 1845, Florida became a state.
Gaps in mail delivery between Jupiter and Miami were covered by “Barefoot Mailmen”. That is because they had to walk the beaches of the coastal islands and cross the inlets in small rowboats.
In 1877, the first inlet was opened to allow boat passage between the ocean and the lake (now Lake Worth Lagoon). As the salty ocean water came in with the tides, the fresh water lake changed to a brackish water lagoon.
Later, in 1893, Henry Flagler built a hotel in Palm Beach and quickly began to expand his railroad southward to the Lake Worth shores. With this expansion, there would be more people to use the land and fish the waters. The early settlers knew that life as they knew it in southern Florida would never be the same.
THINK: How is the land and the water of the lagoon today different from how it was in the early days of the first settlers?
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WHERE IS LAKE WORTH LAGOON and
WHAT IS LAKE WORTH LAGOON?
Florida is a peninsula (land surrounded on three sides by water) located in the southeastern corner of the United States. It is bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Gulf of Mexico. A body of water called the Florida Straits lies between the Florida Keys and Cuba.
Florida has 1350 miles of coastline from St. Augustine to Pensacola. The only state that has a longer coastline than Florida is Alaska.
The Lake Worth Lagoon is one of three lagoons along Florida’s eastern coastline. The Indian River Lagoon is north of Lake Worth Lagoon. To the south is Biscayne Bay, near Miami.
Lake Worth Lagoon is located west of the barrier islands. A boat channel, called the Intracoastal Waterway passes through the lagoon. The Intracoastal, as we know it today, runs from New York to Miami. It was completed in the early 1900s. They provide a safer trip than boating in the open ocean. Lagoons, such as the Lake Worth Lagoon, separate the main land from the barrier islands.
As recently as the 1870s, Lake Worth Lagoon contained fresh water. It had eight natural islands including Hypoluxo Island, Munyon Island, Little Munyon Island, Bingham Islands, and Johns Island.
Lake Worth Lagoon is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) long and about half a mile wide (almost 1 kilometer). It starts near the Village of North Palm Beach at the northern end. The southern end is near the City of Boynton Beach and the Village of Ocean Ridge.
Lake Worth was formed about 120,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. When the barrier islands trapped the water behind it, it formed a lake. From time to time storms opened and closed the passageways through the islands to the ocean. The early settlers dug what is now known as the Lake Worth Inlet by Peanut Island.
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Today Lake Worth Lagoon has many important uses. It is a sanctuary for many of our native plants and animals. It also offers recreational opportunities. We use it for fishing, swimming, water skiing, bird watching, boating, the boat parades. Sunfest and “4th on Flagler” are right along the lagoon. What other activities might you be able to do at the Lake Worth Lagoon?
Fact: Hypoluxo means “water all around and you can’t get out”
Think: The map below shows the barrier island by John D. MacArthur Beach State Park at the north end of Lake Worth Lagoon. Compare this map with a road map. What is the road shown by the dark line?
Activity: Color the water blue. Be careful not to cover the islands. Use another color for the islands and other land areas.
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OUR LAGOON IS AN ESTUARY
Behind the barrier islands lies a quiet, shallow lake that is connected to the ocean. It is called a lagoon or an estuary. Fresh water from the land flows into the lagoon. The mix of salty ocean water and fresh water forms the brackish water of an estuary. The estuary is one of the four special ecosystems located along the coast. Others are the hardwood hammock, the dunes (beach) and the ocean reef.
In the shallow, brackish waters of the estuary are the habitats or homes of many different kinds of plant and animal life. The salinity (amount of salt in the water) of the brackish water changes often. It depends on the amount of fresh or salt-water that enters during the wet and dry seasons or from the changing tides.
Brackish water is very important to the marine life in the lagoon, because many of the small animals could not survive in full-strength salt water. For this reason, the lagoon or estuary acts as a nursery for baby animals. When they get larger, many of these animals head out to the ocean. Some of the baby animals you might find in the waters of the lagoon would be fish, crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters, dolphins and shrimp.
Other animals that inhabit the lagoon can prey on these baby animals. They become a tasty meal for many birds, such as terns, gulls, osprey, herons, pelicans, ibis and egrets.
These nurseries are very important to anglers, too. Nurseries in the estuary continue to supply marine life that keeps fisheries in business. Estuaries play a very important role in our complex food web of life.
THINK: We have talked about birds that feed in the estuary. What other types of animals may feed on the baby animals in the estuary?
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NATURE AT WORK
FOOD WEB
All living things are interrelated in the food web. This is because each of the different groups of living things within the food web has a specific job to do. Living things are classified as producers, consumers and decomposers.
A food web is an overlapping group of individual food chains. All food chains start with the sun’s energy. This energy helps green plants (producers) make their own food through a process called photosynthesis.
Animals (consumers) get energy when they eat plants or other animals. Bacteria and fungi (decomposers) are found in the soil and get their energy from dead plants and animals. This decaying or rotting material is called detritus.
Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores, for example, birds that each fish. Animals like the manatee that eat plants, are called herbivores. Detritivores are animals that eat the scraps.
Plankton are tiny organisms that float in and on the water. They may be plants or animals. Consumers that feed on plankton include shrimp, crabs, clams and oysters.
Here is an example of a food chain: plankton are eaten by a pipefish; a pipefish is then eaten by a blue crab, which is then eaten by a wading bird. What a tasty dinner!
Can you think of a food chain that starts with detritivores? Describe a food chain that starts with a carnivore; an herbivore.
Here’s a cool picture of an estuary food web. Lots more on the internet.
http://sciencepradeep.com/gallery/images/an_aquatic_food_chain.jpg
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24011318/eco-sytem-2
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PLANTS IN THE ESTUARY
Imagine that you are walking along Lake Worth Lagoon and looking down from a boat dock. Roots from a nearby plant have branched out into the shallow, mucky water’s edge. You have just discovered a red mangrove with prop roots (sometimes called a “walking tree”). Floating in the water, you see what looks like a long seedpod. It actually is the start of a new plant that came from this tree, called a “propagule”.
Looking around you see a black mangrove tree. How strange! The underside of the leaf is white and not black. The top of the leaf sparkles in the sun. These are salt crystals from growing near salty water. It pushes the salt out onto the surface of its leaves.
Farther inland, you notice a white mangrove. You can tell it from the red and black mangroves. The tip of the leaf is notched and points in. Since the white mangrove does not like salt very much, it is on higher ground. This protects it from rising brackish water that creeps in with the changing tides.
Mangrove leaves provide an important food source for the lagoon inhabitants. As leaves fall off the trees, bacteria and fungi break down the waxy coating and cellulose. This produces a protein that feels slimy to the touch. Fish eat the slimy protein and spit out the remaining pieces of leaf. Bingo, detritus is made! If you are thinking that this is the beginning of the food chain, you are correct. What might eat the fish?
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SEAGRASSES
Looking out into the shallow waters, you spot some seagrasses. Did you know there are seven different types of seagrass that grow in the brackish waters of Lake Worth Lagoon? They are turtle grass, manatee grass, shoal grass, widgeon grass, paddle grass, Johnson’s seagrass and star grass. These grasses serve as a nursery or shelter for the young fish until they are large enough to go out to the ocean.
One of the largest grazers of seagrasses are the manatees. They are sometimes called “sea cows” because they graze on these underwater meadows or seagrass beds. They may eat between 70 to 100 pounds of these grasses each day! If we do not protect these sea grasses, what will happen to the manatees? What will happen to the other animals in the lagoon?
Seawalls now replace more than 80% of the mangrove habitat. Conservation of the mangroves and the seagrasses can help protect further loss of these estuary habitats. Seagrasses in the 1990s have recovered since the 1970s, but they are still only 58% of what existed in the 1940s.
Water quality has not helped the mangroves and seagrass habitats. For many years, sewage was dumped into Lake Worth Lagoon. In recent years, however, the quality has improved due to conservation efforts. If plants need sunlight to grow, what happens when the water is murky and light cannot reach the seagrasses? Can boaters see manatees in the water if it is murky? How can you help protect these habitats? (HINT: We cannot plant seagrasses like we do our lawns.)
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Think about this - more than 70% of all sport fish depend on these estuary habitats. How does habitat loss affect (a) the plant and animal life of the lagoon? (b) Fishing and related industries?
Here are four species of seagrass that grow in the lagoon:
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Animals of the Estuary
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Gliding high overhead on the ocean breeze are several pelicans flying in a V formation. They must be looking for fish to eat. As your eyes travel to the trees, see if you can spot some of these birds:
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Some fishy vertebrates you may see…
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Photosynthesis
Let’s pretend that we are going on a field trip to a chocolate factory. When you open the door, you see people moving about mixing chocolate, sugar, and milk. Other people are using heat energy (a stove) to cook the ingredients to the right temperature. Even more people are packaging the cooled chocolate. Chocolate candy does not make itself; it takes many people working together.
The leaf of a green plant is much like a chocolate factory. Water, minerals in the soil, carbon dioxide, along with the chloroplasts or small green plant cells that contain a green substance called cholorphyll, all work together with the heat energy from the sun to make its own food. Sugar or food is the product made in a leaf factory.
How does all this work? First, the roots of a green plant absorb water and minerals in the soil that are carried to other parts of the plant through the stems. The leaves use the sun’s energy to produce the sugar (food) from the water, minerals, and carbon dioxide in the air. After the plant makes its food, it then releases oxygen into the air for us to breath. Not all of the food is used at one time, so the plant stores the rest. Think of it as hiding a candy bar to eat later.
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The Water (H2O) Cycle
The water cycle is the way in which nature recycles water. It all begins with the sun. As the sun heats up our oceans, lakes and rivers, some water escapes or evaporates into the air as a gas. This gas is water vapor.
Through evaporation, these tiny droplets cling to particles in the air and form clouds. Plants also release water vapor. As the air in the clouds cool, it forces the tiny droplets to squeeze together. This process is called condensation. The tiny droplets become bigger droplets and fall to the ground as rain, sleet or snow. The water that falls to the ground is called precipitation.
When the rain, sleet or snow falls to the ground, it returns to the oceans, lakes, rivers. The path of return can be run-off from the land or from ground water. The sun heats up these bodies of water and the water cycle begins all over again. The main steps are evaporation, condensation as droplets form clouds, precipitation and finally run-off.
A water cycle poster is available from South Florida Water Management District at: http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xrepository/sfwmd_repository_pdf/poster_water_cycle.pdf
The water cycle graphic below is available through http://creativecommons.org
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Doing your Part
It is each and everyone’s responsibility to take pride in our land and water. Each year, millions of people camp, swim, hike, boat, fish or bird-watch on our land and in bodies of water.
Most people appreciate and use these natural resources wisely. Many others vandalize, loot, burn or pollute them. Sometimes the damage can be repaired, but it is very expensive. We have a limited amount of land and water. If it is polluted or spoiled, we may not be able to clean it up or get it back to its original state. Then it is gone forever.
Many people either have forgotten or have never learned how to care for our natural resources. They need to be reminded that when using the land and water resources, they need to leave then better for others to follow.
Everyone needs to be aware that the way we use our natural resources today will affect what will be there for others to use in the future. One person acting responsibly can make the difference in the care of our land and water supply. On the other hand, they can spoil it forever through thoughtless behavior. It “is” our responsibility to protect and conserve the land and waters; and strive to make them better than we found them.
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Teacher Resources
A. Food Web 1. In cooperative learning groups, students will create food chains and compare
them to other groups, to create a food web. 2. Create a bulletin board. 3. Assessment: Using the food chains created by the students, let the students
write their own test. An example could include drawing a food web and leave out particular plants and animals that students would have to complete (word bank optional).
B. Animals 1. Using the animal pictures, have the students match the animal to its name. 2. Orally describe an animal and have students write the name (word bank
optional). 3. Make a mural of an estuary and label all the animals and where they are
found. (Plants could be added later) 4. Make a list of endangered animals and write ways they can be protected.
C. Plants
1. Compare the root systems of the mangroves to other plants 2. Make a list of plants found in the estuary and compare how they are alike and
different 3. Make a mural (add to the animal mural) or do individual drawings to be
displayed on a bulletin board 4. Composition: Explain the role of plants in the food web and how they can be
protected.
D. Photosynthesis 1. Create a bulletin board showing how plants make their own food. 2. Plant individual plants and record their growth (experiment: put salt water in
some and not others) 3. Experiment: Plant two identical plants. Place one in a place where it cannot
get any sunlight. Place the other in sunlight. Water each one the same. Record their growth and appearance over a designated period of time.
4. Assessment: Have students explain in composition form, the process by which green plants make their own food
E. Water Cycle 1. Students draw and label the parts of the water cycle in cooperative learning
groups. Each group presents their work to the rest of the class. 2. Assessment: Individually draw and label the water cycle explaining the role of
each part of the cycle
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Middle School Telecast Assessment Sheet Name:___________________
Part I Class period:______________ Total points earned ____ Date:____________________ HISTORY OF LAKE WORTH LAGOON I. Pre-video Questions: 3pts A.) Have you ever been to Lake Worth Lagoon?____ B.) Describe what a lagoon is like and explain why you think it is important. II. Interactive questions: 1. The Lake Worth Lagoon is a body of water that borders Palm Beach County and it has been called”_________ ________” or “________________ ________________” (2pts) 2. Lake Worth Lagoon was named after General William Jenkins Worth in the mid 1800”s and a city in Texas called_______ ________ is also named after him. (1 pt) 3. Define a Lagoon? (2 pts) 4. In the late 1800’s, Lake Worth Lagoon had several natural islands. Name three of the islands. (3 pts) A.) ______________ B.) ________________ C.) ___________________ 5. What two tribes of Indians settled the lagoon area? (2 pts) A.) B.) The last tribe to settle the area was the ______________. (1 pt) 6. What role did the Barefoot Mailman play in the development of the Lake Worth area? (3pts) 7. Match the following local plants to how they were used by settlers: (1 pt. ea.) ____1. Sea grapes A.) needle /thread ____2. Spanish bayonet B.) jelly ____3. Cypress trees/palm fronds C.) houses ____4. Wax myrtle D.) toothbrushes ____5. Mangrove twigs E.) candles 8. List two changes that occurred to the Lake Worth inlet in the early 1900’s. ( 2pts) 9. Spoil islands were formed from piles of sediment dredged from the lake bottom. List two of the spoil islands. (2 pts) A.) B.) 10. What caused the pollution of the lagoon by 1940? (3 pts)
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Lake Worth Lagoon Class Project Part I ECOSYSTEM POSTER MURAL Background: Florida is constantly changing. Changes have occurred because of pollution, houses being built, new roads, developed waterways, businesses and even climate. The Lake Worth Lagoon has changed over a period of years and is still changing. In this activity, students will summarize the history and development of the Lake Worth Lagoon. They will be able to show the relationships of the living and nonliving things important to the survival of an ecosystem such as the Lake Worth Lagoon. Students will add to a visual picture of an ecosystem cycle and interrelationships that existed or exist in the lagoon. Procedure: 1. Draw or cut out pictures of historical aspects that help to develop the Lake Worth Lagoon area. 2. Draw or cut out pictures of local plants and animals that lived in the 1800s to early 1900s. 3. Include a map or draw the physical area including the barrier islands. 4. Make the poster informative, neat, and colorful. Label if necessary or write a brief description on an index card and attach it to the poster. Materials: poster board colored pencils/markers, etc. magazines glue scissors if you divide the poster into sections-make windows
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Middle School Telecast Assessment Sheet Name:_____________________ Part II Class period:________________ Total points earned _____ Date:______________________ Ecosystems And Communities I. Pre-video Question: What is an estuary and why is it important to the ecosystem? (2 pts) II. Interactive questions: 2. An _____________is a water basin in which fresh water from the land mixes with sea water. It provides shelter and protection as well as nourishment for most species in the ocean. (1 pt) 3. List three natural communities that exist in estuaries. (3 pts) A) B) C) 4. Make a hypothesis of what will happen when the divider of the fish tank is removed and the salt and fresh water mix. (1 pt) Was your hypothesis correct?____Why or Why not? (2 pts) (class discussion) 5. An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals that interact with each other and with their environment. Ecosystems have two parts - living and non-living. Identify the following as non-living or living: ( 2 pts) a) Air, water and soil ____________b) plants & animals_____________ 6. A food chain shows how energy flows through ecosystems. It links the sun to plants and animals. When the food chains link together they form a nutrition pathway called the______ ________. ( 1pt) 7. In the food web there are producers, consumers and decomposers. Producers convert energy from the sun and CO2 into food in a process called photosynthesis. Consumers are animals labeled according to their feeding habits. Match the consumer with the correct feeding habit: (4 pts) _____1. herbivore a) eat dead plants and animals ( worms) _____2. detritivore b) eat other animals ( sea horse) _____3. carnivore c) eat plants only ( manatee) _____4. omnivore d) eat both plants and animals ( humans) 8. Decomposers like ___________and ____________break down plants and animals. ( 2pts) 9. What type of adaptations have mangroves developed to tolerate harsh living conditions in the lagoon? ( 2 pts) A) B) 10. Write a brief description for each mangrove tree listed below: ( 3 pts) A) red mangrove- B) black mangrove- C) white mangrove-
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Lake Worth Lagoon Part II - cont’d 11. Seagrasses grow in shallow brackish water and function as nursery grounds for fish. In the Lake Worth Lagoon there are seven types. Five are shown below (Shoal grass, Manatee grass, Turtle grass, Paddle grass and Johnson’s grass). Label the following diagrams correctly. ( 5 pts)
12. Manatees are an endangered species. What two conditions threaten the manatee? ( 2 pts) A) B) 13. Palm Beach County has placed artificial reefs in the Lake Worth Lagoon. Explain what an artificial reef is and what purpose it serves. ( 3 pts) 14. Bonus: Draw and label a food web. ( 3 pts)
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Lake Worth Lagoon Group Activity Part II
BABUSHKA BOXES EMPHASIS: Create a food chain of producers and consumers. Background: Food chains and webs consist of producers and consumers (decomposers are usually left off these diagrams). There can be three types of consumers: herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. The ability to distinguish between these organisms in terms of where they get their food and who eats what is an important skill. The progression is not a simple linear chain from a producer, such as grass, to an herbivore and then to a carnivore. In reality, there are many different combinations, all of which can be correct. In this activity, students will distinguish between primary consumers ( omnivores and herbivores) that eat producers, and secondary consumers (carnivores) that eat consumers but not producers. NOTE: The correct Russian term for these nesting boxes is “Matrioshkas.” Materials: construction paper or three sheets of 8.5” x 11” photocopy paper to make one large paper box (see Template A) one medium paper box ( see Template B)
one small paper box template ( see Template C) scissors colored pencils or crayons resource books for additional information on producers and consumers transparent tape Tip: You may choose to make the small boxes for producers in green, and the bigger boxes for primary and secondary consumers in other colors. Procedure: Students design their own food chain and then create a series of nesting boxes representing three members of the chain ( producer, primary consumer, and secondary consumer). 1. Create at least one three-step food chain of your own. It must include a producer, primary consumer and secondary consumer. 2. Carefully cut the three boxes from the handouts. Make sure you cut out the tabs! Each student should have a small medium, and large box template cut out. 3. Choose one food chain that you researched and created to draw onto the boxes. a. on each face of the small box draw the producer from the chain. The producer gets drawn on all six sides. b. draw the primary consumer on each face of the middle box. c. draw the secondary consumer on each face of the large box.
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Lake Worth Lagoon Group Activity Part II “Babushka Boxes” con’t. 4. Tape three sides of each box together by tabbing the tabs to the correct side. Tab “A” to the side marked “A” and tab “B” to side “B”. Then tab “C” to side “C” and tab “D” to side “D”. You should end up with three boxes with lids that are not shut. 5. Tape the producer box closed. 6. Create your food chain by placing the producer box inside the primary consumer box. Fold shut the primary consumer box (do not tape the lid) and place it in the secondary consumer box. Your entire food chain should be inside the secondary consumer box. 7. Take the boxes from your group and see how many different food chains you can make with them. Write them down!
a. Which group created the greatest number of different chains? b. What is the longest chain you make? c. Can you create a food web on your table using the boxes?
From left to right, here are a sample producer, primary consumer and secondary consumer
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Template B
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Template C
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Middle School Telecast Assessment Sheet Name:____________________ Part III Class period:_______________ Total point earned _____ Date:_____________________ Problems With Lake Worth Lagoon’s Natural Resources I. Pre-video question: What problems do you think might exist in the Lake Worth Lagoon that might affect natural resources? (3 pts ) II. Interactive questions: 1. What are some of the reasons water quality is poor in parts of the Lagoon? ( 2pts ) 2. Why are there fewer Spanish mackerel in Lake Worth Lagoon? ( 2 pts) 3. On Munyon Island how did habitat restoration take place? ( 2 pts) 4. How do you measure water quality and how does it impact wildlife? ( 2 pts) 5. How does rain water affect the water quality? ( 2 pts) 6. List two ways to help prevent pollution of water. (3 pts) A) B) 7. What problems can boats cause in the water? ( 2 pts) 8. How can city and county governments help to improve the Lake Worth Lagoon? ( 2 pts) 9. What actions do individuals need to take to preserve the Lagoon? ( 2 pts) 10. If pollution that affects the water and soil quality of the Lagoon continues, what do you predict will happen to the Lake Worth Lagoon in 10 years? ( 3 pts)
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Lake Worth Lagoon Part III ACTIVITY - SECCHI DISKS Emphasis: Build and use a Secchi Disk to measure water transparency in five “not so great” 2-liter bottle lakes. Background: Many people are familiar with the term oceanography, the study of salt water. However, the term for the study of fresh water is called limnology. Limnology can involve lakes, streams, rivers, and estuaries. The word comes from the Greek “limnos,” meaning pond, pool, or swamp. Limnology plays a major role in the decision-making process for problems such as dam construction, fish and wildlife management, pollution control, and lake rehabilitation. A simple and inexpensive tool called a Secchi Disk is used to measure a lake’s transparency or turbidity. The Secchi Disk is named for P.A. Secchi, an Italian who used it when he was working for the Papal Navy. It is one of the oldest limnological devices used to measure water clarity. The disk is usually about 20 cm in diameter and is white, or half white and half black. The limnologist lowers it into the water until it cannot be seen. Then slowly the disk is brought up until it can just be seen. The Secchi depth is the depth when it can be seen again. A trained limnologist can use temperature and the Secchi Disk to learn about the trophic and living state of a lake. The Secchi Disk is particularly useful when exploring the quality of water with algae growth and suspended particles. Light and temperature have a significant influence on lakes. Light is the source of energy used in the photosynthesis of aerobic lake life. Algae and phytoplankton (producers) are the first link in the food chain that also involves zooplankton and fish. A cycle of life occurs in a lake as streams enter it and bring nutrients such as carbon, phosphates, and nitrogen. Algae grow and feed the zooplankton and fish that eat, live, excrete, and die creating dissolved organic carbon and bacteria. The dissolved carbon reacts with the dissolved oxygen to create carbon dioxide. If too many nutrients enter from the streams, such as runoff from farms or other pollution sources, the algae grows too much. This can create more carbon and will also deplete the dissolved oxygen supply. As algae continue to grow, the turbidity increases so light cannot penetrate deep into the water. All of this activity occurs close to the surface of the lake and can result in an algae bloom, which is not a healthy situation for lake life. As oxygen in the water is used up, an algal bloom can often cause fish and other animals to die. MATERIALS:
five 2-liter soda bottles (per class) cut off where the neck begins to taper off. (Wrap each bottle with construction paper to keep light from coming in the sides - be sure the paper reaches the table.)
green food coloring (in water) handful of dirt 1/2 teaspoon of non-dairy creamer
five 5 cm (2 1/2 inch) diameter plastic circles with a hole cut in the middle (lids from margarine, coffee, popcorn, or any white container will work).
marker string - one meter in length (20 cm per disk) ruler
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Activity - Secchi Disk Con’t. Teacher Preparation: 1. Set up five stations before class begins: Station 1 clear water only water in container Station 2 light algae growth 20 drops green food coloring in water Station 3 heavy algae growth 40 drops green food coloring in water Station 4 water turbulence dirt added to water, stir before each class Station 5 polluted water 1/2 teas. non-dairy creamer added to water 2. Cut the plastic disks and the holes in the middle of them ahead of time. Procedure: Students use a small version of a Secchi Disk to measure the clarity of the water in the five different 2-L bottles. Label the five “not so great” lakes. 1. To make the Secchi Disk use a ruler to divide the plastic disk into four pieces. Color opposite slices with the marker so you have a disk that is colored like the disk below: 2. Thread the string through the center hole and tie a knot. 3. Lower the disk into the water to be tested. Stop when you cannot see it. 4. Slowly bring it up until you can just see the lines on the disk. Pinch the string right at water level with your fingers and bring up the disk. 5. Use the ruler to measure the distance from the disk to where the string was first pinched, and record this information on the data sheet. Test each bottle three times. Record each time. 6. Calculate the average Secchi Depth for each bottle by adding together the three measurements and diving by three. Fill in the average in the third column on the data sheet. 7. Discuss the following issues: a. Which of the “not so great” lakes was the murkiest and which was the most transparent?
b. What effect might that have on the organisms that live there?
cm= reading
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GRADE 7 TELECAST ASSESSMENT SHEET ANSWER KEY Part I: History of Lake Worth Lagoon I. Pre-video question: A) Give credit for answer B) Give credit for identifying a lagoon as a body of water and for completion of why it is important. II. Interactive questions: 1. Lake Worth or Intracoastal Waterway 2. Fort Worth 3. A shallow lake that is connected to the ocean. 4. Possible answers(3 of 4): Hypoluxo Is., Bingham Is., Munyon Is. and Little Munyon Is. 5. A) Tequesta B) Jaega (last tribe) - Seminoles 6. Without railroads, mail to residents depended on a mailman on foot. In 1885, the “Barefoot Mail Route” was established. Mail was transported by wagon from Jupiter to Juno. A sailboat then transferred the mail to seven mail stations along Lake Worth, where the mailman continued by foot. 7. 1 (B), 2 (A), 3 (C), 4 (E), 5 (D) 8. The inlet was deepened and widened which provided a boat channel 9. A) Peanut Is. B) Bird Is. 10. Changes in water flow, dumping of pollutants and raw sewage. Part II: Ecosystems and Communities I. Pre-video question: A basin where freshwater meets the sea and mixes with salt water II. Interactive questions: 2. Estuary 3. A) mangroves B) seagrass beds C) in-shore reefs 4. Answers will vary. Give credit for completion. 5. A) non-living B) living 6. food web 7. 1 (C), 2 (A), 3 (B), 4 (D) 8. fungi and bacteria 9. A) tolerates high salt levels B) adapts to low oxygen levels in the soil 10. A) found along water’s edge; prop roots extend from the trunk; contain seeds called propagules B) found at the upper edge of the tidal zone; adapt to low soil oxygen by developing breather
roots called pneumatophores; salt-covered / salty leaves C) found on slightly higher ground; has two salt glands on the stem; leaf has a notched tip 11. 1. turtle-grass 2. Manatee grass 3. Johnson’s seagrass 4. paddle grass 5. shoal grass 12. A) boating collisions B) loss of seagrass 13. An artificial reef is a structure consisting of limestone rock and/or concrete (sometimes other
materials are used). The purpose of the artificial reef is to provide a surface for corals and sponges, which attracts fish and invertebrates. The reef helps improve fish habitat and increase productivity.
14. (Bonus) Give credit for completion and accuracy
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Part III: Pr-oblems With Lake Worth Lagoon ‘s Natural Resources I. Prevideo question: Give credit for completion II. Interactive questions: 1. Pollutants pour into the water from freshwater runoff. The freshwater also causes shifts in
salinity killing organisms that are not tolerant to the variation. Boats add to the stress by stirring the sediment and creating murky water.
2. When the water quality became poor, the seagrasses began to disappear. Without seagrass beds, bait fish populations dropped; poor fish habitat.
3. Sediment was removed to reduce the elevation to tidal elevations. The invasive exotic trees that crowded out the mangroves and native trees were removed. Tidal channels and ponds were dug for seagrass and fish habitat, and mangroves and other native vegetation were planted.
4. Check the salt content and turbidity. The change in salinity limits the type of organisms that can survive.
5. Rain transports pollutants such as dirt, chemicals, animal wastes and oil from the farmlands, backyards and streets through canals to the lagoon.
6. A) Treat raw sewage and avoid dumping into the lagoon. B) Avoid massive water releases; this reduces turbidity ( also: avoid overwatering lawns, reduce fertilizer usage, and develop filtration areas)
7. answers will vary: manatee prop scars, scouring seagrass beds, oil spills, turbidity from boat traffic, etc..
8. answers will vary: provide for safe boating, provide strict laws prohibiting pollution, control water releases, remove sunken vessels, filter pollutants, etc..
9. answers will vary: limit use of fertilizer and other chemicals, avoid dumping, limit water usage, remove invasive plants, volunteer at cleanups, write agencies with environmental programs, etc...
10. Give credit for prediction
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LAKE WORTH LAGOON: Saving Nature’s Nursery High School Part I NAME ______________________________ DATE _____________ PERIOD_____
Activity A. This activity may be used prior to viewing the first segment of the video, “Lake Worth Lagoon, Saving Nature’s Nursery.” Read Background Information, Part I. Work in cooperative groups on the topics for discussion, as assigned. Discuss answers with the class. Activity B This activity will be used after students view the first segment of the video. Work in cooperative groups or individually, to fill in the blanks with the vocabulary words below.
WORD LIST
barrier islands Intracoastal Waterway pollutants black bear North Palm Beach sawgrass Boynton Beach/Ocean Ridge lagoon seagrasses brackish ocean sediment diseases palm fronds spoil islands fresh water Pleistocene treatment plants
Lake Worth Lagoon has often been called Lake Worth or the 1.__________________. These are all different names for one body of water that borders much of Palm Beach County. Lake Worth Lagoon is about 20 miles long and about one-half mile wide. It starts near 2._____________________ to the north and continues south to 3.___________________. A 4. ____________________ is a shallow lake that is connected to the 5._______________, so its water will be somewhat salty or 6.__________________. Lake Worth was formed about 129,000 years ago, during the 7.____________________, when mastodons roamed this area. 8.______________________ trapped the water behind them, forming a lake. As recently as the 1880s, Lake Worth Lagoon contained fresh water.
Early Indian tribes died of 9.______________ brought by the Europeans. Indians and early settlers used cypress trees and 10._____________________ to build homes. The 11. _________________________ is an animal that once inhabited Palm Beach.
In 1877, a stable inlet was established for boat passage and the 12.________________ lake began to change to a salt water 13._______________ system. By the early 1900’s, cypress swamps and 14.___________________ were replaced by mangrove forests. The 15.__________________________ provided a boat channel from Key Biscayne to the Indian River Lagoon. As the lake bottom was dredged, a series of 16.________________ were formed from the piles of 17.___________________.
The discharge of fresh water and 18.______________ through canals into the lagoon and the dumping of raw sewage killed off 19.___________________ and wildlife. Cleanup efforts began in the 1960’s and sewage is now treated in 20.______________________________.
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Part II Activity A NAME _______________________________ DATE __________ PERIOD ________ Mapping for Main Ideas
Mapping for main ideas is an effective strategy for assisting students with organizing new information on a topic so that they can retain and retrieve the information more effectively. This activity may be done prior to viewing the second segment of the video.
1. Read and discuss the highlights of the Background Information, Part 2 summary. 2. Define the following vocabulary words and construct a concept map using all of the
terms. Place the most general category at the top, then branch out as needed to show the relationships of the terms. You may use another sheet of paper for the definitions.
3. Use the attached 2 sheets of cards to construct a complex food web for the species in
estuaries like the Lake Worth Lagoon. Terms
lagoon herbivore producer estuary carnivore seagrasses detritus detritivore consumer food chain decomposer wetland food web algae sewage habitat omnivore pollutant ecosystem mangrove
Concept Map
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Part II Activity B NAME __________________________________ DATE _________ PERIOD _______ MANGROVE AND SEAGRASS COMMUNITIES
Mangrove leaves can be identified by the diagram below. Using the notes from the video and the Part II Background Information, complete the following items.
(1) List two adaptations that mangroves have developed to cope with the estuary environment.
1. ________________________________ 2. _________________________________ (2) Identify the role of the mangrove in the energy flow of the estuarine environment. List
plant or animal species that correspond to the different energy levels of the estuary.
Energy Flow in the Estuary 1. ________________________ 3. ________________________ Primary 2. ________________________ 4. ________________________ Producers 1. ________________________ 3. ________________________ Primary 2. ________________________ 4. ________________________ Consumers 1. ________________________ 3. ________________________ Detritivores & 2. ________________________ 4. ________________________ Decomposers 1. ________________________ 3. _______________________ Secondary 2. ________________________ 4. _______________________ Consumers 1. ________________________ 3. _______________________ Tertiary 2. ________________________ 4. _______________________ Consumers
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Part II Activity B Page 2 NAME _____________________________________ DATE ________ PERIOD _____ MANGROVE AND SEAGRASS COMMUNITIES Seven species of seagrasses occur in the estuarine areas of southern Florida, with Halodule wrightii (Shoal grass), Thalassia testudinum (Turtle grass), and Syringodium filiforme (Manatee grass) being by far the most common and widespread. All species are vascular plants, rooted in the bottom sediments, with creeping underground rhizome systems interconnecting the individual branches. Because of their dependence on light for photosynthesis, seagrasses are generally restricted to shallow water habitats. (3) Read the seagrass descriptions provided. Using those descriptions and the Part II
Background Information, write a short one page summary in the space below that includes
a. the importance of mangroves to the estuary; b. the importance of seagrasses in the estuary; c. a description of how human activities, like seawalls, dredging, and water quality
may affect mangroves and seagrasses. _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Printed with permission from Life Along the Mangrove Shore by Marsh and Bane, 1995.
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Part III Activity A NAME _________________________________ DATE _____________ PERIOD _____ Lake Worth Lagoon: Issues and Decades of Abuse A. Using the map provided http://www.pbcgov.com/erm/downloads/pdf/brochures/lwl-
boating-guide-side-a.pdf and the information from side B of the Lake Worth Lagoon Boating Guide, add the inlets, islands, and towns, parks, and canals around the Lake Worth Lagoon to the map on a separate sheet of paper.
B. Color the areas of pollution and color code the types of pollution that enter Lake Worth Lagoon. Identify the “biggest single source of Lake Worth pollution”. Research the effects of contaminants on the water quality in Lake Worth Lagoon.
C. Questions for Discussion: 1. Define pollution. List at least three main causes of pollution in the lagoon.
2. What does pollution mean to anglers? to swimmers?
3. Look at Figures 17 through and 19 of the Lake Worth Lagoon Management Plan
(2007) and the information on pages 37 to 40. http://www.pbcgov.com/erm/lakes/estuarine/lake-worth-lagoon/pdf/LWLMP.pdf a. a. Describe the so-called “dead zone”, its location and two of its characteristics. b. Describe possible explanations for the seasonal variation of suspended sediments shown in Figure 19. c. What may have caused the large spike in Fig. 19 in August and September 2004?
4. Why is it important to restore and preserve the Lake Worth Lagoon?
5. Based on the video, Part III Background Information and your research, list four
solutions to Lake Worth Lagoon pollution. 1. 2. 3. 4.
6. Describe how pollutants and turbidity might affect (a) the endangered manatee? (b) the threatened Johnson’s seagrass?
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Part III Activity B
NAME ________________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD _____ Water Quality and Turbidity Lab
Introduction: Fresh water runoff from Palm Beach County canals drain into Lake Worth Lagoon. The water transports pollutants, carrying dirt, chemicals, nutrients from farms and yards, animal waste, and oil and other pollutants from streets.
Objective: To measure amount of solids suspended in water samples simulating lagoon conditions.
Materials: balance scale ring stand funnel ring
filter paper 1000 ml beaker 100 ml graduated cylinder a handful of dirt
Procedure: 1. Obtain a water sample. Add a handful of dirt and stir. 2. Weigh the filter paper and place it inside the funnel. 3. Using the graduated cylinder, measure 1 liter of sample and pour it through the filter paper into
the beaker. Allow liquid to drain. 4. Remove the filter paper and allow it to dry completely. 5. Reweigh the filter paper to the nearest milligram. 6. Take the difference between the new weight and the old weight of the filter paper. 7. The difference in milligrams would be the amount of suspended solids per liter. Express your
answer in parts per million (ppm). This is equal to milligrams per liter. Calculations: Weight of filter paper after filtration ____________ mg Weight of filter paper before filtration ____________ mg Difference in weight ____________ mg/L = ppm Questions: 1. How does water clarity affect seagrasses and other plant life in Lake Worth Lagoon? 2. What are the sources of turbidity in Lake Worth Lagoon? 3. How has the turbidity affected the loss of habitat in the estuary? 4. How has the presence of mangroves assisted in improving water clarity in Lake Worth Lagoon? 5. How would you rate the water quality of the sample you tested in the experiment?
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Part III Activity C NAME __________________________________ DATE ____________ PERIOD ____
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF LAKE WORTH LAGOON
Conservation efforts have prompted the formation of local, national and international groups that defend wildlife and their habitats. Decisions and efforts made by individuals, organizations, or governmental agencies can make a difference. Listed below are several organizations represented in the Lake Worth Lagoon video. Research the various organizations on the list and investigate their activities. Determine the goals of the organization and any actions that the group has taken in recent years to preserve and restore the Lake Worth Lagoon. Determine ways that individuals can assist to restore the Lake Worth Lagoon. Match the following organizations in section A with the information provided in section B.
Section A
A : Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM)
B : Marine Biologist
C : West Palm Beach Fishing Club
D : Florida Marine Patrol
E : South Florida Water Management District
F : Reef Research Dive Team
G : Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Section B
1. ____ - establishes, maintains and implements the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the county’s land and water resources.
2. ____ - combines applied marine habitat research with educational opportunities for students
3. ____ - primarily involved with permitting, compliance, and enforcement of environmental rules and regulations
4. ____ - involved with underwater mapping, biological sampling, and fish identification
5. ____ - promotes recreational sport fishing opportunities and assists other agencies in educating the public in fishery conservation practices
6. ____ - responsible for water management in sixteen South Florida counties.
7. ____ - law enforcement of rules and regulations regarding water safety
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HIGH SCHOOL ANSWER KEY
Part I Activity A Give credit for participation Part I Activity B 1. Intracoastal Waterway 2. North Palm Beach 3. Boynton Beach/Ocean Ridge 1. A 4. lagoon 2. B 5. ocean 3. H 6. brackish 4. G 7. Pleistocene 5. C 8. barrier islands 6. E 9. diseases 7. D 10. palm fronds 8. F 11. black bear 12. fresh water 13. lagoon 14. sawgrass 15. Intracoastal Waterway 16. spoil islands 17. sediment 18. pollutants 19. seagrasses 20. treatment plants Part II Activity A Answers will vary. Part II Activity B (1) any 2 of: prop roots, salt glands, pneumatophores, excretes salt on leaves (2) a. phytoplankton, algae, mangrove, seagrass
b. 4 of: manatees, sea turtles, zooplankton, mullet/small fish, oysters, herbivores c. 4 of: crabs, snails, conchs, bacteria, fungi d. 4 of: small fish, blue crabs, shrimp, conchs, seahorses e. large fish, birds, man, raccoons
(3) a,b: answers should include: base of the food chain, small fish habitat, shelter for small fish, reduces erosion, soil stabilization.
c. Seawalls replace mangrove habitat; poor water quality and dredging cause a decline in seagrass habitat; impacts cause a reduction in marine animal nursery and populations.
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Part III Activity A A. Credit for completion B. Credit for completion, biggest source - West Palm Beach canal (C-51) C. 1. process by which the environment, such as the air or water, is dirtied; 1)street runoff;
2)nutrient/fertilizer runoff; 3)dredging; (also: seawalls) 2. Decreased numbers of fish, smaller fish, coliform bacteria/unhealthy for swimming 3. a. The “dead zone” is near the mouth of the C-51 canal. The heavy muck deposits result in
almost no seagrasses; low oxygen levels resulted in fish kills. b. Higher rain fall causes greater suspended sediment concentrations c. The spike during August and September 2004 occurred after heavy rains from hurricanes.
4. To improve water quality for safer recreational use; increased seagrass, mangrove, and fish habitat; preserve endangered and threatened species
5. Any 4 of the following 1. Use fertilizer and lawn chemicals wisely 2. Keep water on lawn and garden, and don’t overwater 3. Do not throw litter 4. Landscape to minimize erosion 5. Don’t drain used motor oil 6. Service car regularly 7. Remove invasive exotic plants 8. Don’t uproot grasses along waterways 9. Volunteer for cleanups and plantings 10. Install pipes to divert water 11. Build settling ponds 12. Remove muck
6. a. Can’t see manatees, resulting in prop scars, poor water quality results in less seagrass for food
b. May reduce populations and become endangered
Part III Activity B 1. cannot photosynthesize if light can’t penetrate the water column 2. runoff, dredging, less plant life to stabilize sediments 3. the primary producers cannot support the food web 4. the mangroves can filter pollutants and excess nutrients in their roots 5. answers will vary Part III Activity C 1. A 2. B 3. G 4. F 5. C 6. E 7. D
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APPENDIX A. VOCABULARY
Adapt - to adjust to new or changing conditions in the environment. Aerate - to supply with air.
Algae - simple plants that live in or near water, with no vascular system, e.g., seaweed.
Aquatic - living or growing in water.
Bacteria - microscopic unicellular organisms.
Brackish - mixture of sea and fresh water with salinity between 0 and 36 0/00 (parts per thousand).
Consumer - an organism that cannot produce its own food, so it consumes or decomposes other organisms for food. Consumers may be herbivores (eat plants), carnivores (eat animals), detritivores (eat detritus), or omnivores (eat plants or animals).
Decomposers - organisms that obtain food by breaking down organic material and releasing nutrients.
Detritus - small fragments of plant or animal tissue.
Discharge - to release or send forward; e.g., to send rain water into an estuary through a canal.
Dredging - the digging and removal of bottom sediments from a body of water.
Ecosystem - the interacting system of a biological community and its non-living environment that functions as a unit in nature.
Endangered Species - a plant or animal that is in danger of extinction.
Environment - all living and non-living things that make up the surroundings of an organism.
Estuary - areas where fresh water meets and mixes with salt water.
Exotic Vegetation - non-native plants, some of which have become invasive, crowding out and altering the native plant communities.
Food chain - a sequence of organisms, each of which feeds on the preceding organism.
Food web - a system of interconnected food chains.
Fungus - organisms that lack chlorophyll and reproduce by spores; e.g., mushrooms, mold.
Habitat - the place occupied by an individual or group that provides food, shelter and water.
Hypothesis - an assumption that can be tested in an experiment.
Lagoon - a shallow lake that is connected to the ocean.
Mangrove - a tree that is specially adapted to live in or near brackish water.
Marine - waters that contain 35 parts per thousand of inorganic dissolved salts.
Nursery - an environment where young organisms feed and are protected as they grow.
Nutrients - substances that are necessary for growth and development.
Photosynthesis - the process that occurs primarily in green plants, in which sunlight is converted into chemical energy that is stored as organic compounds, and oxygen is released.
Pollutant - a harmful material that damages the quality of the air, water, or land.
Predator - An animal that hunts and eats other animals for food.
Prey - an animal taken by a predator as food.
Producers - organisms, primarily plants, that produce organic compounds using light energy.
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Productivity - the rate at which organic material is being photosynthesized.
Propagule - any structure that functions in propagation and dispersal; e.g., the long germinated seed that falls from the red mangrove and floats in the water until it settles in a new habitat.
Prop roots - roots from trees that grow out of the trunk and prop up the tree in shallow soil.
Quotas - the minimum or maximum amount needed to reach a goal.
Salinity - a measure of the inorganic salts dissolved in water, usually expressed in parts of salt per thousand parts of water; e.g., ocean water averages 35 0/00 (parts per thousand).
Salt wedge - an area of partial mixing and separation in an estuary, where fresh water and salt water meet. The denser salt water will wedge below the fresh water.
Seagrasses - grasses that grow submerged in estuaries and coastal waters.
Sediment - organic and inorganic materials on the bottom of seas, lakes, and marshes.
Seining - a method to catch organisms in the water by pulling a net through the water, trapping organisms for observation.
Sewage - feces and urine carried with water by sewers and drains.
Snook - a bass-like fish commonly found in the marine waters of Florida.
Submerged - to place under or cover with water.
Substrate - a hard foundation to which an organism can attach; e.g., a dock piling to which the barnacles attach .
Surface Water - water on the surface of the ground, such as lakes, rivers, or even puddles, and the water in the topsoil.
Terrestrial - living on land rather than in water.
Threatened - any species that exists in such small populations that it may become endangered if its environment is changed.
Tide - the movement of the sea as the water is pulled by the gravitational forces of the moon and the earth, similar to the way water sloshes up the side of a glass when the glass is tipped.
Toxic - acting as a poison.
Treatment Plant - a plant that takes sewer water and purifies it before releasing it to the ground water.
Wetland - an area of land where surface water or groundwater covers or saturates the ground for long periods of time.
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APPENDIX B. SCRIPT SUMMARY PART I
Sandy and JR are the student narrators for all three segments in this video. Part I opens with
JR explaining to a class that a lagoon is a shallow lake that’s connected to the ocean. Lake Worth Lagoon is right here in Palm Beach County, Florida, and is used for kayaking, fishing, boating, Sunfest and many other activities. While some students have been to the Lagoon, others have not. Sandy and JR explain that they will take you on a tour in and around the Lagoon. Sandy explains that the lagoon is also called the Intracoastal Waterway or Lake Worth. This should not be confused with the City of Lake Worth. These are all different names for one body of water that borders much of Palm Beach County. Sandy points it out on the map.
JR tells us that the lake is about 22 miles long (see 2010 Note3) and about one-half mile wide. It starts near Juno Beach to the north (see 2010 Note3) and continues south to Boynton Beach and the Town of Ocean Ridge. It was named after General William Worth in the mid 1800s, the same person that Fort Worth, Texas is named after. Sandy explains that the lake was formed about 120,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch when mastodons roamed this area. Barrier islands trapped water behind them, forming a lake. Storms occasionally opened or closed a passage to the ocean. As recently as 1880, Lake Worth Lagoon contained fresh water. It had a few natural islands, including: Hypoluxo Island, Bingham Island, Munyon Island and Little Munyon Island.
Indians, like the Tequesta and Jaega tribes, first settled this area thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, many of these Indians died from diseases like small pox that were brought by the Europeans. Centuries later, through the 1800s, the Seminole Indians lived near Lake Worth. White settlers trickled into the area in the 1860s when this body of water could be seen from the Jupiter Lighthouse. Lake Worth also played an important role in the route of the Barefoot Mailman.
JR introduces one of the Barefoot Mailmen. The Mailman explains that the first Postmaster in this area was Mr. Valorus O. Spencer. The first Postmistress was Mrs. Fannie James. She was a black Seminole Indian and she worked out of the area now known as the City of Lake Worth.
There were no trains or roads in the 1880s. Mail from the north was brought by boat to the Jupiter Inlet and carried across land to Juno Beach. It was ferried by boat to the seven mail stations along the lake. Men were hired by the U.S. government to continue the route by foot from the southern end of the Lagoon along the beach to Biscayne Bay. They were provided with boats for the crossing of the inlets to and from Miami, occasionally bringing back a young ‘gator for dinner.
Local plants provided a lot of the basics that the Indians and early settlers needed - cypress trees and palm fronds to build homes, Spanish bayonet for needle and thread, wax myrtle for candles, sea grapes made great jelly, and frayed mangrove twigs served as toothbrushes. Pineapples were an early crop and became a welcome gift to new residents.
Sandy comments how hard it is to imagine that just a hundred years ago you might walk through here and see a six-foot black bear, some deer, or a Florida panther the size of a Great Dane. She goes on to say that by 1877 a stable inlet was established for boat passage and the freshwater lake began to change to a salt water lagoon system. By the early 1900s a lot of changes had occurred. Cypress swamps and sawgrass were replaced by mangrove forests. The Lake Worth Inlet was deepened and widened. The Intracoastal Waterway provided a boat channel from Key Biscayne to the Indian River Lagoon, and the South Lake Worth Inlet was opened near Boynton Beach. As the lake bottom was dredged, a series of spoil islands were formed from the piles of sediment. Examples of these spoil Islands are Peanut Island, near the Lake Worth Inlet, and Bird Island (formerly known as Beer Can Island), near the Boynton Inlet.
JR explains that railroads and roads made life easier for local residents and tourists. Resorts like the Royal Poinciana Hotel, the Hygeia Hotel Health Resort on Munyon Island, the Lake Worth Casino and Bath, and the Breakers Hotel all fit into the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
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Beginning in the 1920s newly-made canals drained wetlands and allowed development and farming to the west; this continues today. These canals increased the fresh water that poured into the lagoon. The changes in water flow and the dumping of pollutants and raw sewage into the lagoon resulted in pretty nasty water by the 1950s. A massive cleanup effort started in the 1960s and, to date, little sewage is discharged into the lagoon. The water quality of the lagoon has improved in recent years, but it’s still polluted. It is surprising how some plants and animals can survive and have adapted to this water. Sandy states that it’s sad that there are not as many fish out there as there used to be, and some species have just died out entirely.
2010 Note3: There are different estimates of the actual length of the lagoon. The video mentions 22 miles starting at Juno Beach. It is currently described as about 20 miles long, beginning at the Village of North Palm Beach. It ends at Boynton Beach and the Town of Ocean Ridge, which lie on different sides of the lagoon.
SCRIPT SUMMARY, PART II:
Sandy opens Part II of the video by introducing several scientists to discuss the biology of the lagoon, beginning with a definition of an estuary. Harvey Rudolph, Environmental Scientist with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management (ERM), states that an estuary is a coastal aquatic environment where fresh water and salt water mix. Leni Bane, a marine biologist, further explains that an estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with free access to the open ocean and receives fresh water runoff from the land. Julie Bishop, another Environmental Scientist with ERM, says that because the Lake Worth Lagoon is an estuary, it is the cradle of the ocean, meaning that it provides nursery habitat for all the fishery species out in the ocean. This is where it all begins.
JR now introduces a salt wedge demonstration showing what happens when you mix fresh and salt water in an estuary environment. Gidget Greco, a biologist, has two containers, one full of salt water (colored yellow) and the other full of fresh water (colored blue). She asks the students what they think will happen when the fresh and salt water mix. One responds that he thinks the salt water will stay at the bottom because it’s denser than fresh water. Another student says he thinks the water is going to mix very quickly. A volunteer pours the fresh blue water into one side of a divided aquarium. Gidget pours the yellow salt water into the other side. Gidget also points out that yellow and blue make green. She asks the students to all watch very closely. When the separator is removed, the salt water moves to the bottom and the fresh water goes to the top. Eventually, it mixes. Gidget explains that the reason that the salt water went to the bottom is because it is denser than fresh water. This happens all over the world, wherever there is an estuary environment.
JR and Sandy discuss how fresh water gets into the lagoon. About half of the fresh water that enters the lagoon comes from miles and miles of canals that connect to the C-51 canal. It drains storm water from our neighborhoods and as far away as Lake Okeechobee. The salt water, on the other hand, flows in and out with the tide through the inlets.
Sandy and JR give a review of food chains and food webs. A graphic of the food web circle is shown. In any habitat or ecosystem, food webs show the trophic or nutrition pathways between plants and animals. These feeding relationships transfer energy from one level to another. Plants are the producers - they convert energy from the sun and carbon dioxide into food, in the form of carbohydrates. Plants give off oxygen which animals need to breathe. Depending where you are in the estuary, producers may be mangrove trees, sea grasses, algae, or microscopic plants called phytoplankton. Animals are the consumers and they feed in different ways. Those that eat plants are called herbivores, including oysters, some fish, manatees and even green sea turtles. Animals that prey on other animals are carnivores. Examples are sea horses, many fish, birds and raccoons. Then
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there are the detritivores. They eat detritus or scraps of dead plants and animals. Examples are crabs, conchs and worms.
The last group of organisms to complete the cycle are the decomposers. Decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, are very important, especially in the estuary. They break down plant and animal matter and recycle the nutrients into the soil. These nutrients keep the plants healthy so they can make more food for the animals. Some students construct a food web in fast motion. JR reminds us that the web is woven by various feeding relationships. All living things in the web are dependent on one another.
Sandy suggests that they eavesdrop on one of the estuary walks at MacArthur Beach State Park which Leni Bane is leading. Leni points to a red mangrove tree. “The way you can always tell a red mangrove is the wonderful prop roots - aerial roots that come out and the wood is red - that’s why they call it a red mangrove. They have these prop roots to help aerate or oxygenate the tree, and also for support, because this is muddy, yucky, sticky soil and it’s very hard for the trees to stand up in it.
“All mangrove trees have to get rid of the salt that they take in, in this salty water. If you would go to the beach and polish off a glass of sea water, you wouldn’t feel real well. It would probably make you sick. It would dry your mouth out and begin to dehydrate you. So, all of the trees that live in these mud flats have to be able to get rid of the excess salt water. The red mangrove filters out the salt from its prop roots by a process called ‘reverse osmosis’.
“The leaves of the black mangrove are somewhat whitish on that back. The black mangrove gets rid of its excess salt by excreting it on the bottom and top surfaces of the leaf. The salt crystals sparkle in the sunshine. Of course, tasting is the only way to tell for sure that it is salt.” She asks one student to lick the leaf on the upper surface. The student doesn’t like the taste but agrees that it is salty. The white mangrove probably excretes the salt from little pores at the base of the leaf.
Leni goes on to say that when people first came to Florida, they looked out on this estuary and said, “Man, this is disgusting. The sediment stinks. It smells like rotten eggs. Look at all those ugly plants around there and nothing is eating those plants. So, let’s just fill in this part and build houses and sea walls and cut down the mangroves.” Unfortunately, when they cut down the mangroves, it also cut off the food supply for the estuary. Mangroves are useful primarily in their dead state rather than in their live state. When the leaves fall off the tree, they begin to decompose. The leaves get all covered with bacteria and fungus, and tiny animals come along and eat the bacteria and fungus from the leaves, and other larger animals eat those.
Students are asked to dig deeply, grab a handful of the sediment, then pick it up and smell it. They say it smells like sulfur and a little like sewage. Leni explains that this is the decomposing plant and animal material, which is delicious abundant food for the animals. The earth looks like it is moving, as we see snails and crabs wriggling and feeding on the sediment and dining on this delicious meal.
Some detritus feeders that are shown are worms, fiddler crabs, a spider crab, a brittle star, and many horseshoe crabs. They feed on the rotting mangrove leaves and seagrasses. Some organisms like conchs eat both small animals and detritus. Conch egg cases look like coins. This protects them during development. Students with a seine net try to capture some of the animals living in the shallow water and hiding in the seagrasses. Some of the animals they caught were pinfish, shrimp and puffer fish. The fish are returned to the water.
Leni asks the students to think about how many fish and shrimp and egg cases they collected in just one seine haul. “Imagine how abundant this whole area is. And these are small fish which provide food for bigger fish, which provide for even bigger fish, birds and people. And that is the reason that we should preserve and save and protect our estuaries, because they truly feed the world.”
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JR next guides us through an underwater view of a grassy meadow formed by seagrasses. They grow in shallow brackish water up to ten feet deep. Seagrasses provide nursery grounds for many fish and marine animals. When these animals get big enough they stand a better chance for survival against their predators in deeper waters and out at sea.
Harvey Rudolph describes the seagrasses found in Lake Worth Lagoon. “We have Syringodium, also called Manatee grass, which is a green, spaghetti-like looking grass; we have Thallassia, or Turtle grass, which is like a tape - it’s a wide-bladed grass; and the predominant shallow water grasses that we have are Shoal grass or Cuban Shoal weed, also called Halodule; this grass grows thin like hair. And then we have Paddle grass, or Halophila. We have two species of Halophila. We have Johnson’s seagrass, which is Halophila johnsonii, listed as a threatened species by the federal government, and we have Paddle grass. These are small grasses that have leaf blades shaped like a paddle and are half an inch to an inch in length. They grow along the bottom and make a carpet along the bottom in shallow, clear water.”
Sandy mentions that one of the largest grazers of seagrasses are manatees. They are sometimes called sea cows because they graze on underwater meadows like cows feed in their pastures. The West Indian Manatee is a native to Florida and is closely related to the elephant. The average adult is about 10 feet long and weighs about a thousand pounds. During cold weather they often hang out in the warm waters near power plants.
Because they are mammals, manatees breathe air, usually taking a breath every 2 to 5 minutes. They move very slowly - about 2 to 5 miles an hour, making it difficult to dart a fast moving boat. Excessive hunting of manatees for meat and hide resulted in laws to protect them. Today, boating collisions are their greatest threat. Manatees eat 70 to 100 pounds of seagrass per day. This makes the protection of seagrasses even more important, to protect the food source for this already endangered species.
Sandy and JR next discuss the artificial reefs that Palm Beach County has placed in deeper waters to increase fish habitat and productivity. Pyramid shaped modules and hundreds of tons of limestone rock and concrete have been placed in the lagoon. Within six month to twelve months, what starts out as a surface for coral and sponges is covered with them, creating new fish habitat. Some artificial reefs attract specific types of fish and invertebrates, like grouper, snook, and crawfish. Artificial reefs take pressure off the natural reefs and provide a hangout for juvenile fish as they prepare for the grown-up world of the open sea. Food chains within the reefs and deeper waters have plankton as the producers, a variety of consumers, from corals to barracuda, and crawfish serve as the detritivores. The reefs are monitored by a team of researchers who take underwater footage as they monitor the progress and uses of these artificial reefs.
SCRIPT SUMMARY, PART III
Part III begins with Sandy and JR talking about the key elements that threaten the wildlife of Lake Worth Lagoon. JR states that one of the key elements is water quality. If you think back to the food web idea, the plants or producers use light to photosynthesize and make food for the animals. Harvey Rudolph explains that if seagrasses are not in an area to begin with, normally it is related to bad water quality. When the water is clean, light is able to penetrate further down to the lagoon bottom. When light is able to reach the bottom, a tremendous growth of seagrasses will usually come in on their own. Poor water quality has caused seagrass meadows to die off dramatically over the past several decades. While seagrasses have begun to recover since the 1970s, the seagrass population is still only 58% of what it was in the 1940s (as of the mid-1990s). It continues to improve through 2010.
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JR leads Sandy to a group of high school students testing the water in the lagoon. Kelly Martin, environmental scientist, explains that when you talk about water quality, you talk about many things. You can test many different parameters. Students demonstrate two of them. The first student demonstrates an instrument that measures the salinity of the water. It reads 24 in Lake Worth Lagoon. She states that ocean water is usually 35, so a reading of 24 shows you that fresh water is coming in, and there is not as much salt in this water as there would be in the ocean. Another student tests for oxygen in the water. A reading is gained by matching a tube of colored water with a standard, like doing a test of pool water. A darker color means there is more oxygen available for the animals.
Tom Twyford, West Palm Beach Fishing Club, talks about the Spanish mackerel. “There were tremendous runs of Spanish mackerel and blue fish in the 1940s and 1950s. The reason the fish came into the lagoon was because there was an abundant supply of food here, like glass minnow shrimp. (Spanish mackerel) were supported by a healthy system, a healthy estuary with sea grass beds, oysters, and mangroves. When we altered that system, that got rid of a lot of the reasons for the blue fish and Spanish mackerel to come in the lake, which was food... When we talk about Spanish mackerel, they no longer come into Lake Worth Lagoon because we simply don’t have the habitat.”
Sandy asks how farms and homeowners affect the lagoon. Frank Lund, South Florida Water Management District, replies that today about 250 square miles of Palm Beach County drain to the lagoon. “Within that 250 square miles (see 2010 Note4 about the current watershed area), any excess nutrients that are generated from farm operations or nutrients that are generated from fertilizing individual backyards, sediments from our streets - all of that has the potential to move to the lagoon. Just to give you a little bit of perspective, one of those canals discharging after a major storm event can put out two million gallons (each) minute of water into the lagoon. That is about the equivalent of two swimming pools every second discharged into the lagoon.
“About 30 years ago there were 10 million gallons a day of raw sewage being dumped into Lake Worth. Today, all of that waste water is treated in treatment plants and is diverted away from the lagoon.”
JR mentions that another big problem with the Lake Worth Lagoon is the loss of habitat. More than 85% of the mangroves have been lost due to sea walls and development, and yet 70% of sport and commercial fish depend on these habitats. Palm Beach County has started to restore mangroves and tidal habitat. One good example is Munyon Island.
Julie Bishop, Palm Beach County ERM, discusses how Munyon Island is very special because it is one of our original islands. “When they dug the Intracoastal Waterway, they deposited the material on and around the island, bringing the elevations up by at least six feet. That area was subsequently colonized by Australian pine and other exotic vegetation, such as seaside mayhoe and Brazilian pepper.
“The problem with that is that it really wasn’t a habitable island. The animals couldn’t use it. The birds couldn’t utilize it and it certainly wasn’t any good for the fisheries. So, what we’ve tried to do with this area is to first remove the exotic vegetation, and there were 30 acres of Australian pine. ... we chipped (the Australian pine) here on site and we utilized it on the original island.
“We had to reduce the elevations back down to tidal elevations, so we had to take off about six to eight feet of spoil material. We took that material and we put it back into Lake Worth Lagoon to fill deep holes, raising the sediment up to where light could reach it. Now, with Munyon Island, we are promoting this area as a fisheries habitat because the estuaries are known to be the cradles of the ocean, meaning that they are where everything begins. (Estuaries) are the nursery habitat for the oceanic system. They’re kind of a stepping stone for a lot of species.”
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JR explains that there are thousands of registered boaters in Palm Beach County. They create problems, whether they know it or not. Officer Krista Christian, Florida Marine Patrol, describes damage that boats can do to manatees. “If people don’t obey the speed zones in manatee areas, they can have a collision with a manatee ... causing a great deal of damage to the manatee from the propeller and the hull of the boat. People can also cause damage to manatees by actually paying too much attention to them - by trying to feed them, or by trying to give them water from a hose. These are all terrible things for manatees. It changes their natural behavior and causes them to go towards humans more as opposed to staying away from them, which is part of their natural protection from us and from boats.
“Environmental protection is everybody’s job. We are all stewards of the environment. We all inherited this environment. Each of us has to take care of it, whether it’s by not throwing trash in the water, by making sure our outboard engines are running efficiently and not putting oil into the water, or by just watching out for manatees and watching out for the sea grass beds. These are all very important things to do to protect the environment.”
Sometimes boats sink and are left behind. Local groups like Lagoonkeepers are trying to remedy this by removing derelict or deserted boats. Sunken vessels are very dangerous to navigation. They also damage the seagrasses.
Sandy talks about the impact of anglers on wildlife. Hooks, fishing line, discarded bones and bags can be eaten by animals, causing injury and death.
There are ways that we, as citizens, can make a difference. Things we can do include reducing the amount of fertilizer and pesticides that we use, and avoid over-watering. Lawns don’t need to be watered every day. Volunteers have planted thousands of mangroves on Munyon Island and other restoration areas along Lake Worth Lagoon. Every year Keep Palm Beach Beautiful, Inc. sponsors lagoon and beach clean-up days. You, too, can be a volunteer.
A cleanup volunteer shows some items he has picked up: tires, inner tubes, wire, thick rubber conduit, styrofoam, cans, lots of glass, and hundreds of yards of fishing line. He explains that the fishing line wraps around mangroves or can snare turtles and fish and choke them. “Plastic bags floating in the water look like jellyfish and the turtles will ingest them as part of their diet. That clogs up their intestinal systems so they die. Whatever toxic stuff that might have been in the tires, the cans, and the antifreeze bottles is just plain poison.”
Another volunteer states that people don’t care, because it’s not in their yard. If it’s not in their line of sight, people don’t care. It is important to protect these natural areas for the birds and the animals.
JR and Sandy close by saying, “We hope you do come to visit Lake Worth Lagoon and enjoy what nature has to offer. You have to remember that what you do here can affect the plants and animals that live here. Our goal is to improve, and not upset, the fragile ecosystems.”
2010 Note4: A new 2010 Lake Worth Lagoon watershed map includes not just the area that directly flows into the lagoon. It now includes basins that may drain into the lagoon. This expanded area raises the area of this watershed to 450 square miles.
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APPENDIX C. RESEARCH IDEAS
Look into acid rain in Florida. What is causing it? What is being done to prevent it? Study mercury poisoning in Florida waters. Where are the highest levels in the state?
What types of warnings are being given to people who fish in these waters? Describe the relationship between forested uplands and estuaries. Find out about aquifers in Florida. How does their health affect yours? Are there any local or state laws regarding mangroves? Prepare a report discussing
efforts to protect Florida’s mangroves. Why are mangroves important for organisms like manatees and sea turtles? Contact the Apalachicola and Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserves to
learn about their work in estuary protection. Contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to learn about their
environmental programs. What happens to estuaries if artificial fertilizers or pesticides flow down from the
watershed? Make a chart or diagram showing Florida’s geographical changes from the Pleistocene
epoch or another prehistoric time until now. Find out how the Sport Fish Trust Fund helps Florida manage its aquatic resources. Gather information on seagrass populations from the 2007 Lake Worth Lagoon
Management Plan. Graph the changes between the 1940s, 1970s, 1990s and 2007. What caused these differences? Describe the role of different methods of collecting data.
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APPENDIX D. REFERENCE LIST
Aquatic Preserves are Exceptional Activity Book, Darla J. Fousek, Department of Environmental
Protection, 1996. Discover a Watershed : The Everglades, South Florida Water Management District, 1996. The East Coast of Florida: A History, Volume I, Ellwood C. Nance. Southern Publishing Co., 1962. Eco VenturesTM: Learning in Florida’s Environment, Florida State University, 1995. Environmental Science Activities Kit, Michael Roa, The Center for Applied Research and
Education, 1993. Florida Bay Dude: A Video and Educator’s Guide to the South Florida Ecosystem, Heather Dine in
association with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 1995. Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex. Nature Notes, Dora Merris and Charlotte Nash. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Brochures, Steve Bass. A History of Florida, Charlton W. Tebeau, University of Miami Press, 1980. Integrated Science 7 (1995-1996), University of Alabama. John D. MacArthur Beach State Park brochures, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Life Along the Mangrove Shore, Alex Marsh and Leni Bane, Florida Classics Library, 1995. Neptune Program Participant Manual, Florida Institute of Oceanography, St. Petersburg, Florida,
1998. Pioneer Days on the Shores of Lake Worth 1873-1893, by Mary Collar Linham and Marjorie
Nelson, Southern Heritage Press, 1994. Pioneer Life in Southeast Florida. Charles W. Pierce, Universtiy of Miami Press, 1970. Project Wet Curriculum Guide, Council for Environmental Education, Bozeman, Montana, 1995. The Underwater World of Florida’s Seagrasses, Florida Department of Environmental Protection,
Florida Marine Research Institute. www.lwli.org Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative, Palm Beach County Environmental Resources
Management web site. More historic information can be gotten from The Florida State Museum “Collector’s shop,” at the
University of Florida, 1994 article.
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APPENDIX E
Course Evaluation "Lake Worth Lagoon: Saving Nature's Nursery" (your feedback is welcomed)
Please circle your answers to the following questions on the scale of 1 - 5.
1=Strongly disagree 2=Disagree 3=No opinion 4=Agree
5=Strongly agree
1. The Video was an effective teaching tool for discussing various
aspects of Lake Worth Lagoon. 1 2 3 4 5
2. The length of the video was appropriate. 1 2 3 4 5
3. The video communicated the material clearly. 1 2 3 4 5
4. The Educator’s Guide was a useful teaching resource. 1 2 3 4 5
5. The Background Information summaries were useful. 1 2 3 4 5
6. The Timeline was useful in supporting your discussions. 1 2 3 4 5
7. The Curriculum Activities were appropriate and easy to use. 1 2 3 4 5
8. The Script Summaries were useful. 1 2 3 4 5
9. The news article and pocket graphics were useful. 1 2 3 4 5
10. Please specify the grade and special program (if any) in which these materials were used.
11. Which materials were most helpful?
12. Which materials were least helpful?
. Additional Comments
Thank you for your interest in Lake Worth Lagoon and your comments to help improve this program. Please email to: [email protected] or mail to Habitat Specialists, Inc. P.O. Box 243116 Boynton Beach, FL 33424-3116
