RECOVER MAP 3.4.3.2 Lake Okeechobee Littoral Zone Plant Communities

The littoral zone emergent vegetation community found in Lake Okeechobee is a diverse mosaic of native and exotic plants covering an area larger than 400 square kilometers. It provides nesting habitat and food resources for economically important sport fish populations, wading birds, migratory waterfowl, alligator, and the federally-listed endangered Everglades snail kite. The structure of the littoral vegetation community largely determines the extent to which it can provide these habitat values. Littoral vegetation structure is influenced both by hydroperiod and phosphorus loading from the lake's eutrophic pelagic region. The spatial distribution of native and exotic plants in the lake's littoral zone is being evaluated in an ongoing program by the SFWMD. Emergent vegetation is photographed using high-resolution infrared aerial photography. Major vegetation classes (34 total) are delineated ffrom the photographs using a steroscope, and veretation maps are developed in Arc Info. This process includes extensive ground truthing. Mapping of the entire littoral vegetation community will be conducted at approximantely six-year intervals.