Introduction
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) contracted AquaTech Eco Consultants (AquaTech) to plant submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), specifically eelgrass or Valisneria americana (V. americana) within permitted restoration plots protected with herbivory exclusion fencing within Lake George located in Astor, FL. AquaTech staff began restoration work on Monday February 19th, 2025 and completed restoration work on Monday June 2nd, 2025. The following report outlines the restored areas and the methods conducted by AquaTech to fulfill the terms of the contract for the planting of one million single shoots of V. americana within predetermined restoration areas located within Lake George.
Methodology
AquaTech staff harvested all V. americana plant material from the harvest sites (denoted in red on Figure 1) designated by FWC within Lake Monroe, located in Deltona, FL.
Per contract requirements, all harvested plant material from donor sites was transplanted into restoration sites within 48 hours of removal from Lake Monroe. To accommodate falling water levels in Lake George during restoration efforts, due to an unseasonably dry spring season, AquaTech staff trimmed harvested plant material to an appropriate length for the water depth within the restoration sites. This increased the viability of donor material by removing material that would top out in the water column and subsequently die off from sun exposure.
For transport, donor material was stored in 57-gallon storage totes filed with ambient water to ensure plant material remained healthy and viable until the time of transplantation.
Once on site, AquaTech staff navigated to the fenced in restoration areas established by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). All restored areas can be seen on the map below (Figure 2), denoted in black outlines along the shorelines of Lake George.
Single, bare root V. americana plants were installed by staff by hand by gently pushing all root structure at least two inches under the surface of the sediment and ensuring all leaf structure remained above the sediment surface. Staff ensured all plant material met the minimum criteria of four inches in length with at least four blades on each shoot, per contract specifications (Figure 3). All plants were placed on two-foot centers.
Fig 3. viableV. americana shoot
Results and Discussion
AquaTech successfully completed the installation of one million single, bare root V. americana plants totaling to 92.39 acres worth of SAV restoration. All restoration work was conducted within pre-constructed exclusion fencing in sites selected by FWC within Lake George. Thirty seven of these enclosures, ranging in size from approximately one quarter of an acre up to nearly six acres in area, were planted. AquaTech also installed an additional 6,117 plants above and beyond the one million plant total on the final day of restoration work to ensure no donor plant material went to waste.
FWC personnel observed and reported successful establishment of planted SAV from initial project-phase installations. PU installed within the first month of the project exhibited substantial vegetative propagation and clonal expansion via lateral rhizomatous growth. It is anticipated that a large majority of the PU will establish within the restoration sites, so long as the environmental conditions are favorable.
The extensive revegetation effort at Lake George is designed to restore critical habitat structure and ecological function to an aquatic ecosystem that was severely impacted by a recent natural disturbance. AquaTech is committed to delivering high-quality field restoration work that plays an essential role in the successful rehabilitation of this unique environment. Our overarching goal is to carry out meaningful, science-based restoration that supports the long-term protection and preservation of aquatic ecosystem health.