09002-001 Indian Springs Pond Watershed Final Report

Silver Creek is a warm water stream resource located in one of the most intensely cropped portions of Clayton County. The stream has been included on Iowa’s 303(d) list of impaired waters since 2002. Aquatic life, which should be present in Silver Creek, isn’t there. According to the Draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Silver Creek, the primary nonpoint pollution sources are soil erosion from agricultural land uses and direct deposition of ammonia by livestock with access to the stream. The Clayton Soil & Water Conservation District has begun efforts to remove Silver Creek from the impaired waters list. The District has promoted stream corridor and sinkhole protection, and the installation of buffer practices along Silver Creek and its tributaries. Conservation practices have been targeted to crop fields to reduce sediment delivery to the stream. A series of news articles, newsletters, and field days have been utilized to increase public understanding of water quality issues. Landowner interest has outweighed available cost share resources. Additional financial support will allow the project to build upon its early successes, to further address the identified impairments, and to respond to a long list of landowners that are interested in conservation work on their farms.

Presence of the alien chinese pond mussel Anodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) (Bivalvia, Unionidae) in the Iberian Peninsula

Nota sobre les conseqüències de la invasió del mol·lusc d'aigua dolça, Anodonta woodiana, a la Península Ibèrica

1003-001 Williamson Pond Final Report

Williamson Pond is a 26-acre publicly owned lake located about 2 miles east of the town of Williamson, in Lucas County. It has a watershed area of 1,499 acres. It has been managed since 1976 by the Lucas County Conservation Board (while still under state ownership) for fishing, boating, hunting, picnicking and other passive uses. Designated uses are Class AI, primary contact, and Class B (LW) aquatic life. Williamson Pond is on the 2004 EPA 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for turbidity and nutrients at Williamson Pond was prepared by IDNR in 2005 and approved by EPA in 2006. The TMDL set reduction targets for both suspended sediment and phosphorus. The Williamson Pond Watershed Management Plan has provided the local work group and partners with information to develop and implement strategies to improve and protect water quality. These strategies are based on a three phase approach that will ultimately lead the removal of Williamson Pond from the Impaired Waters List. The goals identified in this proposal (Phase I) will reduce sediment and phosphorus delivery by 453 tons and 589 pounds annually. The Lucas County SWCD has and will continue to provide leadership on the Williamson Pond Project and has secured the partnerships necessary to address water quality problems and hired a part-time project coordinator to manage, implement, and oversee all activities pertaining to this proposal.

Comparisons of intensity-duration patterns of physical activity in the US, Jamaica and 3 African countries.

BACKGROUND: This difference in how populations living in low-, middle or upper-income countries accumulate daily PA, i.e. patterns and intensity, is an important part in addressing the global PA movement. We sought to characterize objective PA in 2,500 participants spanning the epidemiologic transition. The Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study (METS) is a longitudinal study, in 5 countries. METS seeks to define the association between physical activity (PA), obesity and CVD risk in populations of African origin: Ghana (GH), South Africa (SA), Seychelles (SEY), Jamaica (JA) and the US (suburban Chicago). METHODS: Baseline measurements of objective PA, SES, anthropometrics and body composition, were completed on 2,500 men and women, aged 25-45 years. Moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA, min/d) on week and weekend days was explored ecologically, by adiposity status and manual labor. RESULTS: Among the men, obesity prevalence reflected the level of economic transition and was lowest in GH (1.7%) and SA (4.8%) and highest in the US (41%). SA (55%) and US (65%) women had the highest levels of obesity, compared to only 16% in GH. More men and women in developing countries engaged in manual labor and this was reflected by an almost doubling of measured MPVA among the men in GH (45 min/d) and SA (47 min/d) compared to only 28 min/d in the US. Women in GH (25 min/d), SA (21 min/d), JA (20 min/d) and SEY (20 min/d) accumulated significantly more MPVA than women in the US (14 min/d), yet this difference was not reflected by differences in BMI between SA, JA, SEY and US. Moderate PA constituted the bulk of the PA, with no study populations except SA men accumulating > 5 min/d of vigorous PA. Among the women, no sites accumulated >2 min/d of vigorous PA. Overweight/obese men were 22% less likely to engage in manual occupations. CONCLUSION: While there is some association for PA with obesity, this relationship is inconsistent across the epidemiologic transition and suggests that PA policy recommendations should be tailored for each environment.

Humic substances from sediments of Lobos Pond (Argentina). Isolation, characterization and limnological implications

Humic substances (HS) were isolated from the sediments of Lobos Pond (Argentina) using mild conditions to preserve their native structure. The HS (humic and fulvic acids) were characterized by means of elemental analysis and FTIR spectroscopy. Also a by-product obtained during fulvic acids (FA) fractionation (an amorphous white solid residue) was analyzed. Results revealed possible interactions between FA and inorganic-organic substances that may have implications referring to bioavailability. Other limnological implications, such as autochtonous origin of HS linked with the hydrology, and change of pH during stormy weather that affects HS interactions, are discussed.

Effects of nutrient impoverishment on phytoplankton biomass: a mesocosms experimental approach in a shallow eutrophic reservoir (Garças Pond), São Paulo, southeast Brazil

Nutrient impoverishment in mesocosms was carried out in a shallow eutrophic reservoir aiming to evaluate the nutrient removal technique as a method for eutrophication reduction. Garças Pond is located in the Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga Biological Reserve situated in the southeast region of the municipality of São Paulo. Three different treatments were designed, each consisting of two enclosures containing 360 liters of water each. Mesocosms were made of polyethylene bags and PVC pipes, and were attached to the lake bottom. Treatment dilutions followed Carlson's trophic state index modified by Toledo and collaborators, constituting the oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic treatments. Ten abiotic and 9 biological samplings were carried out simultaneously. Trophic states previously calculated for the treatments were kept unaltered during the entire experiment period, except for the mesotrophic mesocosms in which TP reached oligotrophic concentrations on the 31st day of the experiment. In all three treatments a reduction of DO was observed during the study period. At the same time, NH4+ and free CO2 rose, indicating decomposition within the enclosures. Nutrient impoverishment caused P limitation in all three treatments during most of the experiment period. Reduction of algal density, chlorophyll a, and phaeophytin was observed in all treatments. Competition for nutrients led to changes in phytoplankton composition. Once isolated and diluted, the mesocosms' trophic state did not change. This led to the conclusion that isolation of the allochthonous sources of nutrients is the first step for the recovery of the Garças Pond.

Biomass and chemical composition of Nitella furcata subsp. mucronata var. mucronata f. oligospira (A. Braun) R. D. Wood (Chlorophyta, Characeae) in the littoral region of Ninféias Pond, São Paulo, Southeast Brazil

Temporal variation of Nitella furcata (Roxburgh ex Bruzelius) C. Agardh emend. R. D. Wood subsp. mucronata (A. Braun) R. D. Wood var. mucronata f. oligospira (A. Braun) R. D. Wood biomass and chemical composition were studied at the Ninféias Pond (23°38'18.9" S, 46°37'16.3" W), a mesotrophic reservoir located in the Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga Biological Reserve, Municipality of São Paulo, Southeast Brazil. Plants were collected monthly from October 1996 to October 1997 at three fixed stations of reservoir's littoral region. Charophyte biomass spatial distribution pattern did not vary significantly throughout the study period at all sampling stations. As to seasonal variation, the highest average values of the total alga biomass (98.35-266.06 g m-2 DW) were registered during the rainy season, whereas lowest values (48.86-170.56 g m-2 DW) were in the dry season. P values varied from 23.8 to 225.2 mg m-2 and C from 139 to 353 mg m-2. During the rainy season, greatest air and water temperature, rain precipitation, turbidity and dissolved inorganic nitrogen values were measured, constituting the best conditions for charophyte growth. Water temperature and nutrient availability in the reservoir played a decisive role towards growth and accumulation of algal biomass.

Pond Inlet Courtyard

View of the pond and surrounding environment.

Pond Inlet Courtyard

Higher angle view of the pond and surrounding environment.

Pond Inlet Courtyard

View of the pond.

Pond Inlet Mirrors

Interesting view of the Pond Inlet Mezzanine.

Pond Inlet Courtyard

View of the courtyard from inside.

Pond Inlet Lounge

Section of the Pond Inlet lounge area.

Pond Inlet Lounge

Looking southwest in the Pond Inlet Lounge.