UF/IFAS Florida LAKEWATCH
@ufifaslakewatch.bsky.social
Florida LAKEWATCH is a volunteer program that engages citizens in managing Florida’s lakes, estuaries, rivers, and springs through monthly monitoring.
🔗 https://linktr.ee/ufifaslakewatch
🔗 https://linktr.ee/ufifaslakewatch
🎉 Congratulations to Don Scarbrough! 🌟 Celebrating 10 years with Florida LAKEWATCH, Don’s monitoring of the Floral Lakes (Big Bass, Boca Cove, Flora, Gaskin’s Cut, Little Bass) is supplying data for long-term monitoring. Thanks for a decade of citizen science! 💧🐟
October 8, 2026 at 2:04 PM
🎉 Congratulations to Don Scarbrough! 🌟 Celebrating 10 years with Florida LAKEWATCH, Don’s monitoring of the Floral Lakes (Big Bass, Boca Cove, Flora, Gaskin’s Cut, Little Bass) is supplying data for long-term monitoring. Thanks for a decade of citizen science! 💧🐟
🌿 This Week's Trick or Treat: LAKEWATCH Edition!
👻 Trick or Treat?
If you see aquatic plants in a lake, something is wrong.
What's your guess? Let us know before you swipe!
🌙 LAKEWATCH volunteers help uncover Florida's lake mysteries one sample at a time! 🧪👻
👻 Trick or Treat?
If you see aquatic plants in a lake, something is wrong.
What's your guess? Let us know before you swipe!
🌙 LAKEWATCH volunteers help uncover Florida's lake mysteries one sample at a time! 🧪👻
October 6, 2026 at 2:03 PM
🌿 This Week's Trick or Treat: LAKEWATCH Edition!
👻 Trick or Treat?
If you see aquatic plants in a lake, something is wrong.
What's your guess? Let us know before you swipe!
🌙 LAKEWATCH volunteers help uncover Florida's lake mysteries one sample at a time! 🧪👻
👻 Trick or Treat?
If you see aquatic plants in a lake, something is wrong.
What's your guess? Let us know before you swipe!
🌙 LAKEWATCH volunteers help uncover Florida's lake mysteries one sample at a time! 🧪👻
👻🦇 Introducing Trick or Treat: LAKEWATCH Edition! 🍬🔍
This week's mystery:
👻 Trick or Treat?
Clear water tells you everything there is to know about a lake.
What's your guess? Let us know before you swipe!
🌙 LAKEWATCH volunteers help uncover Florida's lake mysteries one sample at a time! 🧪👻
This week's mystery:
👻 Trick or Treat?
Clear water tells you everything there is to know about a lake.
What's your guess? Let us know before you swipe!
🌙 LAKEWATCH volunteers help uncover Florida's lake mysteries one sample at a time! 🧪👻
October 1, 2026 at 2:03 PM
👻🦇 Introducing Trick or Treat: LAKEWATCH Edition! 🍬🔍
This week's mystery:
👻 Trick or Treat?
Clear water tells you everything there is to know about a lake.
What's your guess? Let us know before you swipe!
🌙 LAKEWATCH volunteers help uncover Florida's lake mysteries one sample at a time! 🧪👻
This week's mystery:
👻 Trick or Treat?
Clear water tells you everything there is to know about a lake.
What's your guess? Let us know before you swipe!
🌙 LAKEWATCH volunteers help uncover Florida's lake mysteries one sample at a time! 🧪👻
Before a long trip, give your trailer one final look. Check tires, wheel nuts, hitch, coupling, rollers, lights, wiring, and visible hardware. If your trailer has brakes, test them safely before the highway. Check back all September for more maintenance tips!
September 29, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Before a long trip, give your trailer one final look. Check tires, wheel nuts, hitch, coupling, rollers, lights, wiring, and visible hardware. If your trailer has brakes, test them safely before the highway. Check back all September for more maintenance tips!
📣 Cheers to David and Joyce Bittle! This duo has reached an incredible milestone, celebrating 20 years of monitoring Crystal Bowl Lake in Seminole County. Their consistency has made a lasting impact through the data they provide. Thank you for two decades of support for Florida LAKEWATCH!
September 24, 2026 at 2:04 PM
📣 Cheers to David and Joyce Bittle! This duo has reached an incredible milestone, celebrating 20 years of monitoring Crystal Bowl Lake in Seminole County. Their consistency has made a lasting impact through the data they provide. Thank you for two decades of support for Florida LAKEWATCH!
Your hitch and coupling matter. Before towing, make sure the ball fits snugly, the fastener pin is secure, and nearby bolts are tight. Keep rollers, spindles, brackets, and pins clean and greased. Check back all September for more maintenance tips!
September 22, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Your hitch and coupling matter. Before towing, make sure the ball fits snugly, the fastener pin is secure, and nearby bolts are tight. Keep rollers, spindles, brackets, and pins clean and greased. Check back all September for more maintenance tips!
Congratulations to Nancy LaRiviere! 🌟 We are thrilled to recognize Nancy for her commitment to LAKEWATCH. For 10 years, she has monitored Lake Winnemissett in Volusia County, providing essential data. Thank you, Nancy, for a decade of service and your passion for citizen science!
September 17, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Congratulations to Nancy LaRiviere! 🌟 We are thrilled to recognize Nancy for her commitment to LAKEWATCH. For 10 years, she has monitored Lake Winnemissett in Volusia County, providing essential data. Thank you, Nancy, for a decade of service and your passion for citizen science!
Before each trip, check trailer tire pressure, tread, wheel nuts, and the spare. Wheels should spin freely without wobbling. Keep wheel bearings greased, but do not overfill them. Check back all September for more boat and trailer maintenance tips!
September 15, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Before each trip, check trailer tire pressure, tread, wheel nuts, and the spare. Wheels should spin freely without wobbling. Keep wheel bearings greased, but do not overfill them. Check back all September for more boat and trailer maintenance tips!
We were proud to host the “An Afternoon with LAKEWATCH” session at FLMS 2026! From mercury and PFAS research to lake food webs, invasive species, volunteer engagement, and 40+ years of lake monitoring, our team shared how science and volunteers help us better understand and monitor Florida’s lakes.
September 10, 2026 at 7:14 PM
We were proud to host the “An Afternoon with LAKEWATCH” session at FLMS 2026! From mercury and PFAS research to lake food webs, invasive species, volunteer engagement, and 40+ years of lake monitoring, our team shared how science and volunteers help us better understand and monitor Florida’s lakes.
Congratulations to Margaret and Michael Bundy! 💧 We’re proud to celebrate this pair for 20 years of service monitoring Cub Lake in Seminole County. Their commitment ensures high-quality data for our lakes. Thank you for your outstanding contribution to citizen science!
September 10, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Congratulations to Margaret and Michael Bundy! 💧 We’re proud to celebrate this pair for 20 years of service monitoring Cub Lake in Seminole County. Their commitment ensures high-quality data for our lakes. Thank you for your outstanding contribution to citizen science!
After a day at the lake, rinse your trailer with fresh water and let it dry. Pay attention to welds, joins, drain holes, suspension areas, wheel arches, and mudguards. Mud and salt can speed up corrosion. Check back all September for more maintenance tips!
September 8, 2026 at 2:03 PM
After a day at the lake, rinse your trailer with fresh water and let it dry. Pay attention to welds, joins, drain holes, suspension areas, wheel arches, and mudguards. Mud and salt can speed up corrosion. Check back all September for more maintenance tips!
🌟 LAKEWATCH Highlight 🌟
Congrats to Glen and Linda Temple for 30 years of service! Monitoring Lake Hickorynut in Orange County, they have spent three decades contributing invaluable data. We are grateful for their lifelong commitment to monitoring Florida's aquatic environments!
Congrats to Glen and Linda Temple for 30 years of service! Monitoring Lake Hickorynut in Orange County, they have spent three decades contributing invaluable data. We are grateful for their lifelong commitment to monitoring Florida's aquatic environments!
September 3, 2026 at 2:02 PM
🌟 LAKEWATCH Highlight 🌟
Congrats to Glen and Linda Temple for 30 years of service! Monitoring Lake Hickorynut in Orange County, they have spent three decades contributing invaluable data. We are grateful for their lifelong commitment to monitoring Florida's aquatic environments!
Congrats to Glen and Linda Temple for 30 years of service! Monitoring Lake Hickorynut in Orange County, they have spent three decades contributing invaluable data. We are grateful for their lifelong commitment to monitoring Florida's aquatic environments!
Warm weather means more time on Florida lakes. Before you head to the ramp, rinse your trailer, check for rust, tighten wheel nuts, inspect tires, and secure the hitch pin. Safe boating starts on the road. Check back all September for more boat and trailer maintenance tips!
September 1, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Warm weather means more time on Florida lakes. Before you head to the ramp, rinse your trailer, check for rust, tighten wheel nuts, inspect tires, and secure the hitch pin. Safe boating starts on the road. Check back all September for more boat and trailer maintenance tips!
🌊 Got questions about Florida’s lakes? Call 1-800-LAKEWATCH! 💧
Our Regional Coordinators are here to train volunteers, collect data, and guide lake management efforts. Your go-to team for freshwater science! 🧪🌿
Our Regional Coordinators are here to train volunteers, collect data, and guide lake management efforts. Your go-to team for freshwater science! 🧪🌿
August 27, 2026 at 2:03 PM
🌊 Got questions about Florida’s lakes? Call 1-800-LAKEWATCH! 💧
Our Regional Coordinators are here to train volunteers, collect data, and guide lake management efforts. Your go-to team for freshwater science! 🧪🌿
Our Regional Coordinators are here to train volunteers, collect data, and guide lake management efforts. Your go-to team for freshwater science! 🧪🌿
🌊 Watery Word: Rivulet! 🌊
August 25, 2026 at 2:03 PM
🌊 Watery Word: Rivulet! 🌊
✨ Monitoring Florida’s waters every month? Kinda chic. ✨ Contributing to one of the nation’s largest citizen science programs? Kinda chic. ✨ Collecting data that helps us better understand Florida’s waters? Definitely chic!
A huge thanks to our Florida LAKEWATCH volunteers. Y’all are LAKEWATCH chic!
A huge thanks to our Florida LAKEWATCH volunteers. Y’all are LAKEWATCH chic!
August 20, 2026 at 2:57 PM
✨ Monitoring Florida’s waters every month? Kinda chic. ✨ Contributing to one of the nation’s largest citizen science programs? Kinda chic. ✨ Collecting data that helps us better understand Florida’s waters? Definitely chic!
A huge thanks to our Florida LAKEWATCH volunteers. Y’all are LAKEWATCH chic!
A huge thanks to our Florida LAKEWATCH volunteers. Y’all are LAKEWATCH chic!
🐦 Meet the Green Heron: Florida's Tiny Fisher and Tool User 🌿
One of the few birds known to use tools, Green Herons may drop insects onto the water to lure fish. Learn about their unique hunting behavior, nesting habits, and where to spot them in Florida.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
One of the few birds known to use tools, Green Herons may drop insects onto the water to lure fish. Learn about their unique hunting behavior, nesting habits, and where to spot them in Florida.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
August 20, 2026 at 2:03 PM
🐦 Meet the Green Heron: Florida's Tiny Fisher and Tool User 🌿
One of the few birds known to use tools, Green Herons may drop insects onto the water to lure fish. Learn about their unique hunting behavior, nesting habits, and where to spot them in Florida.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
One of the few birds known to use tools, Green Herons may drop insects onto the water to lure fish. Learn about their unique hunting behavior, nesting habits, and where to spot them in Florida.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
🌊 Family, Science, and Stewardship: Meet LAKEWATCH Volunteers John and Bella 🐬
From monthly lake sampling to unforgettable wildlife encounters, John and Bella are helping build long-term water quality data while making memories along the way.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
From monthly lake sampling to unforgettable wildlife encounters, John and Bella are helping build long-term water quality data while making memories along the way.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
August 18, 2026 at 2:02 PM
🌊 Family, Science, and Stewardship: Meet LAKEWATCH Volunteers John and Bella 🐬
From monthly lake sampling to unforgettable wildlife encounters, John and Bella are helping build long-term water quality data while making memories along the way.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
From monthly lake sampling to unforgettable wildlife encounters, John and Bella are helping build long-term water quality data while making memories along the way.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
🤝 Stronger Together: Pasco County's LaMP and LAKEWATCH Partnership in Action
Pasco County and Florida LAKEWATCH expanded lake monitoring from 5 to 25 lakes in one year. Learn how citizen science is helping guide lake management and restoration efforts.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
Pasco County and Florida LAKEWATCH expanded lake monitoring from 5 to 25 lakes in one year. Learn how citizen science is helping guide lake management and restoration efforts.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
August 13, 2026 at 2:03 PM
🤝 Stronger Together: Pasco County's LaMP and LAKEWATCH Partnership in Action
Pasco County and Florida LAKEWATCH expanded lake monitoring from 5 to 25 lakes in one year. Learn how citizen science is helping guide lake management and restoration efforts.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
Pasco County and Florida LAKEWATCH expanded lake monitoring from 5 to 25 lakes in one year. Learn how citizen science is helping guide lake management and restoration efforts.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
🧪 From Florida lakes to Wisconsin labs! LAKEWATCH PhD student Baylor Lynch is studying how mercury moves through aquatic food webs using samples from four Florida lakes.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
August 11, 2026 at 2:02 PM
🧪 From Florida lakes to Wisconsin labs! LAKEWATCH PhD student Baylor Lynch is studying how mercury moves through aquatic food webs using samples from four Florida lakes.
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
🔗 new.express.adobe.com/webpage/P56E...
🌊 New Publication Highlight
A new BioInvasions Records paper documents the spread of invasive swamp eels in Florida. LAKEWATCH master's student Noah Peterson contributed with partners from FWC, Florida Museum, and USGS. Findings support monitoring and management efforts.
📖 go.ufl.edu/swamp-eel
A new BioInvasions Records paper documents the spread of invasive swamp eels in Florida. LAKEWATCH master's student Noah Peterson contributed with partners from FWC, Florida Museum, and USGS. Findings support monitoring and management efforts.
📖 go.ufl.edu/swamp-eel
August 6, 2026 at 2:02 PM
🌊 New Publication Highlight
A new BioInvasions Records paper documents the spread of invasive swamp eels in Florida. LAKEWATCH master's student Noah Peterson contributed with partners from FWC, Florida Museum, and USGS. Findings support monitoring and management efforts.
📖 go.ufl.edu/swamp-eel
A new BioInvasions Records paper documents the spread of invasive swamp eels in Florida. LAKEWATCH master's student Noah Peterson contributed with partners from FWC, Florida Museum, and USGS. Findings support monitoring and management efforts.
📖 go.ufl.edu/swamp-eel
🌊 Why is so much sargassum washing up across the Keys? Florida Sea Grant Agent Shelly Krueger explains the 2026 Sargassum Inundation Event, what's driving it, and how it affects beaches, waterways, and coastal ecosystems.
🔗 blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/monroeco/202...
🔗 blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/monroeco/202...
August 4, 2026 at 2:04 PM
🌊 Why is so much sargassum washing up across the Keys? Florida Sea Grant Agent Shelly Krueger explains the 2026 Sargassum Inundation Event, what's driving it, and how it affects beaches, waterways, and coastal ecosystems.
🔗 blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/monroeco/202...
🔗 blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/monroeco/202...
🎉 Celebrating LAKEWATCH’s Natalie Anderson!
Congrats to Natalie for earning the UF/IFAS Web Hero Award for her work on the Florida LAKEWATCH site redesign, making it more modern, accessible, and volunteer-friendly.
🌊 Explore: lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu
Congrats to Natalie for earning the UF/IFAS Web Hero Award for her work on the Florida LAKEWATCH site redesign, making it more modern, accessible, and volunteer-friendly.
🌊 Explore: lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu
July 31, 2026 at 2:01 PM
🎉 Celebrating LAKEWATCH’s Natalie Anderson!
Congrats to Natalie for earning the UF/IFAS Web Hero Award for her work on the Florida LAKEWATCH site redesign, making it more modern, accessible, and volunteer-friendly.
🌊 Explore: lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu
Congrats to Natalie for earning the UF/IFAS Web Hero Award for her work on the Florida LAKEWATCH site redesign, making it more modern, accessible, and volunteer-friendly.
🌊 Explore: lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu
Gizzard Shad are the filter-feeding cleanup crew of lakes and rivers. Fun fact: they have a muscular stomach called a gizzard that grinds up mud and organic debris to squeeze out nutrients. Weird-looking and efficient.
July 30, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Gizzard Shad are the filter-feeding cleanup crew of lakes and rivers. Fun fact: they have a muscular stomach called a gizzard that grinds up mud and organic debris to squeeze out nutrients. Weird-looking and efficient.
🌊 Florida’s lakes bring people together for fishing, boating, paddling, wildlife viewing, and making memories outdoors. This Lake Appreciation Month, take time to enjoy your favorite lake and appreciate the volunteers collecting long-term lake data year-round. 💙
July 28, 2026 at 2:04 PM
🌊 Florida’s lakes bring people together for fishing, boating, paddling, wildlife viewing, and making memories outdoors. This Lake Appreciation Month, take time to enjoy your favorite lake and appreciate the volunteers collecting long-term lake data year-round. 💙