Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program Box 10585 | Hammond, LA 70402 | www.selu.edu/pbrp Table of Contents Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program: Overview....................................................1 Administration .................................................................................... 1 Letter from the Director ........................................................................ 1 Science Advisory Committee.................................................................... 3 Mission Statement ................................................................................ 4 Target Areas....................................................................................... 4 Information Transfer & Outreach .............................................................. 4 Publications & Presentations ................................................................... 5 Training Graduate Students..................................................................... 7 Project Titles & PIs for Phases 1-5............................................................. 8 Establishment of Baseline Concentrations and Elucidation of Environmental Processes Controlling the Bioavailability and Bioaccumulation of Mercury and Other Toxic Metals in the Lake Maurepas Basin (Phase 1: Field Study)...................... 11 Growth Response and Tissue Accumulation Trends of Herbaceous Wetland Plant Species Exposed to Elevated Aqueous Mercury Levels ....................................... 21 Establishment of Baseline Concentrations and Elucidation of Environmental Processes Controlling the Bioavailability and Bioaccumulation of Mercury and Other Toxic Metals in the Lake Maurepas Basin (Phase 2: Greenhouse Investigation).........34 Viability of Mitigation in the Lake Maurepas and Manchac Swamp Region ..................39 Hydraulic Conductivity and Vulnerability to Xylem Cavitation of Baldcypress along a Salinity Gradient as Indicators for Restoration Success....................................44 Salinity as a Stressor of the Freshwater Turtle, Trachemys scripta, in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin ........................................................................................................52 Genetic Variation between Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River Basin Fishes ......56 Western Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program Education Outreach Component: Phase 4.......................................................................................64 De-energizing Hurricanes with Cypress/Tupelo Buffers: A Plan to Restore the Repressed Swamps of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin by Using Point and Nonpoint Freshwater Sources .......................................................................67 Mitigating the Spread of Zebra Mussels into Wetlands from Mississippi River Diversions ..........................................................................................78 Development of an Index of Biological Integrity for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Wetlands...............................................................................83 Determining the Potential for Algal Bloom in Lake Maurepas: Effects of Changing Nutrient Load from Freshwater Diversion and Changes in Human Population..........89 Information Transfer and Outreach Program for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program ................................................................99 Program Overview Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program: Overview ADMINISTRATION William N. Norton, Ph.D. Lacy Landrum, Ph.D. Director Assistant Director SLU Box 10736 SLU Box 10585 Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA 70402 Hammond, LA 70402 O: 985.549.2923 O: 985.549.2268 F: 985.549.3851 F: 985.549.3851 [email protected] [email protected] LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program (PBRP) was established in 2001 as an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional program with research and education/outreach activities supported by funds from the EPA. PBRP is guided by an external Science Advisory Committee (SAC) comprised of 12 highly qualified and respected individuals who represent academia, federal and state agencies, the local community, and the private sector. Since its inception, PBRP has awarded over four million dollars to 44 investigators to support their environmental investigations of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin and for education/outreach activities that complement the program’s research. PBRP has a very active and productive Information Transfer and Outreach Program, ensuring that the knowledge garnered through the program’s projects is disseminated widely to technical professionals in the regulatory agencies and to community leaders, as well as to citizen stakeholders and the news media. Several Research Reports that focus on program supported research projects and their results, as well as a Pontchartrain Basin Update entitled “Understanding the Environmental Impacts of Cypress Mulch” have been published and released. A pamphlet entitled “Notable Accomplishments of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program” has been distributed to the Louisiana Congressional Delegation. Twelve research projects currently funded through PBRP at a total value of approximately one million dollars have been either completed or are in their final year of activity. The projects focus on diverse subjects, including an effort to determine whether genetic variation exists between Lake Maurepas and Mississippi River Basin fishes. Such information is critical for scientists to predict the effects of fresh water diversion projects. Additional studies focus on the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of mercury and other toxic metals in the Lake Maurepas Basin; the degree to which salinity induces stress on the endocrine system of an economically important species of turtle; the establishment of a physiological indicator of PBRP Annual Report | 2009 1 Program Overview restoration success for baldcypress after its exposure to high salinity; and the determination of potential algal blooms in Lake Maurepas as a consequence of nutrient loading from freshwater diversion projects. PBRP is also funding research projects that are attempting to determine methods for mitigating the spread of zebra mussels into the wetlands from diversions of the Mississippi River; to develop an Index of Biological Integrity for Lake Pontchartrain Basin wetlands; and to design a restoration plan for the swamps of the basin by using point and non-point freshwater sources. PBRP also supports projects that pertain to the impact of human behavior on the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, such as the one designed to develop a “white paper,” a how-to manual, outreach workshops, and a website for mitigation banking in the Manchac Swamp. The education and outreach programs of PBRP are structured to emphasize hands-on and interdisciplinary educational experiences for both K-12 teachers and their students. The workshop-oriented activities introduce participants to the basin’s ecology, emphasizing the important link between the region’s ecology and its cultural and economic vitality. William N. Norton, Ph.D. Professor of Biological Sciences Director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program 2 PBRP Annual Report | 2009 Program Overview SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE PBRP is guided by an external Science Advisory Committee (SAC) comprised of 12 individuals representing academia, federal and state agencies, the local community, and the private sector. The SAC members advise the program director and, through a peer review system, critique submitted proposals for merit and compatibility with the PBRP mission. SAC recommends proposals worthy of funding to the director who then finalizes the ranking and dispersion of funds to the principal investigators (PIs). The PIs submit annual progress reports to the director who delivers those reports to the SAC members and to the EPA Project Officer for their review. SAC meets biannually to review proposals for each funding cycle and to review the progress of funded projects. Member Expertise Mr. Carleton Dufrechou Wetland restoration and Committee Chair community involvement Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation Dr. Dale Manty Hazardous substances EPA, Washington DC Dr. Robert Reimers Bioremediation Health Sciences Center Tulane University Dr. Kenneth Teague Wetland restoration EPA, Region 6 Mr. Dan Llewellyn Wetland ecology Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Dr. Len Bahr Environmental policy and Coastal Activities Division in the Louisiana Governor’s Office regulation Dr. Fred Kopfler Coastal restoration EPA, Region 4, EPA Gulf of Mexico Program Mr. Gordon Austin Treatment of sewage and Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans waste water Dr. Mike Livingston Environmental toxicology Sobran Environmental Consultants Dr. Marilyn Kilgen Environmental microbiology Head of Biology Department, Nicholls State University Dr. David Constant Professor and Assistant Director of EPA HSRC Environmental engineering Louisiana State University Mr. Bill Hawkins Environmental toxicology Executive Director GCRL, University of Mississippi PBRP Annual Report | 2009 3 Program Overview MISSION STATEMENT The mission of PBRP is to determine the ecological stresses, including those associated with human behavior, on the Lake Pontchartrain Basin ecosystem and to provide scientific information to decision-makers and stakeholders on the methods and policies to stabilize, sustain, and/or enhance its environmental and economic recovery