Macrophyte surveys were conducted on Sparkling Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin in mid-July of the years 2001 to 2004. Eight sites were chosen that corresponded to trap survey sites for rusty crayfish and represented the range of macrophyte communities in the lake (figure 1). These sites corresponded to trap survey sites 1, 4, 10, 16, 20, 23, 27, and 35. At each site, we swam a transect perpendicular to shore from 0 to 4 m depths. A tape measure extended from shore to the 4 m depth contour, and buoys were placed at the 1, 2, 3, and 4 m depth contours.

 

Each lake has 8 survey sites.

Data sheets should be printed on “write in rain” paper.

 

Survey site selections: Sites were selected using GIS software for Riparian zone sampling.

These data were collected by Karen A. Wilson as part of her PhD work in Northern Wisconsin, (Vilas and Onieda Counties) during July and August of 1998 and 1999. Details of field collections can be found in Wilson, K.A. 2002. Impacts of the invasive rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) in northern Wisconsin lakes. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Wisconsin, Madison.

During the summer of 2006, we collected snails at 4 to 6 sites in each of 44 focal lakes. Survey lakes ranged in surface area from 14 to 1400 ha (median = 130 ha), and were selected to span broad gradients of landscape position, water chemistry, human use, and other characteristics, and to maximize overlap with lakes where Morrison (1932) has previously described snail assemblages (see below).

1.       Macrophytes are sampled on Lakes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, Wingra, and Fish Lake. Follow past years sampling order (Waubesa, Wingra, Fish, Monona, Mendota) and keep the dates as consistent to past years as possible (see list of dates). Working around the routine LTER sampling, schedule the macrophyte sampling well in advance in order to sign out a vehicle and boat when necessary.