This presentation was made at The Pines of Delray North by Steve Carbol of

Lake and Wetland Management, to members of Rainberry Lake and The Pines

on March 10, 2020.

Lake and Wetland Management is an Environmental Management company

that we contract to manage Rainberry Lake. Steve is our Account Manager.

The red-dots indicate the days that Lake and Wetlands provided service to

Rainberry Lake

The red-dots indicate the days that Lake and Wetlands provided service to

Rainberry Lake

These are some of the invasive Algae that they are working to control or

eliminate.

Invasive plants - While some of these may be beautiful and contribute oxygen

to the lake, they grow very fast and will eventually choke and smother the lake

if not controlled.

More invasive plants

This is a tally of the beneficial plants that Lake and Wetland have installed for us

at the lake’s edge (littoral shelf)

These beneficial aquatic weeds and plants provide shelter and habitat for fish

and fowl to nest. They also protect our delicate shoreline from erosion due to

waves and tide action.

This is a tally of the beneficial native plants installed on the littoral shelf

Some of the beneficial plantings

Sometime in June/July 2019 someone sprayed the new plantings all around the

lake with an herbicide (vegetation killer), killing the new plants that we paid to

have installed.

We can only guess that this malicious act was intended to ‘manicure’ the lake

and remove the beneficial aquatic weeds that were obscuring the perpetrator’s

view.

In response, Lake and Wetland donated 2000 new plants to help with the

recovery

Only Lake and Wetland personnel should be spraying anything on the lake. Their

vehicles are well marked.

Jose with Lake and Wetland is here spraying the Algae. There are other L&W

personnel responsible for the maintenance of the littoral plants.

We urge all residents to report anything suspicious they see on the lake.

Please call Kevin Cangelosi at 954-401-1542 or Steve Carbol at 561-735-3732.

Note that residents DO NOT have the right to weed or spray in this area as the

property belongs to the community.

Rainberry Lake is home to an impressive population of wildlife

The Green Iguana is an invasive species that carries disease, damages infrastructure

(such as the sea walls and pool deck), and drives out or kills other native creatures

we want to protect. Their fecies also contaminate the lake and pool areas.

The Cane or Bufo Toad has a deadly neuro-toxin in glands on it’s back. You may find

them hiding behind your garbage cans. They are dangerous to humans and pets.

These non-indigenous species will multiply without control, driving out or killing other

native species that we want to protect. Their feces pollutes the lake and spreads disease.

PLEASE, DO NOT FEED THE WILD CREATURES! It causes over population and

complacency, and deprives them of vital nutriments they need to stay healthy.

If these creatures cannot find adequate food sources to survive without human

interventions, they need to move on.

We also have invasive, non-indigenous, fish species in the lake. While we say the lake is

catch and release we urge anglers to NOT release the invasive species. A list of these

(with pictures) can be found on our website

http://www.rainberryvillas.com/Lake.html

Note that this fish, also know as the Peacock Bass was initially introduced by Florida

Wildlife to control other invasive species but is now out-of-control

This is another invasive fish. Notice how large these can grow. We urge all

anglers to either eat these invasive species (they are good to eat), or dispose of

them properly. Small ones can be thrown on the bank to feed the birds but

large ones should be bagged and binned. Please, do NOT release them back

into the lake.

The Island Apple Snail is actually not invasive but they deposit these pods

which some people may find unsightly.

Fish that have been released into Rainberry Lake in 2019

Fish that have been released into Rainberry Lake so far in 2020

This is what the fish look like when released. Some species grow to full-size

fish and others serve as a food source for other fish and fowl. And the Eastern

Mosquito Fish help control mosquitos, midges and no-see-ems.

What we can do to continue to protect and nurture the lake.

Being a dog friendly community, it’simportant that we pick-up after our pets. If

we don’t, the feces washes from the banks or into to our storm drains, ending

up in the lake.