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Lake Moxie at Central Park |
Welcome to Central Park Boardwalk at Lake Moxie
The city has created a boardwalk set on the shoreline of
Lake Moxie in Central Park for the citizens to enjoy
Florida’s natural environment.
Girl Scout Troop 32 would like to thank the City of
Ocoee by providing them with an opportunity to work on
their Gold Award by letting them help design the
boardwalk, removing the invasive plants, planting native
plants along the shoreline, and providing information
for the web site. We would also like to thank BioSphere
in Winter Garden for all their help to Girl Scout Troop
32 by providing information about what type of plants
were needed to enhance the water quality of the lake. |
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Native plants were added to the lake in order to
help filter the runoff. It is better to plant native
species because their roots are made to work with the
soil unlike the invasive plants from different parts of
the world.
These plants were planted in the emergent area of
littoral zone to stop the erosion and add the correct
nutrients to the lake to keep it healthy.
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Duck Potato
(Sagittaria lancifolia)
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Golden Canna
(Canna flaccida)
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Pickerelweed
(Pontederia cordata)
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Native plants help the environment by:
• Protective cover for small fish and other animals
• Erosion control and soil stabilization
• Source of nesting material
• Shade for fish and human
• Aesthetics and landscaping appeal
• Food source for wildlife
• Draws in animals
• Nutrient uptake
• Plant competition for preventing encroachment of
invasive plants
• Living surface
http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/
www.biospherenursery.com/
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Littoral Zone
Lakes are dependent on plants located in the littoral
zone to buffer the lake from upland runoff and also
provide oxygen for both the lake and wildlife around it.
The littoral zone is also important because it supplies
the root of the food chain; without it, nothing higher
up in the food chain would survive. Most of the plants
located in the wetlands of Lake Moxie were invasive,
which means that they were not native to Florida and
were taking up so much room that the plants that are
native to Florida were being suffocated. These plants
have negative effects on the water quality of the lake.
There are four zones in the wetlands based on the depths
below and elevations above normal water level. The 1st
zone is submerged plants which are all in the water
while the 2nd zone is emergent; plants that root in the
water at the shoreline but grow above the water level.
The transitional zones, zones 3 and 4, grow in the marsh
areas in both water and on land.
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Water Quality
The water quality of Lake Moxie is not as good
as it could be because of storm water runoff,
erosion, and litter.
The storm water runoff from the streets brings
oil, litter, and other harmful substances down
into the lake.
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Erosion is the process by which the surface of
the earth is worn away by the action of water,
winds, etc. The erosion occurring at Lake Moxie
is not all natural, some of which is being
caused by the surface runoff leading to poor
water quality due to the soil being drawn into
the lake and making the shoreline recede.
Litter is caused by human activity at the park.
Litter is harmful to everything as it doesn’t
disintegrate and kills plants and animals of the
lake. Litter gets in and around the lake from
people not using appropriate receptacles to get
rid of their trash.
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Oil in the water
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Litter pulled out of Lake Moxie
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Learn about the animals and plants as you solve these
fun word searches and puzzles.
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| Help us keep your parks safe.
Please report any damaged equipment or graffiti
to the Parks and Recreation Department at
407-905-3180. Report any suspicious behavior at
any City park to the Ocoee Police Department at
407-905-3161. |
