| Muck removal is an extreme habitat restoration technique, where heavy machinery is used to remove dense vegetation and accumulated organic material from lake shorelines. This approach is used to combat accelerated plant growth and subsequent litter deposition, following decades of altered hydrologic schedules, elevated nutrient levels, and exotic species introductions. This study explored the efficacy of the technique, using results from the largest muck-removal application to date.;Vegetation communities were monitored from 2002 to 2008, including two years prior to restoration and four years after. Before muck removal, Pontederia cordata represented the dominant community in the zone of annual water level fluctuation, as compared to Panicum repens, which was dominant in the 1950's. Four years after muck removal, P. repens had expanded slightly from its pre-restoration levels, but the dominant species in treated areas was Vallisneria americana . This submersed species had no record of ever being prevalent in the system, and represented a novel community.;Muck removal effects were short-lived in the shallowest areas of the littoral zone, with sites <0.75 meters in depth recovering to pre-treatment levels within 3--4 years of reflooding. Deeper sites (>1.0 meter) generally had the largest impacts, with entirely new communities established within three years of treatment. These results suggest that future projects focus on deeper-water emergent communities, as dense vegetation may quickly recolonize shallow shorelines.;There was concern among managers that hurricanes passing over the lake immediately following muck removal dramatically altered the outcome of the project, but this study found otherwise. While corresponding high water events undoubtedly delayed recovery in treated areas, the compositions of early colonizers were not changed. The same compositions found just prior to hurricane passage were found the following growing season, and the eventually-dominant communities did not appear until nearly two years after the storm events. These results suggest that initial water levels were less important in determining restored community types than the longer-term hydroperiods within treated areas. |
