Give the lakes some love

July is National Lakes Appreciation Month, and officials at Oakland Nature Preserve encourage everyone to visit the preserve and hike its boardwalk while appreciating Lake Apopka.

“Most of us take our water resources for granted, thinking that they will always be there and usable,” ONP officials said. “Lake Apopka, however, is a good example of why we should not take our lakes and other water resources for granted. It is the third-largest lake in Florida and was, through the 1930’s, touted as having ‘the best bass fishing in the country.’ By the mid-1940’s, it began showing signs of distress. In 1981 it was declared a Superfund Site.”

Fortunately, due to the efforts of a small but very hardworking group of people, Lake Apopka is turning around, officials said.

“Those citizens helped to build Oakland Nature Preserve for the purpose of making sure we never take Lake Apopka for granted again,” officials said.