BLUFFTON, OH (WLIO) - Volunteer researchers spent Saturday documenting biodiversity in local nature reserves. 

July 1, 2024, Press Release from the the University of Findlay and Bluffton University: FINDLAY, Ohio — University of Findlay announces Bioblitz 2024, a collaborative effort with Bluffton University aimed at exploring and documenting the rich biodiversity within their respective nature preserves. Scheduled for July 13, 2024, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., volunteers and community members are invited to join faculty experts in the day-long exploration of local ecosystems.

Controlling the growth of aquatic vegetation in Indian Lake will give hope to businesses in that area in the future. Last week, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources unveiled a plan to deal with the excessive growth of two different species of vegetation that affected 75% of the lake this past summer.   Aqua Doc Lake and Pond Management was hired, and their solution is to use herbicides to target the specific vegetation to control its spread.  The weeds were a nuisance to boaters, keeping many of them away in the summertime.  But with a plan in place, businesses could see a resurgence of customers to before when the weed growth became a problem.

The State of Ohio now has an invasive plant list that has banned 38 species.