Summary Statement: Increased numbers of dead alligators on Lake Griffin in central Florida in Fall of 1997 alerted several State agencies and researchers that something was amiss in this central Florida lake. Hatch rates of alligator eggs collected from Lake Griffin have also declined since 1996, prompting additional concern. In response to these concerns several State and Federal Agencies have combined forces to investigate this problem and research share results. Several hypotheses about the cause (or causes) of the observed wildlife mortality have been advanced including the possibility of contamination, disease, poisoning by toxic algae, changes in the ecological function of the lake leading to nutritional problems or a combination of these. To facilitate information exchange this web page has been created to display raw data and observations which may assist in the resolution of the problem.

Participating Agencies:

• FL Museum of Natural History
• FL Coop Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
• FL Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
• St. John’s River Water Management District
• US Geological Survey, Biol. Resources Div. Caribbean Research Facility
• FL Department of Environmental Protection
• University of Florida (Departments of Zoology, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine)

This web page has been assembled by the Central Florida Lakes Wildlife Initiative to assist participating researchers share their data and exchange ideas.

Participation in the web page is voluntary and additional participants are welcomed. To submit data and for additional information on the Initiative contact :

Email: prosscsg@flmnh.ufl.edu.

Data and other information submitted to this page remains the property of, and under the direct control of its original authors. This material is protected following the University of Florida Copyright © statement. Use for preliminary scholarly research and educational purposes, data analysis and discussion is permitted as long as the original source and this page is acknowledged. This information should not be used in publications without the permission of the original authors. To obtain additional and original information in data format contact the authors directly. The web page hosts and the Coordinator of the Central Florida Wildlife Initiative cannot release this information.