Once upon a time, they were in a drainage ditch somewhere in Oklahoma City, but today, they are taking root in a secluded mudflat area of Grand Lake. That is the journey some aquatic plants have taken as part of an effort to enhance the habitat around the shores of the lake. The project is coordinated through a technical committee which oversees Grand Lake’s wildlife mitigation efforts. That committee includes representatives from the Grand River Dam Authority, Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB), Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, and other agencies.

"In cooperation with the OWRB and the ODWC, we [GRDA] have implemented a plan to introduce native aquatic plants in the littoral zone of Grand Lake," said Dr. Darrell Townsend II, GRDA superintendent of ecosystems management. "We hope this will improve the ecosystem health of the Grand River Basin."

Both Paul Koenig and Owen Mills are with the Lakes & Special Studies section of the OWRB, and both have been — literally—knee deep in this project from the beginning. "This is the green approach to a common problem in many Oklahoma lakes," said Koenig. "The reservoirs are built but there’s no aquatic plants growing on the shoreline [like nature intended]." He explained that these aquatic plants help to prevent shoreline erosion, improve water quality and create fish and wildlife habitat.

"We’re here to see how well we can get aquatic plants to grow in the lake. Which plants will grow? Where will they grow? What does it take to get them to grow? Most importantly, will they expand across the lake? If we can get an expansion rate, then we can make predictions on how long it will take to populate the lake."

"A variety of plants are being tested [in Grand Lake]," he added. "We’ve got bull rush out on the east side. On both sides of the lake we’ve planted some duck potato, some bass grass called water willow... the submerged plants [are] pond weed and water star grass." He explained that the submerged plants provide habitat for the small fish to hide. They also absorb nutrients out of the water and put oxygen back in the water, helping improve water quality.

Many of these plants and plot areas have protected cages around them, in hopes that herbivorous fish and wildlife, as well as the public, will leave them alone until they begin to flourish. However, much like the millet-seeding project GRDA has done in the past, this project is being done in some of the low traffic areas around the shoreline.

"We also have some unprotected plants," said Mills, who serves as the project manager. "We’re going to see what kind of results we get without installing the cages ... [we] spend a lot of money and there is lots of labor involved in installing the cages."