It’s almost summertime, and the living is easy at Broadmoor Lake, just west of the UALR campus. And – thanks to a semester-long service learning project by UALR biology students – the fish are jumping and biting, just in time for Earth Day.

A group of students in Dr. Forrest Payne’s limnology class enthusiastically undertook the project last fall, led by biology student Nicole Freeman, investigating the water quality in the lake.

Limnology is the study of inland waters. Freeman will graduate this summer with a master’s degree. Other graduate students on the project were Melanie VanSon, Andrew Cornell, and M.C. Somers, all of Little Rock.

The group proposed a service learning project to determine how the aquatic habitat can improve the health of the lake, as well as enhancing the quality of life for the residents of Broadmoor Estates, one of Little Rock’s first post-war subdivisions that forms the western border of the University District.

The students worked closely with Rhiannon Morgan, the research compliance officer in UALR’s Graduate School, who also lives in the Broadmoor neighborhood. She facilitated meetings with members of the Broadmoor Property Owners Association to hear their concerns about the lake.

“It was decided that the students would collect baseline data for the parameters, temperature, conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen in the lake,” Payne said. “Some phytoplankton samples were also collected. There were fish in the lake before the study, but the population appeared to be imbalanced.”

The data was compiled into tables and figures that were presented, along with a written report that contained the team’s conclusions, to the neighborhood group for review.

The data indicated fairly typical conditions for a small, shallow lake found in a temperate environment. Limited algal data indicated good water quality.  The question is whether the fishing experience has declined because the fish community is out of balance – too many small fish – deteriorating spawning habitat, or both.

The data collected by the UALR students gave members the information needed to stock the lake properly. In February, Broadmoor resident and avid fisherman Keith Gillen helped stock the lake with blue gill and bream.

“I am so proud of the efforts of Nicole and the other students, and thankful for the very helpful service the students and Dr. Payne provided,” said Morgan, who now is a member of the Broadmoor Property Owners Association Board.