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Arkansas protecting fish habitat

Fish habitat in 4 Arkansas counties

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. (KTHV) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing that 224 river miles, including 98 in Arkansas, be protected as a critical habitat for five endangered species of fish.

But only one of those species dwells in Arkansas: The “yellowcheek darter,” a bottom-dwelling fish found in the Little Red River and several of its tributaries.

Construction of a dam on the Little Red River destroyed its original habitat to create Greers Ferry Reservoir. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

The Center for Biological Diversity first sought Endangered Species Act protection for the yellowcheek darter back in 2004.

Steve “Wildman” Wilson is the Public Affairs Coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

He said it all boils down to one thing: habitat.

“It’s food, water, shelter, space, air — and not only quantity of it, but you have to have quality of it as well,” Wilson said.

The yellowcheek darter is also threatened by natural gas development, animal feedlot pollution, cattle grazing, clear-cut logging and gravel mining.

“If you look at everything on the endangered species list, it’s there because of habitat destruction or loss of habitat — it has the worst effect on wildlife populations than anything else,” Wilson added.

But with this proposal for critical habitat protection, it will ensure that the species will stick around.Matt Buhrman

No word yet on when or if this proposal will be approved.

Entergy drawing water out of Lake Conroe to improve fish habitat

     SJRA LAKE BED GUIDELINES

The recent drought has exposed many acres of lake bed resulting in the growth of terrestrial vegetation and the uncovering of debris that had previously settled on the bottom of the lake. When the lake refills, this vegetation and debris will provide valuable habitat for fish and other aquatic species, and the vegetation also helps stabilize sediments and improve water quality; however, while the lake is down, some vegetation and debris can cause nuisance problems.

To assist property owners and other lake users in determining the best means for managing vegetation or debris in the exposed lake bed of Lake Conroe, the SJRA has developed the following guidelines:

VEGETATION

The SJRA encourages businesses, community associations, and other lakefront property owners to not interfere with the growth of grasses and other terrestrial vegetation in the lake bed.

In cases where vegetation is creating a nuisance, lakefront property owners are allowed to mitigate the nuisance in and around their immediate dock area but are encouraged to use the most limited means possible, such as trimming off the tops of tall weeds.

Application of non-restricted use herbicides is only allowed with prior approval of the SJRA and only in areas that are completely above the influence of the waterline and immediately surrounding a property owner’s dock.

Widespread mowing of lake bed areas (i.e. not directly in front of a landowner’s tract) is not allowed unless specifically authorized by the SJRA.

DEBRIS

The SJRA encourages individuals to leave non-hazardous, inert debris in place in the lake bed to provide fish habitat. This can include items such as tires, concrete blocks, submerged logs, and other bulky items.

Non-hazardous, inert debris that has become exposed due to falling lake levels can be moved into deeper water provided it can be done so safely and to a location that will not create a hazard to navigation.

Trash and other non-desirable debris can be collected and placed in the SJRA’s lake debris Dumpster located at the west end of the Lake Conroe dam. This may include bottles, cans, and other trash.

No hazardous materials may be placed in the SJRA lake debris dumpster. Items such as paints, pesticides, electronics, batteries, used oil and filters, antifreeze, and other hazardous materials should be disposed of properly at an authorized facility.

Recently, residents in Montgomery County clamored for a second water source to complement Lake Conroe. And one exists, but the purpose of the Lewis Creek Reservoir is decidedly different.

Constructed in 1967, the Lewis reservoir wasn’t built to serve as a surface water storehouse. Nor was it designed to attract boating enthusiasts. In fact, the reservoir covers only 1.38 square miles of land between FM 1097 and Longstreet Road, west of Willis.

Instead, the reservoir’s role is to meet the electrical needs of Entergy Texas’ approximate 270,000 customers in the Montgomery. That is why when it comes to water, the Lewis Creek Reservoir takes precedent over its bigger brother, said Entergy spokeswoman Jill Smith.

The reservoir has a capacity of 16,400 acre feet of water – well below the 300,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Conroe. But the drought of 2011 has Entergy pumping water out of Lake Conroe and into Lewis Creek Reservoir.

The Beaumont-based utility company needs the extra water to make certain Entergy Texas can operate its two natural gas-fueled turbines.

“We have to maintain a level of operating capability,” Smith said.

Entergy Texas isn’t the only group shipping water out of Lake Conroe. Since mid-June, the SJRA has released 150 million gallons of water daily into Lake Houston. The release is part of an agreement between the SJRA and the city of Houston.

Entergy pays the San Jacinto River Authority 20 cents for each 1,000 gallons it uses to drive the turbines. Twenty-nine cents is SJRA’s standard raw water rate – effluent water is used by a number of golf courses – but Entergy gets a price break for treating its own wastewater, SJRA Deputy General Manager Jace Houston said.

“What Entergy is doing – pumping that wastewater – is pretty common,” he said “They don’t do this every day unless it’s needed.”

Entergy is restricted by contract to pump no more than seven million gallons into the Lewis Creek Reservoir each day. The withdrawal from Lake Conroe is “insignificant,” said Blake Kellum, SJRA Lake Conroe Division manager. Howard Roden

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Money to restore Great Lakes fish habitat still flows

 At a time when many government programs are fighting for survival, there’s one place the money is still flowing for now: the Great Lakes.

In the past two years, Congress has pumped $775 million into the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Continue reading “Money to restore Great Lakes fish habitat still flows”

Watershed and fish habitat are focus of local tour

(news photo)

Tonia Burns, natural resources coordinator for the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District, left, tells tour participants about the district’s local partners in watershed projects.

Although there was no stated theme for the second annual watershed tour sponsored by the North Clackamas Urban Watersheds Council, speakers all noted the power of people working together to improve watershed health in Oak Grove, Jennings Lodge and Gladstone.

The council’s mission is to advocate for the protection and enhancement of the watersheds’ fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality through partnership with public and private entities, habitat restoration projects, community education and outreach and strategic planning.

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Integrated habitat

Oak Grove resident Eleanore Hunter, current chair of the Oak Lodge Community Council, told the group that the whole idea of citizens and organizations cooperating with one another is to create an “integrated habitat” for humans, animal, fish and the environment.

It’s all about “connectivity” and an “incredibly supportive community,” she added.

Restoring watershed health will ultimately result in “the ability to introduce fish [in streams] along River Road,” said Chips Janger, one of the founders of Clackamas County Urban Green, an organization dedicated to supporting tree conservation in the county.

“People who are really interested are joining together and we have a lot of power,” he added.

The tour began at Meldrum Bar State Park in Gladstone and stopped at four key locations in the River Forest, Boardman and Rinearson Creek watersheds; these watersheds all flow off Oatfield Ridge and feed into the Willamette River.

As the tour progressed, neighborhood and agency experts discussed habitat, hydrology and water quality and shared their plans to improve watershed conditions for people, fish and wildlife.

Brett Arvidson, the manager of planning and engineering for the Oak Lodge Sanitary District, talked to the group about the recent Metro Nature in the Neighborhood grant for a fish habitat restoration project in the Boardman Creek and Walta Vista area in Jennings Lodge.

The $485,000 grant will replace two culverts near the mouth of Boardman Creek with bridges, allowing fish to return to more than a mile of the creek. He said it is important to note that the grant marks a partnership among the North Clackamas Urban Watershed Council, Oak Lodge Community Council, Jennings Lodge Citizen Participation Organization, Clackamas County Urban Green and North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District.

The total cost of the project will be around $1.7 million and take between three to four years to finish, Arvidson said, because it will involve “a complicated piece of engineering.”

Watershed education

People live all around the creek, where construction will take place, so educating homeowners about watershed health is key, added Tonia Burns, natural resources coordinator for the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District.

Residents need to be aware of the natural processes that occur in a creek and be careful about what they plant, Arvidson noted, adding, “We want to encourage shade along the creeks,” to provide the best fish habitat.

In the past, the streams were treated poorly, when they were covered up or directed into culverts, leaving fish with no place to go, noted William Wild, president of the Oak Lodge Sanitary District.

“If we can open up the Walta Vista area, we can open up a big piece of the puzzle. We have the greatest partnership with North Clackamas Parks and Recreation. We’ve been involved with them at all the parks and the Trolley Trail,” he added.

Burns echoed that statement, saying, “This new relationship with Oak Lodge is a huge asset to the parks department. There are wetlands begging to be enhanced and we can solidify partnerships and see what we can do.”

At the stop on Glen Echo Avenue, Susan Shawn pointed out that visitors could get a look at the tail end of a wetland that goes back to the East Side Athletic Club.

Although the area is overgrown right now, Shawn, a board member of the North Clackamas Urban Watershed Council and a founding member of Clackamas County Urban Green, asked the group to picture “boardwalks all the way back to the Trolley Trail.”

The tour brought together residents, watershed advocates and water quality experts, who all have a different take on what needs to be done to improve watershed health, Shawn pointed out.

Arvidson added, “But we all have to work together” to make it happen.

For more information about North Clackamas Urban Watersheds Council, visit www.ncuwc.org.

The following are Metro Nature in Neighborhood grants for Clackamas County:

Boardman Creek fish habitat restoration project

Recipient: Oak Lodge Sanitary District and Clackamas County Department of Transportation and Development.

Partners: North Clackamas Urban Watershed Council, Oak Lodge Community Council, Jennings Lodge Citizen Participation Organization, Clackamas County Urban Green and North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District.

Nature in Neighborhoods capital grant: $485,000. Total project cost: $1,667,000. Location: S.E. River Road and S.E. Walta Vista Court, Jennings Lodge.

Boardman Creek is slowly being transformed from an overgrown urban ditch to a refuge for fish and wildlife. This grant will support the keystone to the restoration of this basin – replacing two culverts near the creek mouth with bridges and allowing fish to return to more than a mile of the creek between the park and the Willamette River.

This transformation will restore instream habitat along 300 feet of the creek and demonstrate how bridges can also create a “wildlife crossing” for amphibians and land animals.

Klein Point overlook and habitat enhancement

Recipient: Johnson Creek Watershed Council and the city of Milwaukie. Partners: Willamette Riverkeepers, Milwaukie Rotary, Oregon Dental Services (ODS), Gary and Sharon Klein, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, PGE Salmon Fund, FishAmerica Foundation and the city of Portland.

Nature in Neighborhoods capital grant: $225,000. Total project cost: $670,399. Location: 1900 S.E. Jefferson St., Milwaukie.

This grant will initiate the first phase of a master plan for Riverfront Park, constructing an interpretive overlook and a new trail tracing the river bluff. Visitors will be able to stand in the shade of a magnificent old Oregon white oak. Below, they might see salmon and trout making their way into the mouth of Johnson Creek, where six acres of restored riparian habitat will provide refuge to help threatened fish species thrive.

Mount Scott Creek restoration at North Clackamas Park

Recipient: Clackamas Water Environmental Services.Partners: City of Milwaukie, North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District, Friends of Trees, North Clackamas Urban Watershed Council, Friends of Kellogg and Mt. Scott Creeks and Friends of North Clackamas Park.

Nature in Neighborhoods capital grant: $150,034. Total project cost: $450,222. Location: 5440 S.E. Kellogg Creek Drive, Milwaukie.

Restoring lower Mount Scott Creek at North Clackamas Park will balance the needs of people and fish, creating a model for improving habitat at popular recreation destinations. Located in a densely developed urban area, Mt. Scott Creek is a priority for restoration because of the salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout there.

This project will restore the stream bank and its riparian areas and remove a small culvert at the confluence of Camas Creek. It will also redesign access to the creek, installing two new visitor overlooks to reduce the heavy foot traffic that has trampled plants and habitat.

Rinearson Creek Feasibility Study

Recipient: SOLV (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism). Partners: Willamette Riverkeeper, Wilderness International, North Clackamas Urban Watershed Council, city of Gladstone, Rinearson Homeowners Association, Robinwood Riverie Homeowners Association, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

Nature in Neighborhoods restoration and enhancement grant: $10,000. Location: Rinearson Creek, Gladstone.

SOLV and its partners are exploring long-term restoration opportunities in the lower Rinearson Creek watershed. An independent scientific assessment will narrow down five alternatives, which include restoring a pond area and removing a dam, and will help the Rinearson Coalition pick one approach to move forward.

Meanwhile, SOLV will restore the upper watershed near Rinearson Creek, engaging volunteers through community planting days. Students will help monitor water quality, wildlife and vegetation.

Site Restoration at the John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center

Recipient: Clackamas Community College. Partners: Greater Oregon City Watershed Council, Clackamas County Office of Sustainability, city of Oregon City and Oregon State University Extension for Clackamas County.

Nature in Neighborhoods restoration and enhancement grant: $10,000. Location: 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City.

Clackamas Community College will redevelop a five-acre environmental learning center. The project had been abandoned several years ago due to budget cuts. This planning project will lay the groundwork for a regional outdoor learning laboratory, demonstration site and natural area that showcases innovations in stormwater management, landscape design and sustainable living practices. Ultimately, the learning center will improve water quality in the Newell Creek watershed and create a network of partners committed to protecting its health.BY ELLEN SPITALERI

Restoration of the Flowing Wells Trout Farm for fish passage and habitat improvement

Manistee River, MI – 10 Waters to Watch Update
Manistee River, MI (Great Lakes Basin FHP)

Purpose of the project
The Conservation Resource Alliance will coordinate the replacement of a degraded road crossing with a timber bridge and the complete restoration of the Flowing Wells Trout Farm for fish passage and habitat improvement.  Implementing this project will open up approximately 31 miles of tributary for fish passage and improve approximately 4 miles of instream habitat on the North Branch of the Manistee River.

The stream will no longer be impounded, sand and sediment will be transported naturally, stream temperatures will recover, stream habitat will improve, and wild brook trout will be able to return to a reach that has been segmented by 12 dams and two dredged channels for approximately 40 years. This project will also improve the overall ecological health of the riparian corridor by improving uplands and wetlands adjacent to the instream restoration work.

Project Timeline
Major earth moving and dam removal at the Flowing Well property will be complete by the fall of 2011.  Additional reptile and amphibian monitoring as well as instream and adjacent habitat improvements will be completed during the summer and fall of 2012.  The bridge at Mecum Road is scheduled to be completed by late 2011.

Partners
The Conservation Resource Alliance is spearheading this project and closely working with the following partners:  National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; Kalkaska County Road Commission; Kalkaska County Conservation District; Upper Manistee River Restoration Committee, Trout Unlimited, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service; and Huron Pines.

Updates/Changes
At the Flowing Well Property the following items have been completed.

1st. Quarter, 2011
* Established project timeline for 2011 field season.
* Removed an abandoned beaver dam on upper portion of Flowing Well Creek, blocked adjacent dredged channel, diverted flow back into natural channel.
* Received all required permits including NEPA, SHPO, MDNR, MDEQ, SESC, and Natural Rivers.
* Conducted 2 meetings for potential contractors to begin the bidding process.

2nd Quarter, 2011
* Subcontractor conducted the second season of reptile, amphibian, and macroinvertebrate monitoring, a final report is pending.
* Two volunteer workdays were conducted to clear debris from the N. Branch of the Manistee with project partners (USFWS, MDNR, Trout Unlimited)
* Cleared both Flowing Well Creek and the North Branch of the Manistee River of excess woody debris and blockages including 7 large beaver dams.
* Removed the earthen berm and a buried culvert on Flowing Well Creek using CRA staff and a locally hired work crew. Water is now flowing in its natural banks.
* Performed gradual drawdowns by removing boards at dams #3, #7, and #8, all boards have now been removed.

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At the Mecum Road site the following has been completed.
* Seven project partner meetings were held to discuss project progress (2 on-site, 2 at road commission office, and 3 committee meetings).
* Contracting, bidding, and legal review of documents.
* County, State and Federal permits obtained: SESC, SHPO, NEPA, MDEQ, and MDNR Natural Rivers.
* Property owner outreach and easement – State of Michigan use permit and permission for easement from 1 private parcel on southwest corner of road crossing.
* Survey, hydraulic analysis, soil borings/analysis, and bridge design completed.

Media coverage updates

http://www.michiganrivernews.com/2011/06/river-rehab-projects-put-michigan-in-national-spotlight/

http://environmentreport.org/show.php?showID=544

$2M in Lake Michigan projects for Fish Habitat viewed as job growth

Story Image

Christopher Meyers, Director of Planning for City of Gary, (left) and Joel Baldwin, project manager with Hitchcock Design Group, talk about the dredging work at the Marquette Lagoon that will soon begin following a press conference at Marquette Park in the Miller section of Gary, Ind. Friday October 7, 2011. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media

At a glance

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative action plan, developed by the EPA with 15 other federal agencies in 2010, calls for aggressive efforts to address five priorities:

Clean up toxics and areas of concern

Combat invasive species

Promote near-shore health by protecting watersheds from polluted run-off

Restore wetlands and other habitats

Track progress, education and work with strategic partners

Story Image

GARY — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Friday announced a $1 million grant from its Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to the Regional Development Authority for a job-creating dredging project of the Marquette Park lagoon.

The EPA also awarded $994,350 to the U.S. Geological Survey to expand fish and bird monitoring along the Great Lakes’ beaches to fight botulism and other contaminants damaging wildlife. About 20 percent of that money, and 20 jobs, will come to Gary next year.

Just a few yards away from the Lake Michigan’s southern shore, in a serene part of the massive park, dignitaries gathered beneath shade trees to hear of the awards and what they will mean for the area.

Meanwhile, workers with heavy machinery continued the $28 million, RDA-funded facelift of the park nearby, including the popular Marquette Park Pavilion.

The grant to the RDA will go toward dredging the lagoon and using the soil to firm up the lagoon’s shoreline, said Cameron Davis, EPA senior adviser on the Great Lakes. Erosion and other natural forces have pounded the lagoon.

“It’s an area of concern that needs most of our help,” Davis said, adding the project will improve fish and wildlife habitats around the lagoon.

To get the money the RDA and its contractor, Ohio-based Los Alamos Technical Associates, had to agree to hire up to 20 unemployed residents to do the work. The work will include dredging soil from the bottom of the lagoon to expand the fish habitat and relocating that soil to the shoreline and other areas.

The U.S. Geological Survey also had to agree to hire 20 local employees to land its share of the federal money. The work will include collecting different animal species, including carcasses, to determine if botulism was the cause of the deaths.

“This $1 million is our tax dollars being put to good use,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville. “This is an example of how our tax money can be wisely spent and put to use to put citizens to work.”

Christopher Meyers, Gary’s planning director, said the city would work closely with Los Alamos to ensure the company hires locally.

“There is the great environmental benefit, but, ultimately, it’s about creating jobs and helping the local economy,” Meyers said.Michael Gonzalez

Fish and wildlife habitat in White Lake

So far, ‘Restoring Our Lake’ columns have described the Great Lakes Area of Concern cleanup program, how White Lake came to be designated an Area of Concern Continue reading “Fish and wildlife habitat in White Lake”

Chapman Mills Conservation Area, good for the ecosystem

Two acres of newly created fish habitat at the Chapman Mills Conservation Area is up and fully operating as of late summer.

A channel was cut through to connect an existing backwater bay of the Rideau to the main channel. A separate shallow embayment was created featuring a picturesque and important habitat island adjacent to the main river. Final landscaping and cleanup was done over the summer and new interpretive signs have now been installed to explain the kinds of fish and aquatic animals people will see in the area.  See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

This new habitat project is expected to: improve water circulation through the connecting channel, create variable depths of water allowing more diverse aquatic vegetation, create spawning, nursery, rearing and food supply habitat for fish, provide new winter and summer refuge areas for fish, and improve the function of adjacent wetlands for aquatic species.

A five-year monitoring program is in place to measure habitat use by native fish species. The spring and fall surveys will also check on habitat integrity, makeup of the aquatic community and quality of the water with recommendations on how to improve any shortfalls in performance.

Steve Desroches, Ottawa Councillor for Gloucester-South Nepean and a Director of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, said “The city is proud of the partnership and cooperation that has gone into this project. All of the players – public and private alike – are to be congratulated on a good community-spirited job at Chapman Mills. It’s good for the river, it’s good for my community and it’s good news for Ottawa kids.”

This very welcome increase in the stock of fish habitat on the lower Rideau is in compensation for the partial loss of fish habitat on a tributary of the Jock River and another loss on Mosquito Creek.

Fish Structure Cover & Weeds

The Underwater World of Freshwater Fish

Underwater World of Freshwater Fish
Man made fish cribs are definitely worthwhile to fish providing cover and shelter for juvenile panfish and baitfish, Most cribs are built Continue reading “Fish Structure Cover & Weeds”

Artificial reef adds fish habitat near Port Mansfield

Contractors in Port Mansfield have enlarged an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico.

The “Habitat for Today for Fish Tomorrow” project is a joint effort by the Coastal Conservation Association and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. More than 4,000 concrete culvert pipes augmented previously submerged concrete box culverts and an old boat that was sunk in 2010.

The goal was to create a sea floor with nooks and crannies that attract fish. The man-made reef, less than 8 miles from the jetties at the land cut on South Padre Island, now provides more than five times its previous habitat for structure-loving fish such as red snapper—good news for sport fishing enthusiasts and the guides in the area.

“CCA Texas contributed $50,000 toward the total cost of about $537,000 to expand the existing reef, which already had an old tug boat and about 800 culverts,” CCA’s John Blaha said. “We can’t give enough credit to our partners at TPWD and Alamo Concrete Products.”

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

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