StructureSpot

Leaser lake fish habitat in place and ready for water

Leaser Lake to begin refilling

 The dam at Leaser Lake in Lynn Township has undergone major upgrading after the lake was drained for repairs. Man made fish habitats dot the interior of the lake bed. (Douglas Kilpatrick, SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL / February 12, 2012)

Lehigh Valley anglers and boaters received very welcome news late last week when the state Department of Environmental Protection gave the final approval to begin refilling Leaser Lake in northwestern Lehigh County.

According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the refilling process will begin in mid-December, and the 117-acre lake will be stocked with trout in time for the regional opening day of trout season on Saturday, March 30, 2013. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

“This is great news for all the anglers, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts who use the lake and have been waiting patiently for the project to be completed,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “Rebuilding a dam is a big project which requires cooperation between state agencies, local officials and the public.”

Leaser Lake, originally constructed with a dam in 1971, has now been rebuilt three times because of leakage issues. This latest repair had the lake drawn down in 2009 for the repair project, which included the addition of man-made and natural fish habitat structures to help the new population of fish that will be stocked in the lake.



“The long-term plan is to stock the lake with fingerlings from various warm-water species, like bass, crappie, blue gills and yellow perch, and allow those fish to grow over the next several years into a sustainable fishery,” said Dave Miko, the chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management.

“The short-term plan is to stock adult trout in the lake this spring so anglers can get back on the water and enjoy their sport. As long as the lake is about half-full, and anglers can safely access the water, we’ll stock trout for the opener

Refilling the lake, which sits on approximately 526 acres of public land owned by the state and Lehigh County, will take some time. Rainfall will help fill the lake, but levels will also be determined by PFBC engineers, who plan on raising the water level two feet per week while monitoring the dam for any problems until it is full.

The $3.5-million repair project included a $500,000 contribution from Lehigh County, while the Leaser LakeHeritage Foundation raised funds to help pay for the fish habitat structures in conjunction with PFBC work.

Also contributing to the price tag were grants for $750,000 from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnerships, $500,000 from DEP, and $300,000 form PFBC’s Growing Greener II program.

In addition to the lake itself, local Boy Scout troops and school districts helped formalize a trail system around the lake, which is on the south side of the Blue Mountain.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe will appear on Pennsylvania Cable Network’s live “PCN Call-In” program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15. Viewers of the hour-long program can call in questions to PCN toll-free at 1-877-726-5001.

PFBC asks for your help: The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is extremely concerned about the politics being played with the federal budget in Congress.

If a federal budget is not passed before the end of the year, money due from the Sport Fish Restoration Program and the Boating Safety Trust Fund — collectively called the Trust Funds — would be withheld and the Trust Fund would incur a 7.6 percent cut, approximately $43 million to all state fish and wildlife agencies in 2013

“The projected financial impact of losing 7.6 percent of Pennsylvania’s portion of the Trust Funds in 2013 — $859,000 — means that we will have to reduce services to Pennsylvania anglers and boaters,” said Arway, the PFBC executive director.

“However, I believe the greater violation is the breach of trust between the anglers, boaters and businesses [that] pay the tax and the federal government which plans to withhold the funds from the states.”



Congress passed the Budget Control Act in 2011 that mandated automatic spending cuts to reduce the deficit, and unless a budget agreement is reached, those cuts will go into effect Jan. 2, 2013.

The money allocated to the Trust Funds comes directly from excise tax dollars levied on fishing tackle, equipment and motorboat fuels, not funds collected from income tax.

“The Trust Funds are the lifeblood of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s day-to-day efforts to restore and manage fisheries and their habitats; open and maintain recreational access for all; and keep the public safe by providing boating safety education,” said PFBC Deputy for Administration Brian Barner.

“If budget sequestration takes effect, our agency will have to make tough decisions now and down the road. Potentially, we may have to reduce services like fish stocking, access area maintenance, boating education and safety, and other programs which Pennsylvania’s anglers and boaters care about deeply.”

The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1985 provided that excise tax revenue going to the Trust Fund would be exempt from budget sequestrations, but a loophole exists because the Act did not specific that money from the Trust Funds was exempt from sequestration withholding.

The PFBC is asking concerned anglers, boaters and outdoors lovers to ask members of the U.S House of Representatives and U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Patrick Toomey to exempt the Sport Fish Restoration Program and Boating Safety Trust Fund and keep the trust with America’s sportsmen and women. To contact your U.S. Senator or Congressman, contact the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or visithttp://www.house.gov or http://www.senate.gov.Gary BlockusGary Blockus

Wisconsin’s Vilas County “Lake Leaders” enhance lake stewardship getting attention

Photo Caption: Oneida and Vilas County graduates of Crew 9 of the Lake Leaders Institute at Aldo Leopold’s Shack.  From left to right are Quita Sheehan, Dave Blunk, Kathy Noel, Laura Herman, Dennis Burg, Carol Warden, and Steve Budnik.Photo Caption: Oneida and Vilas County graduates of Crew 9 of the Lake Leaders Institute at Aldo Leopold’s Shack. From left to right are Quita Sheehan, Dave Blunk, Kathy Noel, Laura Herman, Dennis Burg, Carol Warden, and Steve Budnik.

Oneida, Vilas County residents recognized as Lake Leaders

Seven Oneida and Vilas County residents recently graduated from the Wisconsin Lake Leaders Institute.  The Lake Leaders Institute is a statewide leadership program aimed at helping lake stewards gain a better understanding of lake ecology and how to work with state and local governments to assure lakes get the attention they need.  Through a combination of reading, classroom activities, and field experiences, participants learned about lake management, local and state government, and leadership skills.
The Wisconsin Lake Leaders Institute draws participants from across the state to take part in a series of three two-day seminars.   Participants demonstrate a commitment to protecting the integrity of the lakes in Wisconsin with an investment of their time and a $300 tuition fee.   Carol Warden, one of the recent graduates, reflects their passion “I’ve found nothing on earth more calming, life-giving, satisfying, and exhilarating than time spent on a lake.  And therefore, I can find nothing more on earth that I want to work harder to protect and keep than our lakes.” 
Local members participating as part of “Crew 9” Lake Leaders include Dave Blunk of Squaw Lake in Vilas and Oneida counties; Steven Budnik of the Turtle Lakes Chain in Winchester; Dennis Burg of the Eagle River Chain of Lakes; Laura Herman, Statewide Citizen Lake Monitoring network Coordinator with UWEX; Katherine Noel from Indian Lake in Oneida County; Quita Sheehan, Vilas County Conservation Specialist; and Carol Warden, Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist with the UW Center for Limnology at Trout Lake Station.  The graduation ceremony took place at the Aldo Leopold Shack near Baraboo, a fitting setting for celebrating the lake leaders accomplishments and looking ahead to their conservation journeys in the world of lakes.
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“This is the most complete lake ecology course I’ve ever been involved in,” commented Dave Blunk.  Professional lake workers agreed.  “I have worked with lake issues for years and I still learned so much from the Lake Leaders Institute.  The sessions covered topics ranging from leadership, values, and environmental ethics to lake ecology and human impacts to lake advocacy and citizen involvement.  It was an “A to Z” lake learning experience,” said Laura Herman.
All this passion and commitment benefits Wisconsin taxpayers and lake users.  “With over 15,000 lakes statewide and a modest number of state staff in service to protect them, it is clear that no one state agency or unit of government can independently provide the attention that each lake deserves” explained Patrick Goggin, UW-Extension Lake Specialist.  “This leadership program provides local lake leaders with effective tools and resources to assist them as they volunteer their skills and talents to the stewardship of our lakes”.
The Wisconsin Lakes Partnership is a team made up of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the citizen advocacy organization Wisconsin Lakes.  Together they recognized the need for new and on-going leadership in the management of our lakes and created the Wisconsin Lake Leaders Institute in 1996.  The mission of the Institute is to assist citizen lake leaders or “crew members,” in developing and enhancing both their technical and people skills, ultimately enriching their communities and the waters within them.  Since its inception, 200+ participants have graduated from the Institute and have made significant contributions in addressing a host of diverse water management challenges. The program has received national attention as an effective strategy to enhance lake stewardship and protection. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com
For more information about the Lakes Leadership program contact Quita Sheehan at (715) 479-3646  mashee@co.vilas.wi.us , UW-Extension Lakes staff at (715)-346-2116,  uwexlakes@uwsp.edu  or visit their website  http://www4.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/lakeleaders/ .

Clear Lake minnow petitioned to be added to endangered species list due to lost habitat

Clear Lake hitch focus of state, federal Endangered Species Act applications

040212clearlakehitch
Clear Lake hitch during the April 2011 migration. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – One of Clear Lake’s natives species is the focus of new state and federal Endangered Species Act applications submitted on Tuesday.

Estimating that the Clear Lake hitch’s numbers have plummeted from millions to, more recently, a few thousand, the Center for Biological Diversity on Tuesday petitioned to protect the hitch – a large minnow found only in Clear Lake and its tributaries – under both the federal Endangered Species Act and the state’s Endangered Species Act.

The fish, once a staple food for the region’s Pomo tribes, has been tracked closely in recent years by local tribes and the Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch. As the fish’s habitat has dramatically changed their numbers have seen a precipitous decline. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

The Clear Lake hitch has long been an important part of the lake’s natural and cultural heritage of Clear Lake but, if it’s to survive for future generations, Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity said the fish needs to be put on the pathway to recovery, which means it needs to be protected and have its habitat restored.

Miller said the center has been looking at the hitch for about five years.

There is precedent for the disappearance of a local fish species – Miller pointed out that the Clear Lake hitch’s closest relative, the Clear Lake splittail, became extinct in the 1970s through habitat alterations that dried out spawning streams and barriers that prevented fish migration.

“Fisheries and biologists have been warning about the Clear Lake hitch going the same way,” he said. The fish also has been on a California Department of Fish and Game watch list for decades.

Over the last couple of years, with the continuing decline in spawning runs and the dropping number of fish, Miller said the group decided to act and give the fish “a fighting chance.”

The Center for Biological Diversity’s petition proposes recovery measures for hitch, such as removing or retrofitting barriers to fish migration, improving instream water flows, restoring fish to former spawning streams and reducing predation by invasive fish near the mouths of spawning streams.

The center also is proposing that the hitch be reintroduced into Blue Lakes after it’s determined what caused the fish population there to die. He said so far he’s not aware of studies being done on the previous Blue Lakes hitch population.

“I think it’s necessary,” said Paula Britton, environmental director of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, of the proposed Endangered Species listing.

Britton’s work for the tribe includes study of the hitch. One of their projects includes tagging the fish,  – she said they’re still tabulating results from last year’s tagging work – and they hope to initiate habitat surveys.

At Big Valley Rancheria, Environmental Director Sarah Ryan said the tribe has given input on the application, and has provided Miller and the Center for Biological Diversity information over the past few years, as has the Chi Council.

“I think it’s probably a positive step because the hitch are declining pretty badly at this point,” she said.

Peter Windrem, president of the Chi Council, said the group was unaware that the Center for Biological Diversity was planning to file the petitions for protection.

He said the group was meeting Wednesday afternoon, and he deferred further comment until he had a chance to discuss the matter with the rest of the council.

Tom Smythe, an engineer with Lake County Water Resources who also sits on the Chi Council, said the petitions weren’t a complete surprise. “There’s been discussion of this for a couple of years.”

He said there are pluses and minuses to a potential Endangered Species listing for the Clear Lake hitch.

On the plus side, it could provide funding for habitat restoration for the hitch, which isn’t a game fish and so doesn’t have much of that funding available. Miller also believes projects like the Middle Creek restoration would likely gain funding as a result of the listing.

Among the minuses, said Smythe, is the potential for the permitting process to become much worse, “even if you’re trying to help the habitat.”

Theoretically, the listing shouldn’t add complications to the Middle Creek restoration project, although there is the possibility, Smythe said, adding that a listing would potentially affect any project that impacts local streams.

Miller said that any projects under way currently, whether beneficial or harmful, would likely be unaffected due to the time it will take for a listing decision to be made.

He said restoration projects, scientific monitoring and tribal harvests of fish “are usually permitted within the framework of listings” as long as there is a conservation component to them.
Changes in habitat threaten fish

“The Clear Lake basin and its tributaries have been dramatically altered by urban development and agriculture,” the Center for Biological Diversity states in its petitions. “Much of the former stream and wetlands habitat suitable for hitch has been destroyed or degraded, and barriers that impede hitch migration have been built in many streams which formerly had spawning.”

The petitions continue, “Hitch can no longer reach the majority of former spawning areas, and are forced to spawn opportunistically in ditches and wet meadows during high flows. In recent years, hitch have been able to spawn in significant numbers in only two streams, Kelsey Creek and Adobe Creek, both located in the Big Valley drainage.”

The hitch spawn has become “sensitive to very localized events,” and, as such, “a toxic spill or water use issues of limited size could results in spawn failure for the entire population,” according to the petitions.

The petitions found no local ordinances or regulations to protect the fish.

While the 2008 Lake County General Plan’s goals and policies seek to ensure the protection of sensitive species, limit encroachment into sensitive habitats and protect riparian corridors, the petitions suggested it didn’t go far enough.

The center said the general plan “only superficially mentions the Clear Lake hitch as a state species of concern. The plan contain goals and policies aimed at protecting water quality and biological resources, but some of the policies are couched in qualifiers such as ‘should’ or ‘shall consider’ and ‘whenever possible.’”

Historically, the hitch spawned in all of Clear Lake’s tributaries. Now, however, due to a variety of impacts – changes in creek habitat, migration barriers, water pumping, in-channel mining, pollution and predation by non-native fish – they’re found spawning only in Kelsey and Adobe creeks.

The Endangered Species Act petitions also raise another future concern. “Increased drought and rapid climate change due to global warming will likely accelerate this trend, causing further spawning failures.”

In the last spring hitch run, Ryan said they found that while the hitch were spawning, there was not enough water in the creeks, such as Adobe Creek, for them to make it back to Clear Lake.

Ryan said that an Endangered Species listing could lead to changed water usage in the creeks, making sure that the fish have the water they need.

“The intent is not to stop projects and not to stop progress and things that are already being planned,” said Ryan, pointing to the Endangered Species Act’s goal of preserving heritage species populations.

If there are actions or activities that are affecting hitch being able to survive and thrive, Ryan said they will have to be modified in conjunction with the act.

Smythe said he’s noted a decline in hitch populations over the past 25 years.

During the spring spawn in 2011, which was a wet year, Smythe said the hitch were seen in streams where their presence hadn’t been noted in years.

However, this year, with late rain – and less rain overall – the hitch were harder to find, he said.

“We don’t really have good data this year because it’s hard to see them in a muddy stream,” Smythe said, adding that, overall, the hitch spawn “looked pretty poor.”

The Endangered Species listing process “takes a lot longer than it should,” said Miller.

There will be a 90 day finding, but Miller said that step rarely is as quick as three months. After that, there is a yearlong status review that’s similar in both the state and federal process.

During the status review, Miller said the government will collect information from stakeholders, hold public hearings and take public comment, followed by a Federal Register notice if the listing is granted.

“Optimistically, you’re looking at a couple of years,” Miller said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com .

ELIZABETH LARSON

Nature’s water purifiers help clean up lakes

Nature’s water purifiers help clean up lakes(Copyright: Floating Islands International)

More and more of our waterways are being starved of life through pollution. One simple, yet improbable, solution? Cover rafts in plants.

The solution was as simple as it was improbable: cover rafts with plants, and set them afloat in the lake. Within a year-and-a-half, the algal blooms were gone. Water clarity improved. Oxygen levels rose. Today, the lake is home to a thriving community of fish, including black crappieyellow perchand Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

The story of Fish Fry Lake demonstrates the power of mimicking wetlands to clean up dirty waterways. Wetlands are sometimes called nature’s own water purifiers: as dirty water moves through a sprawling marsh, the bacteria that cling to wetland plants, timber, rocks, and other debris consume and process some common water pollutants. Other contaminants get trapped in the mud and muck. As result of these and other processes, the water that eventually flows out of a wetland is much cleaner than the stream that came trickling in.  Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

By creating floating treatment wetlands out of small, human-engineered rafts of vegetation, researchers and entrepreneurs hope to provide these same ecological services to small, polluted bodies of water that may be far from a natural marsh. “BioHaven floating islands are concentrated wetland systems that are essentially biomimicking nature’s wetland effect,” says Bruce Kania, the founder and research director of Floating Island International, the company behind the Fish Fry Lake rafts.

Cleansing power

To construct a BioHaven island, the company starts with layers of mesh made from recycled plastic. They assemble this mesh into a floating raft – which can be as small as a home aquarium or nearly as large as a football field – and top it with soil and plants. They launch the island into a lake, pond, stream, or lagoon, anchoring it in place. Over time, the plants’ roots grow into and through the raft’s porous matrix, descending into the water below. At the same time, bacteria colonise the island, assembling into sticky, slimy sheets called biofilm that coat the floating matrix and the suspended plant roots.

This bacterial biofilm is the secret to a floating island’s cleansing power. Overgrowth of algae from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution can cause several problems, preventing sunlight from reaching subaquatic plants and starving a body of water of the oxygen needed to sustain fish populations and other animal life. A dead zone, like the one is Fish Fry Lake, is often the ultimate result. The biofilm bacteria consume nitrogen and phosphorous, however, and as polluted water flows through and around a floating island, the bacteria converts these contaminants into less harmful substances. Though the bacteria do the brunt of the work, the plant roots suspended from the floating island also play their part, absorbing some of the nitrogen and phosphorous through their roots.

In Fish Fry Lake, for instance, Floating Island International deployed several islands, which together covered almost 2% of the lake’s 6.5-acre (2.6-hectare) surface area. Over the course of four years, the islands helped reduce nitrogen concentrations by 95% and phosphorus concentrations by nearly 40%. Today, levels of dissolved oxygen are sixty times what they once were.

Clearer, cleaner, healthier

The system also mechanically filters out other pollutants, like metals and particulates. “The sticky biofilm essentially keeps the water clear because all the suspended solids tend to bond to it,” says Kania. Floating Island International, which has deployed more than 4,400 of their artificial wetland systems worldwide, has documented this effect in multiple case studies. For example, the concentrations of suspended solids, copper, lead, zinc, and oil and grease fell dramatically after a floating island was installed in a stormwater pond in Montana. Controlled laboratory studies and research by scientists not affiliated with the company have also  foundthat floating treatment wetlands can reduce the levels of many common water pollutants.

Some scientists are now exploring how to optimise the design of floating islands – probing, for instance, which plants do the best job of removing pollutants. Gary Burtle, an aquaculture specialist at the University of Georgia, thinks we can get even more out of these artificial wetlands by seeding the rafts with plants that are of commercial value, such as lettuces and herbs. Burtle is screening a number of potential plant candidates – if he finds one that grows well on a floating island, we may soon see constructed wetland systems that “give us a little bit more return”, he says, producing saleable crops while purifying the water.

Meanwhile, the removal of contaminants not only improves the water itself, but also helps to foster a healthier ecosystem. Clearer water allows light to penetrate deeper, encouraging the growth of various aquatic plants, which produce oxygen and become part of the food chain, supporting larger populations of fish and other animals. “You end up with a waterway that can be abundant,” Kania says, “that can be verdant even at depth.” The organic debris that attaches itself to the underside of a floating island also becomes a source of food for fish and other aquatic organisms, and the island itself provides new habitat for birds.

“The concept of how to get back to a healthy waterway,” Kania says, “is very simple: nature’s wetland effect.” All we have to do is simulate it.

By: Emily Anthes bbc.com

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More money for the fish and wildlife over 11 projects

Restoration Effort Moving Forward on 11 Projects as Part of
$3.7 Million Nyanza Natural Resource Damages Settlement

BOSTON – State and federal environmental officials announced today that 11 projects benefitting the wildlife, people and landscape of the Sudbury River Watershed will be funded by the $3.7 million settlement reached in 1998 by parties for natural resources harmed by mercury and other contaminants from the Nyanza Chemical Superfund site in Ashland, Mass.

The funds are allocated as part of the final restoration plan and environmental assessment for the Sudbury River Watershed. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

“Together, these projects will restore, replace, or acquire harmed natural resources and natural resource services,” said Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan. “Undoing the damage done to this area has been a hard-fought legal battle, but the residents will soon bear witness that the work going forward is more about restoration and less about litigation.”

The projects will restore migratory and cold water fish habitat; protect land to conserve wildlife habitat; create public access to the river in Ashland and Sudbury; create a nature preserve in Framingham and Ashland; and control invasive aquatic weeds to improve recreation and wildlife habitats and diversity.

“In terms of wildlife, public access and recreational amenities, this is welcome news for residents and everyone in the Commonwealth, but it further restores environmental habitat that is essential to wildlife and bringing vitality back to the region,” said Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Kenneth Kimmell.

The Nyanza Natural Resource Damages Trustee Council – comprised of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, represented by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – worked with citizen, community and environmental groups, local and regional officials, and state and federal agencies to identify restoration project ideas. The final plan also incorporates public comments on an earlier draft.

“The Nyanza natural resource settlement will support projects with wide-ranging benefits to wildlife, including healthier wetlands for waterfowl, enhanced streams for brook trout, and restored habitat for songbirds not only in the Sudbury River watershed, but also in their Belize wintering grounds,” said Service Regional Director Wendi Weber. “In addition, several projects will improve access to the river for exploring the Service’s popular Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.”

“NOAA is delighted that these projects will have a positive impact on the important wetland and river habitat in the Sudbury River Watershed,” said NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Administrator John Bullard. “Restoring access to upstream habitat will help to improve fish populations, including river herring, American eel, and American shad.”

Restoration projects will:

  • Improve wetlands and river habitat through the control of aquatic weeds in the main-stem of the Sudbury River;
  • Restore coldwater fish habitat through riparian channel and stream-bank improvements;
  • Assess migratory fish passage in the Concord River that will provide access to habitat in the Concord, Assabet and Sudbury rivers;
  • Promote future river conservation through education and the Sudbury RiverSchools Program;
  • Restore riparian grasslands in the Greenways North Field in Wayland;
  • Benefit migratory songbirds through the restoration and protection of the Sudbury River habitat and their overwintering habitat in Belize;
  • Transform the Stearns and Brackett reservoirs in Ashland and Framingham into a wildlife preserve that will protect and enhance ecological values and create appropriate public access and recreation;
  • Conserve habitat by the acquisition of land along the Sudbury River;
  • Increase public access to the Sudbury River by the addition of canoe and car-top boat access sites on Aikens Road in Southborough and by having canoes/kayaks for visitor use at the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Sudbury; and
  • Improve trails and pathways at the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Sudbury to increase accessibility for visitors.

The trustees will use a range of administrative mechanisms to implement approved restoration projects, including competitive procurement through Requests for Responses, intergovernmental agreements, directed grants such as Cooperative Agreements, and use of existing statewide or nationwide contracts.

In 1998, the Nyanza Trustee Council recovered approximately $3 million in damages from the Nyanza chemical company as compensation for natural resources injured, destroyed, or lost by the release of hazardous substances and materials at the site. Since that time, interest earned on the settlement funds has increased the total amount of funding available for restoration activities to approximately $3.7 million.

A copy of the Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment will be available at the Ashland Public Library, 66 Front Street, Ashland, and online at:http://www.mass.gov/dep/cleanup/sites/nrd/nrdny.htm

The Nyanza NRD Trustee Council representatives are: Rose Knox and Karen I. Pelto – MassDEP; Molly B. Sperduto – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Eric W. Hutchins – NOAA Restoration Center.


MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills, and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.


Artificial reefs to boost fish supply

ARTIFICIAL reefs are to be built in local waters to boost fish supplies which have been depleted by over-fishing, pollution, dredging and dumping.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Department yesterday announced it was investigating sites for the reefs and had received $1.6 million from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club to start the project.
Reefs provide nursing and feeding grounds for all sorts of marine life including larger fish sold in local markets.
Fisheries officer David Cook said it was hoped local stocks would be boosted and the diversity of marine life in Hong Kong would increase with the reefs.
”We see that there’s a need to provide some level of redress for the perceived damage that’s occurring to the marine environment,” he said.
Fishermen and environmentalists have stepped up campaigns in the past year to call attention to the destruction caused by dredging and dumping for the airport projects. Silt is stirred up that can smother corals and drive away fish.
But overfishing is also a concern and Mr Cook said fishing around the reefs would be restricted.
He said fishermen in Malaysia and Thailand had abided by fishing restrictions around artificial reefs in their waters because they increased fish production by up to 400 times in some cases.
It was impossible to say how much impact the scheme would have on Hong Kong fisheries as this would be proportional to the scale of the project, he said.
But fish stocks are expected to increase when the first reefs are set up in soon-to-be-established marine parks where legislation already restricts fishing, he said. The first park is expected to be declared later this year, probably in the eastern waters.
But the declaration of the parks is likely to be slow and cover only a limited area, and any large-scale setting up of artificial reefs will require about $65 million.
The Jockey Club’s $1.6 million contribution will be used towards setting set up the first few reefs and determine the best reef sites.
The programme is separate from trials being carried out on an artificial reef made from coal ash in Hoi Ha Wan, which is still underway. Until results are available on its safety, the reefs will be made from more expensive reinforced concrete.
It is also hoped to use sunken ships, possibly some of the hundreds of vessels destroyed by the Marine Department each year, as these can provide the solid surface and nooks and crannies needed for a successful reef.
Hong Kong’s natural coral reefs are in the eastern waters and many have been damaged by dredging and pollution and by a mysterious water current last month that killed everything in a 40-square-kilometre area.
Most of the rest of the sea bottom is flat and soft, and the reefs will provide a place for marine organisms to grow, providing food for larger animals.By KATHY GRIFFIN
Mr Cook said. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Habitat restoration bill passes

 
  • The process of restoring coho salmon habitat may get a bit easier for local landowners willing to undertake voluntary projects along Siskiyou County streams and rivers.
  • By John Bowman Yreka, CA
 
  • The process of restoring coho salmon habitat may get a bit easier for local landowners willing to undertake voluntary projects along Siskiyou County streams and rivers with the California legislature’s passage of Assembly Bill 1961, introduced by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D–San Rafael). Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.comThe bill passed its final legislative hurdle on Aug. 27 with its approval by the California Assembly and now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature. First introduced in February, AB 1961 would expedite the approval process for voluntary habitat restoration projects by implementing a 30-day approval process and eliminating many of the usual regulatory hurdles for such in-stream projects.

    “Coho salmon cannot afford to wait and neither can the communities where these restoration projects would provide much needed jobs,” said Huffman. “This bill lets us work together in a new way so that immediate actions can yield near-term results.”

    Coho salmon generally have a three year life cycle. In 2010, the California Department of Fish and Game declared that two of the three brood years of Shasta River coho were functionally extinct, meaning there are no longer enough adults returning to the river in those years to sustain a viable population.

    According to the text of the bill, “An urgency exists due to the extraordinarily small numbers of coho salmon remaining in California. In order to prevent their extinction from northern California waters, it is imperative that habitat restoration efforts be expedited and increased as soon as possible.”

    Siskiyou County landowners and Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) have cumulatively implemented millions of dollars worth of habitat restoration projects since coho were listed as threatened by both California and the federal Endangered Species Act in 1997. State and federal agencies say much more work must be done to aid the recovery of the species, though many landowners and stakeholders have complained that the permitting and regulatory processes create too many roadblocks.

    AB 1961 directs state agencies to “expedite and streamline the permitting and approval of coho salmon habitat enhancement projects, including, in particular, large woody debris restoration projects, in northern California streams.”

    The three main categories of projects eligible for the expedited process are as follows:

    • Modification of existing water crossings for the purposes of eliminating a barrier to fish passage;
    • Restoration of eroded or denuded streambanks by utilizing nonrock bioengineering practices and revegetating stream corridors with native riparian species; and
    • Wood placement that benefits naturally reproducing fish stocks by creating or enhancing fish habitat, increasing stream complexity, or both.

    The bill stipulates, “Within 30 days after the [Department of Fish and Game] receives a written request to approve a coho salmon habitat enhancement project containing the information required pursuant to subdivision (c), the director shall determine whether the coho salmon habitat enhancement project is consistent with subdivision (a). If the director determines within that 30-day period, based upon substantial evidence, that the coho salmon enhancement project is consistent with subdivision (a), no further departmental approval shall be necessary.”

    Executive director of the Scott River Water Trust Sari Sommarstrom has worked on many local habitat restoration projects and said, “Expediting state permitting was one of the few issues that everyone could agree on at the legislative hearing on coho last year. I’m glad that some cooperative progress in Sacramento was finally made, but the bill’s provisions are pretty limited. More progress from the state is still needed for those of us trying to help coho.”

Blue Mountain Streams get Half Million in makeover

Rock work

Two local streams are getting a half million dollars in makeovers as a result of major construction at the Norfolk Southern rail/truck terminal and the turnpike’s Blue Mountain Interchange.The dam on Conococheague Creek behind Wilson College is coming out, and fish habitat structures are going in..

Middle Spring Creek is being stabilized at the site of a former hydro-electric dam off Stonewall Road in Southampton Township. The work began this week..

The goal of both projects is to reduce erosion, cool the streams and improve fish habitat. 

Franklin County Conservation District and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection are reviewing the plan at Wilson College. Work there should begin this fall..

“We had hoped to do it last year, but we had an unusually wet year,” said Eric Levis, spokesman for Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. “Our goal is to have it done by March 1.”.

Approvals are expected within a couple of weeks, he said. Construction will take four to six weeks. Work is not allowed in the warm water fishery between March 1 and June 15, when Conococheague is stocked for trout season. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Norfolk Southern is paying $294,600 for the work. The project in the Borough of Chambersburg and Greene Township is off-site mitigation for construction of a $95 million regional intermodal facility in Antrim Township at Interstate 81 Exit 3. The rail/truck terminal is to be completed later this year..

The area behind the college is a popular fishing spot during Pennsylvania’s trout season. The 11-acre restoration project stretches two-thirds of a mile, from upstream of the railroad trestle to the south end of campus..

Rivers Unlimited of Boalsburg has submitted plans that call for:.

– Removing the small dam and railroad footer..

– Taking out excess sediment upstream of the dam..

– Converting the former mill pond below the dam to seasonally flooded wetlands..

– Filling a parallel channel downstream..

Installing devices built of rocks and logs, including 16 log deflectors, four j-hook vanes, three rock cross vanes, seven rock vanes and 13 rock habitat clusters..

– Maintaining the irrigation system to the college athletic fields..

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is paying for the Middle Spring Creek project, estimated to cost less than $100,000. The fish habitat and stream restoration is mitigation for the turnpike’s $32 million upgrade of the Blue Mountain Interchange in Lurgan Township. Reconstruction of the interchange includes a new bridge and relocating the ramps. A mile of the turnpike will be widened to three lanes. Work is about 60 percent done and on target to be completed by June 21, according to Russ Grubb with the engineering consultants Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson. The toll booth remains open..

The project had an unavoidable impact to the Laughlin Run watershed in Hopewell Township, Cumberland County, according to the plans. DEP required the Turnpike to mitigate 1,200 feet of Middle Spring Creek..

The preferred option is to avoid the impact, then to reduce it and finally to mitigate, on site if possible, according to Grubb. .

“Unfortunately we didn’t have the opportunity right on site,” he said. “You look at projects that help the environment. We have to get the biggest bang for the buck.”.

The turnpike returned to the site where it had spent more than $100,000 two years ago to remove a dam on Middle Spring Creek. That project was mitigation for straightening a curve on the highway, according to Andrew Lutz, environmental manager for the turnpike..

The dam once supplied electricity to Shippensburg, according to Southampton Township Supervisor Samuel Cressler..

The control station burned down in the 1920s, Lutz said. The former landowner Leora Shoop had posted the area because of the hazard of the dam. Middle Spring Creek on the border of Franklin and Cumberland counties has a reproducing population of trout..

Flyway Excavation Inc. of Lititz will be working in the stream throughout September, Lutz said. Improvements include several deflectors, boulders, a j-hook vane, cross rock vane and mud sill. More than 125 trees and 200 shrubs will be planted as a riparian buffer. The work is to be done before Christmas.By JIM HOOK

GreenView: Sierra Club applauds the new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Picture 0 for Sierra Club applauds the new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Updated GLWQA signed in Washington DC, September 7, 2012

By Mary Muter, Chair Sierra Club Canada Great Lakes Section

After 25 years the governments of Canada and the United States have finally come together on the terms of a new revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (online here) that better reflects the current conditions of the Great Lakes than the 1987 Agreement. This new Agreement has three new Annexes – Aquatic Invasive Species, Habitat and Species and Climate Change Impacts – that will be able to take advantage of the increased knowledge on these important issues. The question is: will there be funding and resources to address the new challenges facing the Great Lakes when existing Areas Of Concern like Toronto and Detroit continue to show little sign of improvement? Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Sierra Club applauds the governments’ commitment to prevent further loss of habitat and species that contribute to the protection of Great Lakes water quality. Those high quality coastal wetlands still intact on the Great Lakes would have to be at the top of the list needing protection. We have already lost 70% of coastal wetlands on Lakes Ontario and Erie due to pollution and/or development. Great Lakes wetlands are needed by about 80% of Great Lakes fish for spawning and or nursery habitat. If Great Lakes fish cannot find suitable spawning habitat they simply do not spawn. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has already identified declining Northern Pike and Musky populations due to 13 years of sustained low water levels and loss of wetland habitat on Lakes Huron and Georgian Bay. We will be watching to see if the development and implementation of lakewide habitat and species protection, restoration, and conservation strategies will be met in their two year stated objective. Another critical issue will be whether individual targets or goals can be established for each Great Lake that reflect background conditions.

Will there be enough resources to meet these lofty objectives? It is hard to believe these objectives can be met while the Government of Canada has eliminated hundreds of science positions including closing the Experimental Lakes Project – the research station where Dr. David Schindler’s internationally respected ground-breaking research to identify phosphorus as the leading cause of algal growth. Where would we be today without that critical knowledge?

We need strengthened legislation not the weakened sections of the Fisheries Act by the removal of fish habitat. This one action alone has left thousands of un-assessed coastal wetlands now vulnerable to encroachment or degradation due to development.

Sierra Club hopes the new Agreement will better protect and restore the Great Lakes. To accomplish that our governments in Canada and the United States will need to involve the public at a very high level to ensure accountability and progress. We have a very valuable bi-national resource in the Great Lakes; to protect and restore them we require the best possible public and government actions along with the required resources. Only then will the obligations under this Agreement be fulfilled.

Last chance to secure funds for fish habitat

Time is running out to apply for more than half a million dollars worth of grants for projects to enhance recreational fishing throughout NSW. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Conservation Manager, David Cordina, said applications for the NSW Government’s Habitat Action Grant program close at 5pm on Friday 28 September 2012.

“Habitat Action Grant program grants of up to $40,000 are available for individuals or groups interested in rehabilitating fish habitat,” he said.

“These grants are open to fishing clubs, Landcare, Rivercare and other community groups, individuals, local councils and Catchment Management Authorities wanting to improve habitat for recreational fish in their local area.

“This program supports local communities in protecting good habitat, and rehabilitating degraded habitat for more productive recreational fisheries.”

Mr Cordina said projects that will be considered include bank stabilisation works, removal of barriers to fish passage, rehabilitation of riparian lands, re-snagging waterways, weed control works and reinstatement of natural flow regimes.

“Applications must relate to the improvement of fish habitat that provides direct benefit to recreational fishing,” Mr Cordina said.

“Projects that involve recreational fishers will be given preference.

“Previous community projects have provided fantastic outcomes for our native fish and are great examples of how recreational fishing fees are helping to support recreational fishing and boosting fish numbers, naturally.”

“So hurry, you have only weeks left to apply.”

The Habitat Action Grant program is funded from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts and is administered by DPI.

For more information about the program, examples of past Habitat Action Grant projects and application forms visit the DPI Habitat Action Grants web page, or call (02) 6881 1277 or (02) 4916 3817.

Media contact: Tom Braz 02 6391 3686 or 0428 256 596

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