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Growing plants and installing artificial fish habitat to grow more fish in reservoirs

UNDERWATER RE-EVOLUTION

By Larry D. Hodge

A revolution is brewing among biologists managing freshwater fisheries in reservoirs. Or, put another way, a
re-evolution of fisheries management is taking root.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Rather than applying a top-down approach to fisheries management by stocking fish, biologists are going bottom-up by stocking plants and putting in fish attractors to create habitat, sort of an “if we build it, they will come” approach. The movement to improve fish habitat in reservoirs falls on particularly fertile ground in Texas, where hundreds of constructed reservoirs dominate the landscape in a state that has only one natural lake of significant size but more inland water than any other state (except Alaska).

Dave Terre, chief of research and management for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division, is a leader in the nationwide movement to improve fish habitat in reservoirs.

“About four years ago people from state wildlife agencies across the United States had the idea of creating a habitat partnership focused on reservoirs,” he explains. “That movement became the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership (RFHP). The goal is to improve fish habitat in reservoir systems, including the river above and the tailrace below, recognizing that you can’t always just do something in the reservoir and expect a positive change.”

Reservoirs are unnatural systems, often lacking in native aquatic plants. Damming a stream and flooding the terrestrial habitat around it creates a bizarre submerged waterscape of dead trees, brush, old roadbeds and whatever else was built on the land. Decaying vegetation releases nutrients into the water that jump-start the fishery and maintain it for a time, but reservoir fisheries typically decline over time as the flooded vegetation degrades. Stocking fish into this alien world creates a fishery, but one not likely to be sustainable or able to reach its full potential.

The importance of plants in reservoirs is difficult to overstate.

“The function of plants is to capture sunlight and turn it into food,” says Richard Ott, a fisheries biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Everything starts with aquatic plants. Some are food for fish directly, but more importantly, they are also food for insects and invertebrates that are eaten by small fish that are eaten by big fish and then by us. Plants provide cover for small fish to hide in and grow. They generate oxygen, buffer changes in pH, slow wave action and filter water.”

Plants do much more for reservoirs, their watersheds and the people who live there than just provide for the needs of fish.

“Tying down the shoreline and reservoir bottom with native vegetation reduces erosion and the amount of suspended sediment in the water,” TPWD fisheries biologist Mark Webb points out. “Because plants are taking nutrients out of the water, algal growth is reduced, which helps improve the quality of drinking water. Once well-established, native plants give a great amount of benefit for low cost.”

Native plants also help fight invasive nonnative species such as hydrilla.

“We try to fill a niche,” says Ott. “If you have a bare piece of ground and want to keep it that way, you have to be doing something all the time to kill stuff trying to fill that open niche. If we can fill that niche with native species, it makes it harder for exotic species to get established. Waterfront property owners may object to having any plants, but they should understand that plants outside a bulkhead area dissipate wave energy, which means they don’t have to replace expensive bulkheads as often. Once they see native plants as being a lesser evil than exotic species, they get on our side.”

Partnerships are key to the effort.

“Funding these projects is a huge problem for many states,” Terre observes. “The only way we can do that is through partners. We created a 501(c)3 corporation, Friends of Reservoirs, to be the financial arm of the RFHP. We are reaching out to organizations such as bass clubs, watershed groups, homeowners associations, individuals — anybody who is interested in improving fish habitat to benefit water quality, fish and the quality of life of the American people.”

Ott and Webb have been in the forefront of efforts to introduce native aquatic plants into Texas reservoirs, following the lead of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Michael Smart, head of the Lewisville Aquatic Eco­system Research Facility.

“When Dr. Smart suggested that we should stock native aquatic plants for the same reasons we stock fish, we wanted to kick ourselves for not having seen the obvious,” Ott smiles. “You have to ask yourself when you stock fish: Where will they live and what will they eat?

“There are aquatic plants native to Texas that will survive in reservoirs,” he continues. “These plants lived in wetland areas and backwaters of streams. But you can’t plant them just anywhere. In reservoirs you have to deal with fluctuations in water levels. Plants have to be matched to the water depth and clarity they need. They have to get sufficient sunlight to grow, but they can’t be planted so shallow they will be dry at the times they need to be growing.”

Using plants from Smart’s Lewisville facility, Webb and Ott experimented on seven Texas reservoirs that represent a cross-section of conditions across the state to develop a list of native Texas plants that will survive under a variety of conditions. They also experimented with techniques to aid survival of these plants under reservoir conditions different from those of natural lakes.

Like Smart, they decided that a founder-colony approach works best. Plants are raised in a nursery in plastic pots before being transplanted to a reservoir, where they are enclosed in a wire cage to prevent being eaten by turtles, fish or land-based herbivores. Over time the plants spread outside the cages.

After this first phase, biologist made plantings in Lake Bellwood, a former water-supply lake for the city of Tyler, to demonstrate what they had learned.

Stocking plants in reservoirs throughout Texas presents a tremendous challenge. The first hurdle to overcome is establishing a reliable and affordable supply of plants. Nursery facilities have been set up at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, at the Lake Waco wetlands and on San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) property at Lake Conroe. The latter furnishes the model for how the Friends of Reservoirs process is envisioned to work.

“The Seven Coves Bass Club on Lake Conroe has been one of our major partners,” Webb says. “Seven Coves members approached me to ask about stocking fish, and I steered them toward native vegetation. It was not a tough sell. They are really conservation-minded. I explained that the lake has good water quality, good nutrients and good spawning areas, but it did not have good habitat for small fish to hide in. Club members saw we had a huge increase in our bass production after we planted some shoreline vegetation, and they really got excited.”

Former Seven Coves President Ron Gunter recalls: “We got a grant through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation that let us create a native aquatic plant nursery at the SJRA Lake Conroe property. The SJRA donated the land. We purchased the construction materials and built raceways for the nursery and got plants from the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility. We put half the first shipment of plants in the lake and kept the second half for seed stock.”

Involvement with the project brought public exposure that helped increase Seven Coves membership from 17 people in 2005 to nearly 70 at present. Seven Coves Bass Club is now the first organization in the nation to be granted chapter membership in the Friends of Reservoirs.

“We intend to continue with the native plant restoration project in hopes we can sustain what we consider to be an excellent fishery in Lake Conroe,” Gunter says. “The payoff is knowing that we’ve done something that can make a change for future generations. We’re not looking for immediate dividends; we’re trying to make it possible for our children and grandchildren to enjoy Lake Conroe like we’ve been able to.”

Other projects carried out by the Seven Coves Bass Club include a grass carp removal tournament with the assistance of the Texas Bow Anglers Association, the installation of more than 700 cinder-block-and-bamboo fish attractors and the introduction of native plants along miles of shoreline.

The fish attractors and the plants are two sides of the same coin. “The spider blocks are the temporary habitat; the aquatic plants will be the permanent habitat,” Gunter says.

Funding projects through the Friends of Reservoirs allows local groups to raise money under the organization’s 501(c)3 umbrella, making it easier to attract corporate donors. All funds raised by a group are earmarked for the group’s projects and are not shared with anyone else, which helps maintain local control.

“The Friends of Reservoirs is a great deal in that regard,” says Gunter. “Check it out and then get out and beat the bushes for funds.”

It’s often said that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but with water, what happens in a watershed ends up in a reservoir. Friends of Reservoirs projects will coordinate programs targeting land management practices in watersheds to improve the quality and quantity of runoff into reservoirs.

“Re-establishing native vegetation in Lake Conroe will have some beneficial effect from the standpoint of water quality,” says SJRA Lake Conroe division manager Blake Kellum, “but primarily what we recognize is benefit to the ecology of the reservoir. We view ourselves as stewards of the reservoir and want to take a balanced approach to the management of that resource. We are trying to put as much effort into native plant restoration as we did trying to control invasive species on the front side.”

It’s a team effort. “Scaling up for big projects will require more equipment and labor,” says Ott. “That’s where volunteer groups can really help out. If a group wants to take on a project, we have the expertise and the plants. If they can provide the people, it becomes fairly simple. Historically, that’s how we’ve manipulated fish populations, by regulations directing harvest to the size fish we need to have removed. All along, anglers have been the ones pulling the plow while we walk along behind directing where the plow should go.”

The Friends of Reservoirs program makes it possible for everyone interested in a lake to help pull the plow. Anglers, boaters, area property and business owners, water utilities and consumers and anyone involved in water-based industries will benefit from improved water quality, control of invasive aquatic species and reduced maintenance and operation costs from lower rates of erosion and sedimentation.

“There are already lots of groups out there working with their fisheries biologists planting native vegetation or placing brush piles,” Terre says. “All of those could be a Friends of Reservoirs chapter. This is not a governmental organization, but rather partners from across the United States who are interested in improving fish habitat. Reservoir partnerships are the way all those people will connect to work with each other. I really believe we can make a difference.”

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See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

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DNR continues fish crib project on Cedar Lake

It’s a cold crisp Saturday morning in mid-January and the ice off the north boat landing on Cedar Lake is alive with the sounds of chain saws and Bobcats.

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Volunteers line up the lumber for a fish crib. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

It’s a cold crisp Saturday morning in mid-January and the ice off the north boat landing on Cedar Lake is alive with the sounds of chain saws and Bobcats.

On the horizon, shantytowns harbor diehard fishermen trying their luck through 16 inches of ice. However, the largest and loudest population on the ice this morning consists of volunteers from Star Prairie Fish & Game and the Cedar Lake Management District, along with concerned local anglers, who are working together with staff from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources constructing 45 new fish cribs.

John Bush, a volunteer from SPF&G, sits behind the wheel of a four wheeler waiting for a crew of his fellow volunteers to position one of the completed cribs on his sled. His job is to tow cribs to one of three staging areas located on the south end of the lake.

Wearing a fashionable blue hardhat and bright green safety vest, Barbara Scott with the DNR props herself up against several rods of rebar.

Surrounding her are numerous cribs in various stages of completion. They look like miniature log houses with no roofs stuffed full of brush and tree branches.

Scott explains part of the process; The logs are placed on top of each other leaving about an eight-inch gap between each layer.

“Once the logs are in place, we bend the tops of the rebar over to hold it all together,” Scott said. “Then we place branches in between the layers to create the fish habitat. After the cribs have been towed into place, we tie cinder blocks on top to prevent them from moving once they sink.”

The cribs will sit in place out on the ice until spring thaw. As the ice melts, the cribs slowly settle into place at the bottom of the lake.

Fish techs from the DNR were out on the lake in the fall determining the precise locations where the cribs would be located.

Daryl Berg, with a pipe in hand, is hard at work bending rebar. Besides being a self-appointed “log loader and brush builder,” Berg is a local fisherman who makes time to help with this project because he “cares about the fish habitat.”

Marty Engel is a biologist with the DNR’s Lower Chippewa and Central Wisconsin Fisheries Team. He operates out of the DNR office in Baldwin and this morning he’s in charge of making sure the cribs are correctly constructed and delivered to the correct locations. The plan is to sink up to 500 cribs throughout Cedar Lake over the course of the next 10 to 20 years.

“Cedar Lake is clear enough to grow weeds in the spring, but by around June 15th, the algae begins to come on strong. When the lights go out, the plants don’t grow,” Engel said. “By mid-July the weeds are starting to die back and by August they’ve all but died off. Cribs are one way to create alternate habitat in green lakes.”

Creating log cribs provides a place for fish to migrate to when the weeds die off. According to Engel, the center of the cribs provides cover for smaller fish like bluegills, perch and crappies, while the extended branches on the perimeter provide hunting areas for larger species like northern pike, walleyes and muskies.

“Once they go through the ice, fish will gravitate to them instantaneously,” he said.

The results of the project have been promising.

“There wasn’t a lot of good pan fishing on this lake 10 years ago,” Engel recalls, “But now you can tell the results just by seeing the number of ice shacks out on the lake and talking with the people.”

Ever wonder why all the shacks seem to congregate in just a few areas on the lake? Individual cribs are installed in “colonies” to mimic habitat like a weed bed.

By the end of the day, Cedar Lake will be home to numerous colonies consisting of 325 individual cribs. The fish, both predator and prey, move to where the colonies are. The fishermen follow the fish resulting in a landscape of shantytowns right on top of the cribs.

Marty reports that the DNR working in conjunction with several other volunteer groups, including students from Somerset High School, is starting crib construction initiatives on two other local lakes, Bass and Glen. In addition to the winter crib construction programs, the DNR will also be creating “near-shore” structure on Bass Lake once the water opens up by dragging 80 oak trees out into the lake so that the crowns of the trees rest in about eight feet of water.

By: By Tom Lindfors, New Richmond News

Medard Park reopens with fortified embankments, fish and fish habitat

 

By GEORGE WILKENS | The Tampa Tribune
Published: January 23, 2012
TURKEY CREEK –The water at Edward Medard Park and Reservoir is back – along with the fish, and the anglers.The 1,284-acre Hillsborough County park remained open nearly two years after the reservoir was drained to allow repairs to its crumbling shoreline. After sufficient accumulated rainfall, the 750-acre reservoir was reopened to boating and fishing on Dec. 31.See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

The lengthy period without fishing at the popular park adversely impacted attendance, said Kent Newcomb, the senior manager of the park south of Plant City and east of Valrico.

“These people want to go fishing,” Newcomb said. “A couple of years of no fishing is not what people want.

Now it’s time to get the word out: Anglers can cast a line again at Medard Park.

“It’s been stocked with bass bluegills, specs and catfish; we’re talking hundreds of thousands,” Newcomb said.

One change for anglers: The reservoir’s fish management plan allows catch-and-release fishing only, at least for now. Newcomb said he thinks the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may rescind that in a year or so, once the new fish population has stabilized.

Boat ramps, of course, have reopened. The daily launch fee is $5 per boat, and annual passes are available.

New at the park are canoe and kayak rentals, $25 for as much as four hours.

Additionally, the observation tower and boardwalk leading to it — popular vantage points for bird-watchers have been rebuilt — Newcomb said.

More than 30 years had passed since water of any magnitude had been drained from the enormous reservoir at the park off Turkey Creek Road. But deteriorating sandbags along the banks signaled it was time, and water levels began dropping after the dam was removed in November 2009.

Construction, begun in January 2010, was by a contractor for the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

“They just about drained it all the way out,” leaving only isolated pockets of shallow water, Newcomb said.

Then, 3,000 feet of concrete mats were strung across a berm to help form the shoreline. The rocks that previously lined the shoreline will become fish habitat — artificial reefs to help transform the manmade lake into a more natural habitat.

Keeping the shoreline intact ensures residents to the south will not get flooded if the berm breaches.

The project was intended to fortify reservoir embankments to protect against erosion and provide flood control, said Amy Harroun, a spokeswoman for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which owns the reservoir.

Medard Reservoir provides flood control, as well as groundwater recharge and recreational benefits, she said.

“The project was a success; construction was complete in June 2010, and then we waited for rainfall to raise the water level,” Harroun said.

The project provided additional benefits.

At the urging of state Sen. Ronda Storms, the tons of tilapia and catfish removed from the reservoir were filleted and distributed to America’s Second Harvest, which provided it to local food banks to feed the hungry.

Additionally, fisheries biologists from the University of Florida removed and tagged large bass, which were relocated to other Florida lakes.

Newcomb, who has managed the park for 20 years and lives onsite, is as happy as anyone to have the reservoir reopened, as it attracts more than those who want to fish or boat.

“The water reflects on everything else,” including attendance by campers and picnickers, Newcomb said.

After the reservoir was drained, the park saw a sharp drop in attendance, which normally is close to 500,000 visitors a year.

“It’s still not back to what we hope it will be,” Newcomb said. “(But) I’m sure it will come back.”

Edward Medard Park and Reservoir

WHERE: 6140 Turkey Creek Road, Plant City

HOURS: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (winter hours)

ADMISSION: $2 per vehicle (eight people or fewer)

BOAT RAMP: $5 per launch

CAMPING: 42 sites with electricity, $24 nightly; $18 for ages 55 and older

CANOE/KAYAK RENTAL: $25 for four hours

INFORMATION: (813) 757-3802

gwilkens@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7124

Michigan firm expanding with Fishiding Habitat products

This Michigan company has the help you need to manage your lake or pond. Get professional advice with proven results along with cost effective methods and products at Tri-county Aquatics.

Tri-County Aquatics, Inc. is a full service aquatic management company, specializing in superior waterway management programs. The friendly staff regularly controls nuisance aquatic vegetation, weeds, and algae in small backyard ponds, inland lakes, canals, marinas and other waterways. Tri-County Aquatics’ goal is to create a management program designed to control your specific aquatic need. With years of experience in the aquatics industry, These folks have the solution to your pond and lake needs.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Tri-County Aquatics, Inc. services include, but are not limited to:

  • Aquatic Vegetation Control
  • Aeration Systems (sales, service, and installations)
  • Floating Fountains (sales, service, and installations)
  • Water Quality Testing
  • Pond and Lake Consulting
  • Fish Stocking & Population Management
  • Equipment Sales
  • Pond & Lake Consulting

    Problems with your pond or lake? Contact Tri-County Aquatics and have one of their trained technicians meet with you to set up the best management program for your waterway. Whether you’re dealing with nuisance aquatic vegetation, high bacteria levels, or just looking for a beautiful floating fountain or some professional advice, we can help you with any of your aquatic needs.

  • Tri-County Aquatics, Inc. specializes in the control of nuisance aquatic vegetation in ponds, lakes, canals, marinas and many other waterways. 
  • Aquatic vegetation can inhibit the recreational uses of any waterway, and become very aesthetically unappealing.
  • Tri-County Aquatics, Inc. has years of experience in the aquatics industry. Controlling aquatic vegetation is our specialty. With hundreds of water bodies being managed by us annually, we have the experience, knowledge, and tried management techniques to solve your waterway problems.
  •  Full service water testing for bacteria levels, organics, and total water quality index. 
  • The products used to control nuisance aquatic vegetation, whether herbicides or algaecides, are all approved and labeled for aquatic use by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Agriculture. All waterway treatments and applications are performed by trained, state certified, and licensed applicators. We use specialized and waterway specific management techniques to manage your waterway in the most efficient and effective manner.

Leaser lake gets more fish habitat

Looking back on 2011, the most striking factor affecting the outdoors community in Berks County had to be the lopsided weather we had. Who remembers such a year from the past?See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Winter ice stretched almost into spring, then rain, rain rain. We were inundated in late August and September by a double-whammy – a hurricane and a tropical storm, followed by summer heat in autumn and a November deer season with days so warm you could hunt in camo t-shirts. For decades to come, weather-wise, 2011 may be the year to which we compare all others.

The saddest events were weather-related too. The flooding, Sept. 7, of Limestone Springs Trout Hatchery by Tropical Storm Lee washed thousands of trout into Upper Tulpehocken Creek which, in turn, were attacked by ill-behaving anglers who angered and frustrated landowners so much they have cut off future access to a once popular portion of the stream.

Flooding also caused an abbreviated pheasant hunting season in 2011. An estimated 35,000 pheasants died or were lost during the autumn floods at the state pheasant farms and the Pennsylvania Game Commission had to cancel late season pheasant stocking.

On the plus side, kids had much to celebrate in 2011. Fishing rodeos, youth hunts and mentored outings, the opening day of the trout fishing season and the annual Youth Field Day rank right up there as highlights.

Rick Heckman of Fleetwood was named 2011 Berks County Outdoor Sports Person of the Year for his volunteer leadership in the Berks Izaak Walton League and with the Federated Sportsman’s Club of Berks County.

The outdoors community made notable efforts to help feed the hungry in Berks last year. From canned goods collections by students to campaigns for frozen meat by Hunters Sharing the Harvest, Mohnton Fish and Game and Berks County Hunters Fighting Hunger much needed food was gathered and donated to the Greater Berks Food Bank and the Reading Salvation Army.

Finally, two area conservation and habitat improvement projects were highlights in 2011. An extraordinary riparian project along Willow Creek, north of Route 73, required many organizations working together to strengthen and repair the path of the beautiful winding stream.

And likewise, just north of the Berks County line near Kempton, the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation, working with private, public, state and national organizations have nearly completed rehabilitation of Leaser Lake, a popular Berks angler destination. The fish habitat improvements in the lake are among the most advanced in the state.

Last year at this time, anglers were fishing through the ice on area lakes during what was one of the longest ice fishing seasons in many years. Today, there is no sign of ice, an oddity which will likely make 2012’s outdoor highlight list.

Contact Roger Mallon: 610-371-5060 or sports@readingeagle.com.

Iowa…the place to find Efficient Pond Management and fish habitat

That’s right, Iowa…not the first place that comes to mind when we’re talking fishing. Usually it’s whitetail deer, farming and the like. Did you know that Iowa has tons of lakes, ponds and streams?

Fish of all species abound in the public and private waters throughout the state. When managing these waters, professionals like Ryan McCaw help achieve clients goals, be it  a small pond or large lake/waterway system. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Weed control is a major part of any lake or pond owner’s concerns. What about swimming, fish stocking and water clarity? Can I get a fountain or one of those aerator things? These guys have the skills to enhance your property in ways most of us can only imagine. We are proud to announce the newest addition to our network of dealerships.

Logo JPEG.jpg

Rooted in Iowa, LLC
Efficient POND Management

About Efficient Pond Management

Efficient Pond Management was founded in efforts to educate and assist pond owners in how to manage the valuable resource they have. Government agencies would come out if time permitted to consult and advise, but they could only do so much for the private pond owner. Mail order and internet companies are always more than happy to consult over the phone and sell their products, but most times it takes a professional on site to really get to the heart of the matter. Efficient Pond Management was designed to fill that void for you. We provide a live person on site to assess your pond to determine #1 what condition the pond is currently in with any problems diagnosed and #2 offer solutions that can correct those underlying problems. Our level of involvement is dictated by you, the pond owner, as we devise a plan that fits into your goals and budget.

We are proudly partnered with All Things Water out of Elkhart, IN. A company with over 11 years of experience in all facets of pond and lake management including large scale aquatic plant harvesting and dredging. We have the knowledge and resources to complete any job when it comes to lake and ponds and will provide you with our best efforts and results that will please you with a beautiful pond.

We also have a network of service professionals in related fields that may be very useful in your project. Heartland Habitat from Princeton, Illinois is one such company. They specialize in land management and food plots to enhance biodiversity increasing the beauty and attracting wildlife. Typically, stable and densely vegetated land surrounding a pond leads to a more stabile and healthy pond.

An active member of the Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society. The mission of MAPMS is to promote sound and appropriate technologies for the management of aquatic vegetation, provide opportunities for the educational advancement of its members and encourage relevant scientific research. Among others.

Please feel free to contact us at:
563-370-6608
ryan@efficientpondmanagement.com

Services:

  • Aeration
  • Aquatic Herbicides
  • Dredging
  • Enzyme Bio-augmentation
  • Fishery Management
  • Pond Assessments
  • Pond Repairs
  • Services Overview
  • Water Garden
  • Weed Harvesting

Efficient Pond Management was founded with the goal of assisting private pond owners in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois with on site personal service. We will work with you to achieve your goals and provide you with a well managed pond for you to enjoy for years to come.

Don’t assume that your pond is to big or too small for us to handle.
We have the equipment to fit your situation.
Pond Jumper Work Boat

Our network includes a close partnership with All Things Water who has over a decade of experience in all aspects of pond management and specialize in large scale aquatic plant harvesting and dredging using the Aquamog pictured on the right. This unique dredge can reach many areas not available to long reach excavators, removes solid material with very little water and only needs one access point to complete the work while leaving 99% of the shoreline untouched.
An active member of the Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society. The mission of MAPMS is to promote sound and appropriate technologies for the management of aquatic vegetation, provide opportunities for the educational advancement of its members and encourage relevant scientific research. Among others.

We also have a network of related businesses such as Heartland Habitat. Specializing in terrestrial land management that naturalizes an area to increase the beauty and draw in wildlife. This will make your pond even more attractive and stabilize the land surrounding the water. Dense plant growth around a pond absorbs nutrients before they even enter the water and reduces aquatic plant growth and algae blooms. Pictured below are examples of how their services tie in with ours.

Fishery Management

Ponds provide some of the best fishing opportunities but need to be maintained and managed to keep them at optimal operational level. Whether it is a new pond that needs fish introduced or a an older pond that needs evaluated and possibly adjusted, we can provide you with assistance.

Fish Habitat

A good fishery must have habitat contained within the water at various levels. The fish of North America overwhelmingly use various structures throughout their lifecycle from berth to death. Lack of structure seriously limits the ability of a body of water to produce quality fish. Young fry need a place to hide and grow so at least some have a chance to become adults to replace the aging portion of the population that will eventually die off naturally. This habitat also provides a place for the base of the food chain, the microphytes, to grow to feed the zooplankton which in turn is food for the forage fish and so on to the apex predator of that pond. So as the fish grows and matures, it will return to this structure repeatedly for foraging opportunities to grow large and strong.

We offer FisHiding fish structures. Use our special Code found on our site when ordering from the FisHiding website for our exclusive discount.
FisHiding

Fish Survey

We are permitted in the state of Iowa as Scientific Collectors which allows us to perform fish surveys on your pond to determine the overall health of the fish contained. With this knowledge we can create a plan to follow to manage the existing population to create the fishery you prefer.

Fish Stocking

We carry an aquaculture license in the state of Iowa to provide fish stocking services should that be necessary to rejuvenate an old pond or get a new pond up and running. We will tailor the mix of fish introduced to maximize your fishing enjoyment.

Nuisaance Species – Rotenone

We are licensed to apply Rotenone in Iowa to a pond should you find that an exotic or undesireable species has overrun your waters. This application will terminate all fish life in the pond removing the nuisance species and allow you to stock the pond again with desired native fish species for your enjoyment.

This should give you some idea of the types of services Ryan and his crew provide. Visit the website or contact Ryan with any questions you may have.

Iowa has been in the news for getting kids involved in the outdoors and fishing. Take a look at this story posted just a few days back:

https://structurespot.com/conservation/urban-areas-among-sites-for-new-habitats-some-lakes-get-keeper-trout-for-the-kids/

 

Healthy Streams for TN

Fish Habitat Restoration Initiative –

  
   

JOIN THE COUNCIL IN CREATING HEALTHY STREAMS FOR WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE

The Council’s Watershed Support Center takes challenges and turns them into opportunities for Tennessee rivers and streams and waterways and the wildlife and people who enjoy them.  Thanks to a grant from the Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund, we will continue and expand our watershed support work in Middle Tennessee.  A watershed is an area of land that drains into a specific body of water.  Our work includes:

~ Planting trees to reforest the stream banks and planting live stakes to stabilize the soil and help improve water quality.

~ Installing rain gardens.  Rain gardens add beauty to the landscape and reduce flooding by allowing storm water to be absorbed by the plants and infiltrated into the ground. 

~ Installing revetments (cedar timbers wrapped in coir mat) on to the eroded bank to prevent further deterioration of the stream bank. 

~ Fish habitat restoration initiatives in the streams

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

We schedule volunteer events each month. If you would like to join us on one of these projects visit our Events Calendar.  You may come and join our group.  We also encourage your business, youth group, or other organization to join us on one of our volunteer events.  We would be happy to schedule a special workday for your group.  Call us at 615-248-6500 or email tec(at symbol)tectn.org to schedule an outing.

Protecting the Biodiversity of Middle TN Streams
We are partnering with Harpeth River Watershed Association, municipal stormwater organizations and other non-profit organizations to complete our work and expand our reach.   The Fish Habitat Restoration initiative will take place in Middle TN including Sumner, Wilson, Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson, and Murray counties in the Duck River, Harpeth River, Stones River and Old Hickory Watershed.

National Geographic magazine recently named the Duck River in Tennessee one of the most biologically rich places in the world.  This is an important recognition bringing worldwide attention to one of our natural treasures in Tennessee, and it makes our Watershed Support work even more important.

The Duck River includes 151 different species of fish – more different types of fish than all of Europe.  The river is also home to over 50 types of mussels. The health of these amazing and diverse populations is indicative of the health of the ecosystem, and a thriving ecosystem means clean air, clean water and a healthy environment for communities.

The Harpeth River is 125 miles long with over 1,000 miles of tributaries.  The river passes through agricultural, forested and suburban areas of six counties in the greater Nashville region until it joins the Cumberland River. The Harpeth River watershed is  870 square miles.  The Harpeth is also one of the unique freshwater river systems of the Southeast which contains a greater variety of aquatic life than anywhere else in the world.

Sediment is the most common pollutant in rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and all Middle Tennessee streams and watersheds are impacted by this problem.

A Healthy Fish Habitat Means Health Drinking Water and Food Supply for People  
Urbanization and agriculture are causing degradation of fish and wildlife habitat in middle Tennessee. Our region continues attracting people and businesses who develop areas previously used for wildlife or farming. The most valuable of this habitat for fish is located in stream side areas that protect water quality and fish habitat from sediment and habitat destruction.

Roof tops and parking lots preclude the land from absorbing precipitation, and leads to increasing flooding and decreasing summertime flows by limiting groundwater recharge. Urban stormwater moves more quickly than normal because of smoother surfaces and less vegetation to capture and slow down the rain run off. This runoff also carries more trash, debris and pollutants and has a higher temperature. These traits contribute significantly to the degradation of fish and wildlife habitat in streams.  A healthy stream contributes to the health of the community through cleaner drinking water, increased biodiversity, improved recreational opportunities and more.

Success Stories
In 2009, the Duck River Opportunities Project received the Tennessee Governors Environmental Stewardship award, because of work to protect this most valuable natural resource.  Click here for more information.  In 2011 we carried out 9 volunteer restoration events, planting over 1,000 trees and stabilizing close to 1,000 feet of creek bank, reducing sedimentation, the leading cause of water pollution.

The Council also works in conjunction with Friends of Henry Horton State Park to educate 5th grade students about the Duck River Watershed training them to be stewards of the river.  Click here for more information.

The Fish Habitat Restoration Initiative is made possible through your generous donations to the Council and by a grant from the Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund and another grant from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the U.S. EPA.

MAKE A DONATION TODAY TO SUPPORT OUR WORK.  CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

Pictured Above:
1.  5th Grade Students from Chapel Hill Elementary plant trees as part of a watershed education project sponsored by Friends of Henry Horton State Park and presented by The Council.
2.  Kevin Burke inspects revetments designed to protect the stream bank and encourage re-vegetation and prevent further erosion.
3.  A group of volunteers from Mars Petcare at Jerry Erwin Park in Spring Hill planted hundreds of trees to improve the health of the Duck River Watershed in October 2011.
4. This crawfish is a great example of the biodiversity found in the Duck River Watershed.

Click here to see more pictures.

25% Off Fish Habitat Year End Blowout!!

Fishiding artificial fish habitats are coming to a lake or pond near you. With fish attractors, more is usually better and that is good for the fish and the fisherman alike.

With continued growth and products in over 40 states, we need to clear the shelves of remaining inventory in order to expand. Most models are still available with no limit on quantities purchased. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

The 25% off sale ends December 31st 2011 so order your habitat today!

More and more lake and pond owners and fisherman are utilizing the long term benefits of artificial fish structure like the products made by fishiding.com

Made from reclaimed PVC, all the various sizes and textures of habitat are made here in the USA. The textured surface allows exceptionally fast algae growth and the models with wide limbs create shade unlike any other self installing fish structure.

Each unit comes ready to sink in it’s own black PVC, weighted “stump” of a base. The rigid yet flexible limbs, can be bent out on any/all angles and creased to retain their shape and position.

When you like the shape of the habitat unit, simply toss it in the lake and it sinks standing upright. The habitat will cover in algae and begin the fish holding potential.

Get a group of fishiding habitat today and begin to hold fish where you want them. Provide cover to grow your forage fish fat to feed those hungry predator fish.

Mineral exploration is exploding, is the government assessing the environmental impact?

Critics claim mineral exploration in B.C. needs more accountability

Campaigning for the B.C. Liberal Party leadership, Christy Clark promised to put the controversial Prosperity Mine project back into play.

Mineral exploration is exploding in B.C., but critics claim the provincial government isn’t assessing the environmental impact.

Soaring global demand for metal has caused a surge in mining and exploration in British Columbia, and Premier Christy Clark has promised to open eight new mines by 2015. However, recent reports from B.C.’s auditor general and the UVic Environmental Law Centre suggest the provincial environmental-assessment office is not up to the task.

Mines, typically subject to both federal and provincial reviews, are extremely complex. They often require hundreds of millions of dollars in investment capital and promise high-paying jobs and a windfall in tax revenue, but their environmental footprint is equally dizzying, with potential long-term impacts on fish-and-wildlife habitat. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader in science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Currently, the 50-person staff at the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) is weighing the socioeconomic benefits and environmental impacts of 60 projects, half of them for new mines, mine expansions, or old mines being resurrected, thanks to recent high mineral prices. Among them are projects like the Ajax Mine, a proposal by Abacus Mining and Exploration Corporation (in partnership with Polish mining giant KGHM Polska Miedz S. A.) for a massive 500-million-tonne (over 23 years) low-grade-copper property that was operated by Teck Cominco in the 1980s and 1990s but abandoned when copper prices were low.

This open-pit project on the doorstep of Kamloops is worth $550 million in capital investment, and is expected to have a 400-person full-time work force. It is undergoing both federal and provincial environmental assessments and has dominated public debate in this city of almost 90,000, just as the divisive Prosperity Mine, approved by the province but rejected by the feds, did and continues to do in the community of Williams Lake.

Vancouver-based environmental lawyer Mark Haddock, author of a report titled Environmental Assessment in British Columbia, published by the UVic Environmental Law Centre in November 2010, believes citizens have good reason to be wary of the process.

“I don’t think the B.C. assessment process is equipped to deal with these proposals,” Haddock says.

In his critique, Haddock called B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Act “weak and discretionary”, and wrote that decisions by the environment minister are often arbitrary and sometimes run counter to advice from government biologists and technical experts. Furthermore, the fact that the BCEAO hasn’t rejected a single proposal since 1995 further undermines public confidence in the process, according to Haddock.

For many, the Prosperity copper-gold mine, being proposed by Taseko Mines Limited for a site 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake on the Chilcotin Plateau, is the poster child for what’s wrong with B.C.’s environmental-assessment process.

The story of Prosperity is convoluted. Given the mine’s considerable potential impacts on the Tsilhqot’in aboriginal people and on Fish Lake—home to more than 80,000 rainbow trout—which Taseko proposed to use for waste-rock impoundment, the mine met the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s requirements for a joint review panel that would unite federal and provincial authorities in a single entity.

However, in 2008 Taseko Mines wrote a letter to federal and provincial officials criticizing the joint-review-panel process for putting “the future of a billion-dollar project in the hands of three unelected, unaccountable individuals” and placing an “excessive emphasis on established or asserted Aboriginal rights and title”.

Soon after receiving this letter, the province opted out of the joint review and decided to conduct its own independent assessment. Consequently, Tsilhqot’in leaders and environmental groups such as the Friends of the Nemiah Valley (FONV) boycotted the provincial process, claiming that Victoria was biased in favour of the proponent. In January 2010, acting on recommendations from the executive director of the BCEAO—and despite concerns raised by provincial biologists about impacts on grizzly-bear and fish habitat—the province approved Prosperity.

Meanwhile, the federal review was still under way, participants poring over a raft of First Nations cultural and environmental concerns. Almost a year after the province rendered its green light for Prosperity, the feds rejected the mine and Taseko’s plans to replace Fish Lake with an artificial fish habitat, among other concerns. In a strongly worded decision, Jim Prentice, federal environment minister at the time, called the mine’s impacts on fish of “high magnitude and irreversible”, and wrote that the project would destroy “an important cultural and spiritual area for the Tsilhqot’in people”. The company went back to the proposal stage.

Two processes, two dramatically different results, Haddock says.

“The feds and the province were using the same data but with a different set of criteria,” he says. “It’s important that these assessments appear credible, and when you have two very different decisions, as in the case of Prosperity, it raises some very serious doubts in the minds of the public and participants.”

David Williams, FONV president, agrees, and he says it’s the reason his group didn’t participate in the provincial process.

“We didn’t take part in the provincial review because we didn’t think there was any point,” Williams says.

Wayne McCrory, a bear biologist and cofounder of the Valhalla Wilderness Society, also boycotted the provincial process but, like FONV, made submissions to federal reviewers. He says the contempt for unbiased scientific opinion that he believes underpinned the B.C. approval of Prosperity is something he has seen before: when, in 2004, the province approved the contentious Jumbo Glacier Resort project in the Purcell Mountains east of Kootenay Lake after a lengthy process that started when the proponent first filed an application in 1996.

“In the case of Jumbo, 11 biologists on the former grizzly-bear scientific advisory committee wrote a letter to the minister, opposing Jumbo. I was one of those members,” McCrory tells the Georgia Straight over the phone from his home in the Slocan Valley. “Valhalla [Wilderness Society] hired independent biologist Dr. Brian Horejsi to do an impact study on grizzly bears related to Jumbo. He did an extensive job, including a CEA [cumulative effects assessment]. A number of Ministry of Environment biologists were also opposed.”

McCrory says he believes the province’s biggest weakness is in assessing cumulative effects, which, by the federal government’s definition, are “changes to the biophysical, social, economic and cultural environments caused by the combination of past, present and reasonably foreseeable future actions”. McCrory believes that if the BCEAO conducted thorough CEAs, it would never have authorized the Prosperity Mine and the destruction of a culturally and environmentally significant water body like Fish Lake.

Although the BCEAO is finding few friends in the environmental and conservation community, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is considered more robust than its provincial counterpart, the last line of defence for the environment. It was the CEAA that ultimately rejected the proposed Kemess North copper-gold mine in 2007 as well as Prosperity, in both cases citing impacts on fish-and-wildlife habitat and significant conflicts with aboriginal rights and titles.

However, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the CEAA is under attack, according to Josh Paterson, a lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law. He says the Conservatives buried profound changes to environmental-assessment legislation deep within the 900-page March 2010 budget bill, giving the federal environment minister far more discretionary power to exempt projects from full environmental reviews. Then, last summer, the feds took the scalpel to the CEAA’s budget.

“The federal government is now cutting funding to the environmental-assessment agency,” Paterson says, referring to a more than 40-percent cut announced in the June 3, 2011, speech from the throne.

Paterson shares McCrory’s concern about the province’s incomplete approach to assessing the cumulative effects of major projects. However, in fairness to the BCEAO, he says he believes that this type of analysis is complex and may be beyond the current capacity of the office, especially with metal mines that may face technically challenging and costly cleanup of toxic mine waste for years after they cease operation.

Though many critics are lamenting the weakening of environmental-assessment capacity at both federal and provincial levels, mineral exploration and mine development continue to explode. Developing economies like China have an insatiable appetite for metal, and we need it for the cars we drive, our electronic gadgets, and the appliances in our homes. According to Lyn Anglin, president and CEO of Geoscience B.C., the province has plenty of untapped mineral wealth. Geoscience B.C. is an industry-led organization created in 2005 to undertake geological-data-gathering projects with the hope of attracting more mining investment to the province.

Currently, the organization is spearheading surveys of the Quesnellia Terrane, a chunk of central B.C. rich in copper-gold porphyry and extending from the Gibraltar and Mount Polley mines near Williams Lake to the Mount Milligan copper-gold property northwest of Prince George. According to Anglin, the 2007 announcement of the project, which Geoscience B.C. dubbed QUEST, resulted in a frenzy of online claim-staking.

Zoë Younger, vice president of corporate affairs for the Mining Association of B.C., says the province hasn’t seen this much excitement around mining since the 1860s Cariboo gold rush. Regarding environmental assessments, Younger says she believes in a robust regulatory framework, but she is primarily concerned about wasteful duplication of efforts, which she says was the case with Prosperity. That’s why the association is cheering September’s B.C. Jobs Plan, which included a commitment of $24 million in funding to natural-resources ministries with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get decisions on permits and approvals.

Younger says industry opponents often overstate the environmental impact of mining and understate its economic importance. According to 2008 government figures, metal mining alone contributed $2.6 billion to the provincial economy, and that excludes what was generated from coal mining and other fossil-fuel extraction.

“The [environmental] footprint of a mine relative to its economic contribution to GDP is much lower than other resource industries,” Younger says, referring to industrial logging and commercial fishing.

Industry boosters like Geoscience B.C. and the mining association can rest assured they have the support of the provincial government. Christy Clark promised to put the Prosperity Mine back in play when she was campaigning for the B.C. Liberal Party leadership, and she has made mining one of the pillars of her jobs plan.

The province estimates that projects worth a potential $30 billion in capital investment are piled up in the BCEAO system. Of the 222 projects that the environmental-assessment office has handled since 1995, only one was rejected, while 115 were approved and the remainder either are still under review, have been withdrawn, or have been determined to be exempt from environmental assessments. Yet the annual budget of the BCEAO is telling: at only $8,754,000, it’s one-third less than what the province gave to Geoscience B.C. last May.

The provincial government may be able to dismiss criticism of its environmental-assessment record from NGOs and environmental lawyers, but it’s harder to ignore the words of its own auditor general. Last July, John Doyle, then auditor general of B.C., released a critical report on the BCEAO, saying that “adequate monitoring and enforcement of certified projects is not occurring, and follow-up evaluations are not being conducted.” He also said that information being supplied to the public is insufficient “to ensure accountability”. But what’s even more troubling is what Doyle referred to as the government’s “hostility” toward environmental assessments, as revealed in the February 2010 throne speech, during which the Speaker called the CEAA a “Byzantine bureaucratic process” that holds “jobs and investment hostage”.

John Mazure, the BCEAO’s executive director, says that although he would have preferred a “glowing report” from the auditor general, his office is taking it seriously. However, he takes issue with critics who continually point to the office’s green-light track record as a sign of fallibility. He admits that most applications that make it to the minister’s desk get approved, but he says that what’s missing from this statistic is the number of projects that are altered and improved in consultation with government specialists as they work through the assessment. Mazure calls it an “iterative process”, which is described on the BCEAO website as being intended “to address all issues satisfactorily such that there are no residual adverse impacts that would prevent an EA certificate from being issued”.

“I’ve heard everything, that we rubber-stamp projects without looking at them, but that’s simply not the case. What people don’t realize is that once a project reaches the minister, we’ve had a pretty good kick at it,” Mazure says. “Our specialists work with the proponents throughout the process on mitigative measures.”

The Prosperity Mine proposal, positioned as an economic lifeboat for the struggling Cariboo region, is like a festering wound for the province. The federal government’s rejection of Prosperity was a huge embarrassment for then-premier Gordon Campbell, who had been a vocal and enthusiastic supporter of Taseko’s bid. This fiasco also nags the BCEAO. Mazure refuses to second-guess his predecessor at the BCEAO, who recommended approval of Prosperity in spite of what appeared to be glaring environmental concerns.

He also says observers forget that the federal and provincial environmental-assessment agencies have different mandates: the former is focused primarily on environmental impacts and aboriginal rights and title, while the latter weighs economic, social, health, heritage, and environmental factors. However, Mazure admits that the mining boom has the potential to stretch the BCEAO’s resources.

“Fifty percent of our projects right now are mines,” he says. “It’s one thing assessing a mine that’s not near a water body, but when it’s metres from a water body, the environmental impacts are complex. They are very complicated and they take more of our resources. We’re very dependent on specialists from other ministries. And in these processes, not everybody will be pleased with the outcome. One side will be complaining, the other side will be celebrating.”

David Williams, of the Friends of the Nemiah Valley, belonged to one of those sides. He was heavily involved in fighting the Prosperity Mine and is now preparing for a renewed battle, as Taseko Mines has submitted a retooled proposal that could spare Fish Lake.

“Honestly, I think the Environment Ministry has been so watered down that they lack the capacity to handle these issues,” Williams says.By Andrew Findlay

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