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More Money For The Fish and their Habitat

Fish habitat improvement funds released

01/22/13 — The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and local partners today announced $2 million in financial assistance to help landowners take additional steps to boost local salmonid and other aquatic-species populations in several north coast counties.The funding will be divided amongst five Northern California watersheds located in Humboldt, Mendocino and Sonoma counties: the Lower Eel, South Fork Eel, Big-Navarro-Garcia, Gualala-Salmon and Russian River watersheds. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

“This has long been a priority for us at NRCS,” said James Gore, assistant chief. “I know how important it is for local landowners and other stakeholders to support these fish and restore them back to record numbers. The steps we are taking today will go a long way to accomplishing this.”

A number of partners met today for the announcement and to tour a sample restoration site in Camp Meeker, Calif. An old fish barrier dam had been removed, a new pedestrian bridge was constructed, and rock wiers for fish migration were installed along with other stream and habitat restoration efforts. These types of practices and more will be available to landowners through this new financial investment.

Eligible practices include stream habitat improvements, wetland wildlife habitat management and other complementary conservation methods. The funding will be made available to landowners through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program – a federal cost-share program, through the Farm Bill, to help landowners implement on-farm conservation practices.

“This is a great opportunity for local landowners to enhance the riparian corridors which pass through their properties within the Russian River Watershed. The efforts made by the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the local Resource Conservation Districts are validated by the many successful projects implemented in our watersheds,” said Joe Pozzi, Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District manager.

Today’s announcement is part of a larger effort to restore salmonid and other aquatic species back to abundant and sustainable levels along the Pacific Northwest.

For additional information, eligible producers in these counties are encouraged to contact their local NRCS Service Center. Service center locations and more information on the programs can be found at ca.nrcs.usda.gov.

All Natural Fish Feeder Never Needs Filling and Cleans Water

The Hangout Artificial Fish Habitat Fish Feeder

Fishiding habitat products

Product Description

Growing big fish starts with growing lots of food to feed them. In order for the fry and forage fish to thrive and reproduce, they need mass amounts of food to develop and prosper.

Minnows, small panfish and fry feed on film that grows on surfaces underwater called peripyhton. This magical micro-floral community of bacteria and fungi, protozoa and zoo-plankton, dance together forming this wonderful highly efficient, nutrient converting fish food.

Phosphorus and nitrogen are often the biggest culprits in abundant weed growth and eutrophic waters. Converting these nutrients into fish food and ultimately fish, is not new and has been being used with ongoing success sometimes called brush parks. Create the food source and the fish will come.

The more surface area available, the more food can grow. Weed beds are a good example of surfaces for this film to grow and hiding places for the small fish.

The Hangout is where the smaller fish will congregate and eat this highest form of food available, within the protection of the maze of vinyl limbs that surround the feeder bag.

the-hangout-artificial-fish-habitat-feeder.jpg

The plastic mesh feeder bag holds an incredible 400 square feet of surface area from a matrix of woven plastic recycled from drinking bottles. Weighing just over two pounds and approximately ten inches diameter and two feet long, these bags hold the key to fish development.

Over thirty two square feet of flexible vinyl limbs, the same material in all fishiding fish habitat products, complete this protective eating establishment. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Bend limbs and pinch crease with fingers, no tools or additional supplies needed.

Opens to a full 46″wide by 48″ tall, hang at any depth, unit sinks.

Each unit comes with 5.5 pounds of pre-drilled vinyl limbs, ranging in length from 12″-28″ long and 1″-4″ wide with feeder bag with ten feet of mono bait-ball line.

Hang unit from underside of dock or pier for year around fishing action.

Suspend unit from raft or tree limb to keep predators close by your food source.

Attach unit to full size habitat unit or anchor and add foam to feeder bag to add buoyancy.

Tie multiple units together for deep water applications.

Artificial fish habitat programs boost reputation of GRDA lakes

Professional Angler sees the benefits of GRDA programs …

Langley – Although February 2013 will mark the first time that the Bass Master Classic tournament has visited Grand Lake, that does not mean participating fishermen will be unfamiliar with the popular fishing waters. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Grand Lake is always among the most popular angler destinations in Oklahoma and the surrounding region. Its 46,500 acres of water offer plenty of locations and plenty of room for landing the big one or just passing the time and wetting a hook.

Volunteers gather for instructions from the GRDA Ecosystems Management Department during a “Rush For Brush” event held in the Spring of 2012. Local anglers – both casual and professional – have seen the benefits of this GRDA program and other fisheries enhancement efforts on Grand and Hudson lakes.Volunteers gather for instructions from the GRDA Ecosystems Management Department during a “Rush For Brush” event held in the Spring of 2012. Local anglers – both casual and professional – have seen the benefits of this GRDA program and other fisheries enhancement efforts on Grand and Hudson lakes.

Still, in recent years, the Grand River Dam Authority Ecosystems Management Department has been very active in lake-enhancement programs designed to both protect and preserve the waters of Oklahoma’s third-largest reservoir. The department was established in 2004 and has stayed busy with efforts like aquatic plant transplant programs, new oversight efforts for fishing tournaments and the very popular “Rush For Brush” artificial fish habitat effort. In late November the department also announced the first annual “Crappie Christmas” program to collect used live Christmas trees after the holidays for use at fish habitats.

“Our ‘Rush For Brush’ program is one of the most popular things we do,” said GRDA Fisheries Coordinator Brent Davis. “We seem to get more and more volunteer interest every year and it’s been very successful.”

GRDA’s efforts at fisheries enhancement have not been lost fishing enthusiasts – even those who do it professionally. Edwin Evers (Talala, Oklahoma), who will compete in the upcoming Bassmaster Classic knows the waters of Grand Lake well and also knows what it’s like to help with the GRDA’s artificial fish habitat efforts.

“The coolest thing they do to manage these lakes is they have this Rush For Brush,” said Evers. “This where volunteers come out and build habitats with materials supplied by GRDA, then fishermen can put them where they want to in the water. It’s just another thing GRDA does to make our lakes so great.”

All that habitat does make a difference in angler success. Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) releases an Oklahoma Bass Tournaments Annual Report. In the most recent report, with numbers from 2010, Grand Lake ranks third to continue “its annual showing at or near the top of our list,” states the ODWC report. In past years, GRDA’s Lake Hudson has also been a frequent visitor to the top 10 list. In other words, a standard answer to the age-old question “where are they biting?” can almost always be “Grand and Hudson.”

Meanwhile, GRDA’s efforts to help manage catches at all those tournaments are also good for the lakes, said Evers.

“The other thing I think makes a big difference in why Grand Lake is so good is how GRDA manages the summer months,” said Evers. “During those times when fish are caught deep and water temperatures are really high, they limit the amount of fish that can come in during a tournament. They go from a five fish limit to a four fish limit in June and July. Then, they take it to a three fish limit in August when it’s the absolute hottest. When you do that, there is a lot less stress on the fish.”

All those efforts help GRDA to meet not only its ecosystems management mission but they also aid the economic development mission. A good tournament reputation helps bring in more tournaments, which bring in more dollars to the lake area. Of course, the upcoming Bassmaster Classic has the reputation as the biggest and most prestigious of all.

Davis, who works closely with tournament officials on GRDA lakes, said larger, more prestigious tournaments like the Classic equal even more money spent per angler, per day.

“I am going to say $300 to $400 per day,” he said, pointing out that those numbers are just for the anglers themselves, and do not include the dollars spent by the fans who attend the events.

All those people will get to experience one of the best lakes to be found, said Evers.

“When I think of Grand, what pops in my mind is one of the premier lakes in the country,” he said. “It’s as good as it possibly gets.”

With a continued focus on good management practices, and ongoing programs that involve lake-area stakeholders, GRDA is working to keep it that way.
Headquartered in Vinita, GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes.

Directly or indirectly, GRDA’s low-cost, reliable; electricity serves nearly 500,000 homes in Oklahoma and stretches into 75 of 77 counties in the state. At no cost to Oklahoma taxpayers, GRDA also manages 70,000 surface acres of lakes in the state, including Grand Lake, Lake Hudson and the W.R. Holway Reservoir. Today, GRDA’s 500 employees continue to produce the same “power for progress” that has benefited the state for 75-plus years.

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

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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.


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

Project aims to bring more fish to Smith Mountain Lake

Shallow cover for fry.
Standing on a bank at Smith Mountain Lake, Michael Forte watched as Appalachian Power workers on a barge lowered what looked like a wooden pyramid the size of a small refrigerator into the lake.

Forte, of Franklin County, designed it himself, and now the invention is part of an assortment of habitat devices that will be used to determine how to entice more fish into coves at the lake.

With the help of Internet research, Forte built a similar pyramid habitat and installed it under his boathouse a few years ago. He said it caused a “dramatic difference” in the number of fish swimming in his cove; today, there are dozens and dozens as opposed to very few.

“I just wanted to see if I could attract some fish,” he said. “And it worked.” See the dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

The power company, which uses Smith Mountain and Leesville lakes to produce electricity through a two-reservoir hydroelectric generation dam, hopes to duplicate that kind of success in drawing fish to shallow water areas, said Liz Parcell, a plant manager.

Last week, workers lowered about a dozen similar fish habitat devices in areas shallower than 20 feet in the cove below the Discovery Center at Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Bedford County.

"The Cradle"
“Fine, dense cover for the smallest of fish.

Some of the habitat designs were natural collections of brush and twigs; others were man-made and included cinder blocks, wood pallets and various pipes.

“It’s kind of like a scientific project,” Parcell said.

Some designs resembled objects that might be seen in art galleries, but that will change over time, she said. (possibly the fishiding structures)“They’ll get covered in algae; they won’t look like this for long,” Parcell said. 

The goal is to study what designs work and then share that information with lake homeowners, who in turn could use it to create fish habitats of their own.

Next year, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will send scuba divers near the habitats placed in the water to gauge their effectiveness in drawing more fish, Parcell said.

The work is tied to the 30-year license renewal that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted APCo in 2010, she said. The license, which the commission renewed after years of planning and debate among lake-area stakeholders, calls for a habitat-management plan and improved habitat along the shoreline.

Lake-area residents and landowners will have to obtain permits from the company before installing the habitats, Parcell said. APCo is working to have that process online, she said, and hopes to have it up and running soon.

“Hopefully, no one gets too excited too quickly,” she said.

By: JUSTIN FAULCONER | The News & Advance
LYNCHBURG, Va. —

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