FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 9, 2011

CONTACT:Division of Forestry/Central OfficeRick Rogers, Forest Resources Program Manager, 907-269-8473

– The Alaska Board of Forestry  released its 2010 report on implementation of the Alaska Forest Resources and Practices Act (FRPA) this week. The board announced that the act continues to protect fish habitat and water quality while providing for commercial timber and fishing operations.  “The Board is confident of the act’s effectiveness because of extensive data available from six years of road condition surveys by  the  Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and  the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), eight years of compliance monitoring by DNR, and 19 years of effectiveness monitoring by resource agencies and the timber industry,” said  Chris Maisch,  the state forester and  the  board’s presiding officer.

The act governs how commercial timber harvesting, reforestation, and timber access occur on state, private, and municipal land.  Forest management standards on federal land must also meet or exceed the standards for state land established by FRFA. The act was adopted in 1978 and it has been revised multiple times since to add riparian standards and other protective measures.  State agency  compliance  monitoring, led by the Division of Forestry, determines whether  the act’s  best management practices are applied consistently and correctly on the ground.  Statewide, the monitoring results this year were the strongest ever, with regional scores averaging 4.8 out of a perfect score of 5.0 in Coastal Alaska (Region I), 4.9 in Southcentral (Region II), and 4.7 in Interior Alaska (Region III).

Over the last six years, DNR and ADF&G supplemented the compliance monitoring program with field surveys of closed and inactive forest roads.  Teams of habitat biologists and foresters surveyed every fish stream crossing on 1,891 miles of forest roads on non-federal land in Southeast Alaska.  Notably, the surveys found only 20 culverts with significant issues for fish passage on those roads – approximately one culvert of concern per 94 miles ofroad.  Follow-up surveys of upstream fish habitat were conducted on problem sites, sites have been prioritized for repair, and cooperative efforts are underway to correct the short list of problems identified.

The surveys also checked reforestation and found near-perfect results.Effectiveness monitoring evaluates whether  the act successfully protects fish habitat and water resources.  Alaska hosts one of the longest continuous effectiveness monitoring projects in the country.  Since 1992, state and federal government agencies and private industry have cooperated on an exhaustive study of the status and trends of fish habitat conditions in streams subject to forest harvesting under the act’s best management practices.

Partners in this effort include the Alaska Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC), ADFG, DNR, the U.S. Forest Service and Sealaska Corp.  The partners  jointly fund this work and provide technical expertise to ensure that state-of-the-art science is employed.  This study includes pre- and post-harvest data on 21 anadromous streams in 19 different watersheds in southeast Alaska.  The study has not found any significant adverse impacts  from harvesting on fish habitat in these watersheds.  This work has resulted in numerous reports, scientific meetings, and award-winning, peer reviewed literature publications.  Maisch also noted the role of field inspections in ensuring the act’s success.  “In the last five years alone, the Division of Forestry has conducted over 1,100 inspections on forest operations statewide.

Inspectors ensure that operators are in compliance with best management practices and provide training and enforcement if problems arise.  Many inspections are conducted jointly with ADF&G or ADEC. Their participation and expertise are essential to the implementation of the act.” The report is available on the Division of Forestry web site at http://forestry.alaska.gov/whatsnew.htm

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Island County Marine Resources

Forage Fish are a key link in the marine food web supporting much larger, predator species such as salmon. Without vast numbers of these finger-size fish, which typically swim in schools, the larger predators and many seabirds could not be sustained. In Puget Sound the three principal species of forage fish are Pacific Herring, Sand Lance and Surf Smelt, and the health of these populations is of great importance to all working for marine recovery.

At Cornet Bay on the northern tip of Whidbey Island, the MRC is working with volunteers from WSU Beach Watchers to survey several shoreline areas for the presence of forage fish eggs. Beach Watchers are doing this monitoring as part of our Cornet Bay Restoration project to establish a baseline and document any changes that occur during and after the completion of bulkhead removal and other shoreline restoration.

Our Cornet Bay project is designed to improve spawning habitat for forage fish and nearshore habitat for forage fish and salmon by eliminating a source of beach scouring, expanding intertidal habitat, improving beach composition and improving riparian vegetation. Removing the bulkhead also will eliminate a source of any leaching of hydrocarbons onto the beach.

Two of Puget Sound’s principal forage fish, Pacific Sand Lance and Surf Smelt, deposit their eggs in the upper intertidal zone on sandy-gravelly beaches. Protecting and restoring healthy spawning habitat for these forage fish is an important component of salmon restoration.

We have been conducting forage fish research since the MRC was founded in 1999. Late that year we bagan the design and sponsorship of a comprehensive, multi-year, nearshore project. Regional forage fish spawning habitat surveys evolved from that.The year 2000 Marine Ecosytstem Health Progrgram (MEHP) grant of $17,000 was the first funding awarded for this Island County effort, which subsequently grew to encompass all seven NWSC counties with cosponsors and cofunders. Over time it attrtacted hundreds of thousands of dollars in awards from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB), Northwest Straits Commission (NWSC), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).

This was the largest geographic forage fish habitat assessment/mapping project in the owrld. Its goal was to biologically identify beaches used as spawning areas by Surf Smelt, Pacivfic Sand Lance and Pacific Herring that form the core of the food chain for salmon, rockfish, shore birds, diving birds an dmany mammals. Upon completion the forage fish component of the MRC’s larger nearshore project established a baseline for futgure monitoring and provided valuable information for county shoreline users, planners, developers and property owners.

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Here’s another great story written by Brad Wiegmann, outdoor writer, professional angler and fishing guide. Artificial fish habitat, fish attractors, fish cover, PVC fish habitat, artificial fish attractors……..what kind do I need just to catch a few bass  or crappie?

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www.bradwiegmann.com/pond-fishing/pond-management/602-artificial-pvc-fish-attractors-for-new-pond-construction-and-renovation.html

Recently, we sent an array of different fishiding products out to what may seem to be an unlikely place for fish habitat. Gretna, Nebraska, filled with flowing prairies, lush woodlands and yes, lakes and ponds. It only took a couple of e-mails to really hit off a friendship formed from a mutual love of the outdoors. We talked about fishing and hunting experiences as well as the need to promote habitat restoration for all fish and wildlife. Aaron owns a company called Premier Outdoor Properties,Inc., who specialize in large tract properties for the outdoorsman and nature lover alike. Teaming up with Cabela’s, they offer full real estate services along with knowedgable staff who love the outdoors, helping their clients achieve their individual goals. Whether it’s hunting for upland birds, or fishing for trout, these folks have what it takes to find that perfect piece of heaven.

After talking in detail about the pond and his goals, Aaron and I came up with  a habitat plan that would help the fishery and continue to allow swimming and other water activities continue as always.”My biologists brings by extra bluegill fry when he gets them otherwise only feeding is by hand.  The pond design pic is exactly what we built. On one end we have shallow bedding areas 2-3′ deep. We do have an aerator and are looking to add a fountain this summer om the other end. Depth is about 9 ft with 3:1 slopes. We treat for algae and weeds once a year. The bottom is clay and sealed with ESS13 (betonite type product.)”

We sent out a group of 19 structure units ranging from shallow water cradles, to the deepest keeper units, for the deepest section of the lake. The key to installing fish habitat is placing it continuously, from shallow to deep water. When fry are hatched, it is in the shallow, warm water in the spring. These tiny little guys need tight, dense cover to hide in from predators, being mom and dad as well. Fish will eat whatever is available to them, including their own fry. After a few months growing and hiding in the shallow cover, they explore the lake out to maybe four to six feet of water. Here they continue to grow and hide amongst the provided habitat, still vulnerable to the larger predators. Over time, they grow to the preffered size to become food for the largest predators to feed on. Without this nursery and constant renewal of fish that survive, your lake or pond cannot become completely balanced, providing a healthy year class of new fish annually.

There are many benefits to using artificial pvc fish attractors, sometimes called fish habitat or fish cover. The most obvious would be the fact that they will last forever. For years fisherman and lake and pond management companies have been installing various natural/wood products for fish habitat. This works great, but only for a short time. Depending on the water quality, they may decompose a soon after as one year, typically in 2-4 years. Only half of that time underwater, does the structure hold it’s shape and provide usable habitat. The younger generation of biologists and fisheries professionals see the added benefits to the fish, when the habitat stays for good to be used continuously.

All the products  that fishiding.com offers come with self weighted containers, with no assembly, tools or suppies needed. Just bend each limb to any shape you like and toss it in the lake. The base sinks first every time to stand the unit upright in the vertical position as it comes to rest on the lake floor. Testing has shown each unit will stand vertical on slopes up to thirty degree, with an array of lake bed material types.

The real payoff is to see the results first hand. Getting our kids involved in the outdoors, not only from an enjoyment standpoint, but also to educate. We as adults have the obligation to educate the youth of America regarding the need to restore, save and conserve the great outdoors God has given to us all to enjoy and protect. Some of that starts with recycling.

Fishiding is currently the only producer of fish habitat products of any kind, made entirely from reclaimed pvc products. Much effort has been put into gaining a network of suppliers to provide material to be used for habitat in lieu of getting dumped in a landfill. The concept seems simple enough, Allowing this new patented process and concept to explode into over 40 states and counting.

During this off season, take some time to look over the website and see all the different products, sizes and textures of artificial fish habitat attractors available for every application. Aaron promised to keep us up to date with his pond and the habitat we installed. Go Green! and help reclaim lost or degraded fish habitat today, with the most cost effective, environmentally friendly fish attractors available. Fishiding.com

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By Mindy Ward, Missouri Farmer Today

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 1:29 PM CDT

CUBA, Mo. — Bob Baker did not know an endangered species was living in his cattle’s watering hole.

The pink mucket mussel resides in the mud and sand of Baker’s Lick Creek in Crawford County.

The mussel is not easily identified in the creek bed because it buries itself in the sand and gravel with only the edge of its shell exposed.

Over the years, flooding damaged most of the mussel’s habitat, reducing its gravel and sand supply. In some areas, pollution took a toll on the population.

The reduction in numbers caused it to make the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species list.

Baker and his wife, Nicky, operate a registered Hereford cow/calf operation on the land surrounding the creek.

Bob Baker and his wife, Nicky, visit their cows under a portable shade structure. The unit was made possible with funding from the Fishers and Farmers partnership. Photo courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation

They knew the mussel was present, but did not realize it was endangered until a visit from a Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries management biologist.

“For some, the endangered species can be a bone of contention,” Kenda Flores says.

“Some fear that the government is going to take property away. They fear they are going to lose their rights.

“So, we try to alleviate these fears.”

Instead of claiming the stream and the surrounding land, Flores worked with landowners to find ways to improve habitat for the mussel, while improving the farm.

She helped coordinate a group of landowners in the Meramec Basin-Lower Bourbeuse watershed, which includes Little Bourbeuse, Brush Creek, Lick Creek and PBoone Creek.

“We needed to come up with projects and a cost-share rate so that these landowners would see the endangered mussel flowing through the river as an advantage,” she adds.

The goal at Baker’s Echo Bluff Farms was to restrict cattle access to the stream.

Baker just switched to a management-intensive-grazing system, and water to pastures was important.

He drilled a well and put in ground water tanks. A new pond serves as an alternative water source.

A creek crossing allows passage between paddocks without cattle walking through the creek. New trees line the bank.

Finally, Baker fenced off the creek from his stock.

Still, there was the need to replace the shade the trees along the creek provided during hot Missouri summers. So, he erected portable 10x20x12-foot shade structures that can move from pasture to pasture.

Baker’s total out-of-pocket expense? Not a dime.

“They paid 90 percent of the cost of drilling the water well, putting in pipeline to waterers and the other projects. I only had 10 percent to pick up,” he explains.

“But, they had an in-kind labor, where I could work off the other 10 percent. That is why I think this program is so great.”

The program is part of the Fishers and Farmers Partnership. Baker was one of a few landowners who benefited from the program early on.

Since then, the number of landowners requesting projects has exceeded the funding, Flores says.

“Certainly, any habitat restoration has to make economic sense for farmers,” says Rob Pulliam, fisheries management biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

“This is just one place where we can provide that technical and financial assistance.”

With Flores now serving Southwest Missouri, Pulliam oversees the partnership.

Fishers and Farmers serve not only to provide technical assistance to landowners, but also financial assistance. The program looks for public funding opportunities through government grants, as well as, private funding from companies or organizations.

To date, the Meramec Watershed Basin project is the largest partner-driven project recognized as a “Water to Watch” by the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.

The National Fish Habitat is a cooperative nationwide program to protect, restore and enhance the habitats of the nation’s marine and freshwater fish populations.

It is under the advisement of a voluntary board of public and private sector entities that oversee the implementation of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.

“Actually, because of the success of Missouri’s partnership with landowners, it was looked at as a model for the national program of Fishers and Farmers,” Pulliam adds.

“Our state had been finding public and private partnerships for a long time.”

Pulliam says improving fish habitat while addressing farmers needs works.

“It is not either cattle or the endangered mussel,” he says. “We can have both.”

The program allows farmers and conservationists to discuss talk about how to accomplish their goals.

“It is critical to have that local leadership,” Pulliam adds. “Our landowner committees make this work.”

Growth of the project comes via neighbor talking to neighbor.

“This program really works,” Baker says. “It helped keep the cattle out of the creek and is helping the fish and mussels, too.”

Flores and Pulliam applaud the landowners of the Meramec Basin for their willingness to be involved in improving water quality.

“This is a group that really understands that improving water quality is important for the longevity of fish and streams,” Flores says.

Pulliam adds, “The watershed is more than just about the fish and habitat, though. It is about land cover, trees and grassland and the people who live and use this place.”

While much of his time is spent tending to cattle, there is something about preserving even a small mussel that resonates with Baker.

“The older we get, the more we look at helping the next generation and more concerned about what they will have when we are gone,” he says.

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Editorial: Restoring the river: Cedar Creek residents can play a crucial role

Published: Wednesday, June 01, 2011, 6:57 AM

By Paula Holmes-Greeley | The Muskegon Chronicle

CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO The flooded Muskegon River put the majority of Terry Bayne’s 52-acre Cedar Creek Township farm under water in April. â??The problem is, there’s no place for it to go,â? Bayne said about the water.

Cedar Creek Township residents, especially those living along Maple Island and River roads, should do everything they can to assist with the survey of the Muskegon River in their neighborhood.

It’s their chance to help fix a long-standing problem and possibly improve the use of Muskegon County’s natural resources and the land they own. The survey may also result in suggestions that prevent the thousands of dollars in damage or losses created when extensive flooding occurs.

Mike Wiley, a professor in the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, and doctoral student Mike Fainter are surveying the Muskegon River, particularly in the floodplain near Maple Island and River roads, to explore the effects of reopening the Maple River. The Maple River was blocked more than a century ago during the lumbering era to increase the flow in the Muskegon River and more quickly move logs to the lumber mills downstream.Wiley predicts the Muskegon River will change its course in Cedar Creek Township in the next 50 years because of the closing of the Maple River and partial damming of the Muskegon River under U.S. 31. He said sediment in the Muskegon River has raised the river channel, creating a delta prone to flooding.

He’s already held a community meeting to ask residents what they want the Muskegon River to look like in the future. The researchers are seeking photos of the river and past floods, especially those that show how high the water was. Photos can be dropped off at Maple Island Grocery, 3465 N. Maple Island, Twin Lake.

While the flooding is on a much larger scale, perhaps there are lessons for Muskegon County residents from the Netherlands, where two-thirds of the people live and 70 percent of the Dutch economy is generated in a floodplain.

In the past, the Dutch response has been to build up the dikes and install other manmade devices to further control the river. But since unprecedented flooding in 1993 and again in 1995 there’s been a change in strategy.

Beginning in 2006, the Dutch implemented 35 “Room for the River” projects that will restore natural floodplains and marshes that serve as water storage areas. They are focused on restoring natural floodplains in the places where it is least harmful in order to protect more heavily populated and developed areas.

Dutch water managers also are teaching communities to retain water where it falls, using cisterns, green roofs and floodable parks. This reduces the flow into the river as it washes off of large paved parking lots and roads with nowhere else to go.

The idea is to prevent the recurring hundreds of millions of dollars in flood damage by learning to live with the main rivers running through the Netherlands rather than trying to control them. A side benefit has been the creation of new recreational areas and improved animal and fish habitat.

Again, Muskegon County doesn’t face near the threat that the Netherlands does. But working with our natural resources instead of against them is a valuable concept.

As Cedar Creek Township farmer John Thiel told Chronicle reporter Megan Hart, “I would rather have water flow naturally (through my property) than have it overflow and have nowhere to go.”

In the end it all comes down to that well-known adage, you can’t fool Mother Nature.

Let’s find out if restoring the Maple River will improve the lives of those living on the former riverbed and improve the health and the use of both the Maple and Muskegon rivers.

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