Bringing Back the Fish: Michigan Sea Grant Oversees Successful Habitat Reconstruction |
By Stephanie Ariganello, Michigan Sea Grant Plan for the fish habitat restoration project. Credit: Michigan Sea GrantThe unmanned camera bounced along a rock reef on floor of the St. Clair River. Researchers watched the monitor. Then a long, dark shape came into focus and another and another. The looming figures were lake sturgeon. The team whooped at the discovery: the restoration was working and much sooner than anticipated. The goals of the project are to:
“It is science in action,” said Jennifer Read, assistant director of Michigan Sea Grant and project lead on the St. Clair River Middle Channel Restoration project. “This is the kind of research project where we’re performing research not just to learn new things, but to apply what we’ve discovered. And with this project, we’ve been rewarded with early success.” The lake sturgeon were congregating on rock reefs installed as part of the restoration project in the St. Clair River, led by Michigan Sea Grant. The project focuses on restoring fish spawning habitat in order to add young fish to the stocks of several endangered or threatened fish species in Michigan, including lake sturgeon, mooneye, northern madtom catfish and river redhorse suckers. Valuable commercial and sport fish such as walleye, lake whitefish and perch are also expected to use the reefs for spawning. “Obviously there was a need for more spawning habitat based on the immediate response by the sturgeon,” said Terry Heatlie, habitat restoration specialist with NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center, Great Lakes Regional office. “It’s special because this would not have happened without the restoration project, without restoring spawning habitat in the river.” click to expand image  Reef habitat restoration in the St. Clair River Middle Channel. Credit: Michigan Sea GrantWhen given enough time, Heatlie said, some land or water issues heal themselves. With habitat restoration, that is not typically the case. It requires intervention. The construction was completed in June. Nine rock reefs were created, providing an acre of restored fish spawning habitat in the river. The St. Clair River connects the waters of Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair, where water then flows through the Detroit River and eventually into Lake Erie. The channel is a major shipping route and forms a border between the U.S. and Canada. Because of its location in the heart of the Great Lakes, the restoration has potential to benefit waters upstream and downstream of the construction. The restoration efforts could also provide cultural and economic benefits, bolstering commercial and sport fishing and contributing to a higher quality of life in an area currently listed as an Area of Concern under the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection. In the early 1900s, the rivers connecting Lakes Huron and Erie were widened and deepened to accommodate larger, modern commercial shipping vessels. Dredging and depositing the materials in different locations in the river damaged fish spawning sites — and subsequently, fish populations. click to expand image  Researchers inspect egg mats as part of the Middle Channel Restoration project. Credit: Michigan Sea GrantTo compensate for the habitat loss, Michigan Sea Grant and project partners (U.S. Geological Survey, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the University of Michigan, NOAA, SmithGroup JJR andMichigan Wildlife Conservancy) constructed two reef projects previously in the Detroit River. The location and design of the Middle Channel reefs were chosen based on studies of fish populations and lessons learned during the previous projects. “That’s what is really unique about the Middle Channel project,” said Read. “It reflects over ten years of work performed by a multi-agency science team tackling increasingly complex questions over a large geographical area. It represents a successful, system-wide approach to restoration.” Researchers surveyed the new reefs and collected eggs. It was confirmed. Lake sturgeon successfully deposited and fertilized their eggs on the reefs and the eggs produced viable sturgeon larvae. Post-construction assessments are planned to ensure the Middle Channel Reefs are being used by a variety of fish species. The goal, aside from reestablishing the habitat, is to help remove the St. Clair River from the bi-national list of Areas of Concern. Two more spawning reefs for native fish are being planned for the St. Clair River in 2013 and 2014, as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. |
Author: david
Wood habitat in Table Rock rotting away after 50 years underwater
This unusual barge can deposit several tons of rock into the lake to help create new fish habitat. / Missouri Department of Conservation
Written by
David Casaletto
Executive Director, Ozarks Water Watch
The Missouri Department of Conservation uses this unusual barge to dump heavy rocks or tree stumps into Table Rock Lake to help improve fish habitat. MDC also uses a different ‘fish habitat barge’ to deposit trees and brush piles into the lake. / Missouri Department of Conservation
Table Rock Lake is more than 50 years old.
When the lake was created, much of the Ozark forest was flooded, and the trees and brush provided cover for the lake’s fish populations. But after 50 years, most of that fish habitat has disappeared.
In 2007, the Table Rock Lake National Fish Habitat Initiative (NFHI) project began with the primary objective to improve fish habitat in Table Rock Lake. Additional goals include: Improve the water quality of Table Rock Lake and its tributaries, monitor the effectiveness and longevity of habitat structures, and develop a framework for a broader national habitat program.
Project partners include the Missouri Department of Conservation, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Bass Pro Shops, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Power Administration, Ozarks Water Watch, Table Rock Lake Water Quality, James River Basin Partnership and other private groups and citizens.
To improve habitat, the Initiative project places cedar trees, hardwood treetops and recycled Christmas trees in the lake to create habitat with a “fish habitat barge.” The barge was built for this purpose by Tracker Marine in Lebanon, Mo. It is a large pontoon-style boat with a hydraulic lift on the front that raises and dumps the habitat into the lake.
Another barge called the “rock barge” is contracted to place larger (and heavier) habitat structure consisting of rocks, boulders and stumps. The state conservation department gets these materials from developers, contractors and landowners who are clearing land and need to dispose of them.
To date, 1,810 brush piles, 104 rock structures, 76 stump fields, 11 stump/rock combinations and 26 rock “fence” structures have been installed for a total of 2,027 new habitat structures in Table Rock Lake. These structures were placed in areas and depths that are available for fish during most of the year.
They have been located by positioning systems and can be found (and downloaded) on the department’s website at:http://newmdcgis.mdc.mo.gov/tablerock/. In addition, the department has placed green signs on the shoreline near some structures.
The Initiative also recognizes that water quality is a critical component of fish habitat. Funding has been contributed to the James River Basin Partnership, Table Rock Lake Water Quality and Ozarks Water Watch for cost sharing to homeowners to pump out septic tanks and replace failing septic systems.
These water quality organizations have combined over the past five years to pump out more than 2 million gallons of septic effluent and replace more than 100 failing septic systems.
All participants receive a packet of water quality educational materials and septic system maintenance information. Funds are still available to share the cost for pumpouts and for replacing failing septic systems.
See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.
To monitor and evaluate the Initiative structures that have been placed in Table Rock Lake, the state conservation department has designated four evaluation techniques: fish sampling, Scuba observations, an angler survey and a black bass biotelemetry study.
By monitoring fish use of the habitat structures, the department is learning what techniques and designs work best for placing habitat during the remainder of the Initiative project and in other lakes in Missouri. Information gathered from the evaluation will allow the department to share ideas and techniques with other state agencies that are working to improve fish habitat in reservoirs.
By all accounts, this is a success story, but is that area going to be loaded with fish? Will a fisherman always be able to find fish off those trees? The only way to find out is to get out there and fish those areas. And the only way for biologists to know if the project is working is if anglers let them know.
Visitthe Missouri Department of Conservation websiteand download the GPS points, print off a map and go fish.
Texas tree top habitat causes Govenor intervention.
Dear friends,
I was recently contacted by J Harmon, President of the Protect lake Dunlap association in New Braunfels,Texas. He explained to me their struggle with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority over existing small diameter standing timber being hazardous to recreation use. Apparently, The GBRA has denied the cutting of these stumps to protect fish habitat and recommends marking these areas off to boat use which has the residents upset.
See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.
The PLDA’s plan is to draw down the reservoir and shorten the existing hazards about eight feet from normal surface elevation. I’m told there are hundreds of them and already have caused many accidents and property damage. J says the average depth is about 15 feet, so when cut, they would still stick up about 6-8 feet off the bottom, root ball intact.
After cutting, they plan to set one of our PVC habitat units on the remaining stump and fasten it there for good. This would increase the square footage of surface area approximately three times. The thinking is, with our units within six feet of the surface as water fluctuates, boats, skiers and water craft will be safe, including the fish. J and the group understand the benefits of not only keeping as much existing habitat as possible but to continue to add more habitat. The cut off tops would be kept and fastened to the remaining trunk too.
They have a full understanding of the science behind periphyton, nutrient removal and fish production and feel unwavering in their decision to work with only us in their efforts.
Senator Jeff Wentworth supports PLDA. With his intervention and the phone call from Gov. Rick Perry, GBRA’s action item #8 was tabled. The PLDA has been granted 30 days, (less now) to present their case for a final decision of what will be allowed. The General Manager and staff continue to meet with representatives of Lake Dunlap, enforcement officers, and fishery experts to evaluate the current no-wake area designation and alternative options to provide water safety and assure a balance of all uses including the preservation of fishery habitat and funding mechanisms, and to continue to review and develop alternatives that address congestion and lake boating conflict uses on Lake Dunlap and to report back to the Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting in August 2012.
What I’m asking of you once again is your opinion, hopefully your support. Can you find any adverse effects of removing these hazardous stumps as long as the habitat is replaced in other ways/forms? Can you comment on the benefits of the artificial habitat we produce and results you have seen? What can we expect to see in a 300 % increase in available cover for the fishery? With our help, the PLDA intends to present their plan for approval as a landmark decision for the state of Texas. Safety for the residents and fish is the priority of both sides, in that order. All parties involved want to save and increase fish habitat. Wood is good, just not where people get hurt. Send replies to either Jarod or myself at david@fishiding.com Thanks.
Here are some links to the information as well as Jerod Harmon’s contact information:
news story:
http://www.ksat.com/news/Lake-Dunlap-res…rz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.plda.org/index.htmlhttps://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.plda.org%2Ffiles%2Fstump_removal_procedure.pdfhttp://www.gbra.org/
jrharmon123@yahoo.com
713-202-8870
Fish habitat crusader awarded Churchill Fellowship
Craig Copeland – working to save our fish habitat. Image NSW DPI
CRAIG Copeland, Manager of the Conservation Action Unit within the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has been awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to investigate the motivation of recreational fishers in the US, UK and Ireland to restore fish habitat.
“Craig, who is based at Wollongbar, is highly regarded throughout Australia for his work in aquatic habitat rehabilitation,” said NSW DPI Director General Richard Sheldrake.
“He has led the pioneering unit responsible for fish habitat rehabilitation in NSW which has resulted in massive improvements to fish habitat and fish populations through initiatives such as fishway construction, weir removals, fish-friendly road crossings, floodgate management, riparian revegetation and river resnagging programs.”
Copeland’s work in educating and engaging the broader recreational fishing community on habitat issues is proving successful with some of the larger recreational fishing groups through the establishment of the Fish Habitat Network program.
Dr Sheldrake said the Fellowship will provide an opportunity for Mr Copeland to travel to countries in the Northern Hemisphere where recreational fishing groups and individual fishers are the principal players in restoring fish habitat. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.
“By interviewing fishers in these countries, Craig will get to understand their motivations and capacities – and bring back expertise aimed at increasing the capability of Australian recreational fishers to support and improve their fishery.
“The lessons learned will be immediately transferred to recreational fishers and habitat managers here in NSW.”
Copeland said the sustainability of recreational fishing and the capacity of the sector to grow are dependent on healthy fish stocks.
“Over three million people fish recreationally each year making it one of the most significant outdoor activities undertaken by Australians,” he said.
“There is great scope to significantly increase the proportion of recreational fishers in NSW who contribute time, funding and effort to rehabilitate fish habitat and, as a result, increase fish populations.”
Copeland plans to undertake his Fellowship trip in early 2013 and will report back to the
recreational fishing community later in the year.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, which was established after the death of Sir Winston
Churchill in accordance with his final wishes, has now funded more than 3,700 Fellowships for Australians. http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/fish-habitat-crusader-awarded-churchill-fellowship
Floating treatment wetlands mitigate lake eutrophication
By Mark Reinsel
ES&E Magaqzine’s May/June 2012 issue
An enhanced floating treatment wetland (FTW) that incorporates air diffuser technology is under evaluation in an ongoing study at Floating Island International in Montana. The latest-generation system lifts and circulates water through floating streambeds within the FTW. This combination of FTW and improved water circulation/aeration is part of a product range called BioHaven®. The primary objective of the study is to determine whether biofilm-based microbes can provide nutrient removal, while increasing fish productivity.
This system, which is a new type of
constructed wetland, has been evaluated
for treatment of agricultural effluent and
municipal wastewater. Cost-effective treatment options for end users with limited
funding will be its greatest benefit. It can
provide treatment of agricultural-impacted
waters, municipal wastewater, storm water
and polishing of tertiary waste water, along with lake restoration.
Fisheries managers will be especially interested in the productivity potential afforded by a biological system, which can reduce algae and grow more (and bigger) fish. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.
Wetland areas have been reduced worldwide, while nutrient loading has increased
with growing human populations. Mass-production agriculture, as practiced in many developed nations, can contribute to hyper-eutrophication in water bodies that were previously low in nutrient concentrations. In fresh water, partly as a result of normal seasonal stratification, nutrient loading can deplete oxygen levels within the livable temperature zone for fish species.
Over the last 11 years, Floating Island
International (FII) has developed the Bio-
Haven FTW technology, which mimics
the ability of natural peat-based wetlands
to purify water. The Leviathan™ extrapolates
this technology by maximizing surface area and circulation, which are key components of wetland effectiveness. The islands are also designed to provide
optimal perennial plant habitat.
System background:
Dissolved oxygen and temperature measurements taken on Fish Fry Lake,
FII’s 6.5-acre research lake in 2008/2009 indicated that stratified water near the
surface was too warm to sustain a trout fishery. While temperatures below the
stratified warm water layer were sufficiently cool for trout, that zone contained
low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. During late summer, no strata of water could
consistently provide the cold-water, high- DO environment demanded by fish, such
as rainbow, brown and Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
Groundwater containing variable nutrient concentrations enters the lake at an estimated average rate of 18 m3/hr. Surface water also flows into the lake with variable nutrient concentrations and flow rates. Evaporative loss and outflow are balanced to maintain the lake level, which is approximately 9 m deep.
As the lake was filled several years
ago, a series of BioHaven floating islands
covering 5,200 square feet (480 m2) of
lake area and providing over 9.3 ha of saturated surface area was installed. Several
islands were positioned next to the inflow
to maximize exposure to the highest nutrient concentrations.
These islands were designed to maximize production of biofilm (organisms attached to underwater surfaces), and to move nutrients into and through the food web.
After addition of the last 232-m2 FTW, floating islands now cover approximately 715 m2, or 2.7% of the lake’s surface area. Active treatment system with floating streambed Leviathan is an enhanced form of constructed wetland, and is FII’s latest effort to move excess nutrients into the food chain or harvest them. It integrates high volume, low-pressure circulation with matrix surface area constructed of postconsumer (recycled) polymer fibers, for maximum wetland performance.
Air-driven directional diffusers circulate up to 2,300 m3/hr, pushing it through the Bio-
Haven matrix and plant roots. The system’s floating streambed contributes to aeration and nutrient uptake.
The FPZ-brand air diffusers require 3 hp (2.2 kW) to operate, typically with 230V
single-phase power. Leviathan is designed to provide the complete “wetland effect,” including aerobic, anaerobic and anoxic microbial nutrient conversion. This allows it to treat large, nutrient-rich stratified bodies of water, including “dead zones,” in both freshwater and marine settings. Removal of ammonia, nitrate, phosphate and soluble organic carbon has been demonstrated.
The system can move nutrients from
any depth into and through the islands’
biologically active substrate. In the
process, these nutrients are digested by
beneficial microbes and form periphyton
(attached plant and animal organisms
embedded in a polysaccharide matrix,
similar to biofilm), which is the base of
the freshwater food chain. As these excess nutrients transition into the food chain via biofilm/periphyton, both water quality and fish growth rates can be dramatically improved.
Leviathan can de-stratify water bodies, resulting in greatly expanded habitable zones for targeted fish species. As part of this process, high DO levels can be achieved and maintained, and water temperatures homogenized.
Results:
A 232-m2 Leviathan system, incorporating floating streambeds and grid-powered water circulation, was installed in the lake in April 2009. This system circulated up to 770 m3/hr through the stream channels within the island. Each cubic meter of Leviathan’s matrix, averaging 0.64 m in thickness, provided 820 square meters of surface area.
After 17 months of operation, water clarity had improved from a low of 0.36 m of visibility to as much as 3.3 m. Clarity is now at 5.8 m. Simultaneously, the
water temperature gradient was reduced, creating a larger zone of “livable” water for fish. Two age classes of Yellowstone cutthroat trout were introduced 13 and 14 months into the test. Through the summer of 2010, a favorable temperature/dissolved oxygen strata, ranging from the water surface down to a depth of at least 3.7 m, was maintained as potential cutthroat trout habitat.
One-year-old and two-year-old black crappie were also introduced two months
into the test, and naturally-occurring northern yellow perch were present in the
lake when it was filled. All three species have flourished.
The new aeration scheme in the lake improves water quality by incorporating
dissolved phosphorus and nitrogen into the aquatic food web, in the form of periphyton,
while limiting the growth of deleterious algae. Total phosphate concentrations
are reduced from about 0.04 mg/L to 0.02 mg/L, while nitrate-nitrogen
concentrations decrease from about 0.6 mg/L to 0.01 mg/L.
Fish Fry Lake is relatively unique in that it supports fish accustomed to cold
water (Yellowstone cutthroat trout), temperate water (perch) and warm water
(crappie). Montana officials have made two unsuccessful attempts at sustaining
cutthroat populations in an adjacent stretch of the Yellowstone River.
Fish catch rates and growth rates are now being monitored at the lake. Initial
data show that experienced fishermen catch an average of one perch every two
minutes. Visual observations from diving and an underwater viewing station indicate
that perch approaching or exceeding the Montana state record of 1.0 kg now
inhabit the lake.
The perch harvest at Fish Fry Lake averaged 12 kg of fish per week from May-
November 2011. With a phosphorus content of 0.9% in perch, phosphorus removal
from the lake via fishing averaged 0.10 kg/wk, or 84% of the estimated
phosphorus input to the lake.
In summary, Fish Fry Lake was poised to become another eutrophic waterway, until a new form of applied stewardship was introduced, which reversed the process.
Mark Reinsel is with Apex Engineering.
E-mail: mark@apexengineering.us
MBL Recycling provides vinyl siding for fish habitat…by the tons!
We have a new supplier of material to keep up with demand at fishiding artificial fish habitat products world headquarters in Woodstock Illinois. 30 yard containers of clean sorted siding are delivered to our facility two at a time, twice a week. That’s an average of 10,000 pounds of material per week.
Fellow construction and demolition contractor Ken Hoving, who has been supplying us with material for about a year and a half, helped set up this match made for the fish. These guys process material with a well greased flow to sort and re-use up to 80% of the material they bring in. In the past, as little as six months ago, all this material was destined for the landfill. Needless to say they are more than happy to see it going to such a could use to provide habitat for fish as well as removing excessive nutrients and converting them into fish food.
See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.
Bio film, Periphyton and algae grow on the inert substrate and begin the food chain. This natural occurring process mimics nature and cleanses the water of contaminants. This growth provides the “mothers milk” of nourishment for fish up to about one year old. Lasting underwater forever, this process only improves with more time.
The reusable experts
Started in October 2002 with just one truck and 30 boxes, Wendy Gold and her brother Robert Lenzini have modeled the foundations of their family’s generational business, Lenzini Excavating, initiating 37 years ago, into today’s MBL Recycling, established as an operation that specializes in the recycling of construction waste and demolition debris. Slowly but surely, the company has modestly added to its fleet, which now counts to eight trucks and close to 400 boxes.
Over time, the company has grown from its initial days of hand sorting to separate the waste material to a state-of-the-art facility that brings efficiency to the sorting process and new levels to both volume and productivity. The facility current stands at 41,000 square feet.
Based in Palatine, Ill., where the company’s new facility was developed in 2005, MBL Recycling offers full roll-off container services to its customer base, offering anywhere from 10 to 30 yard containers. The recycled material sorted, processed, source separated and is then sold back to the market. For example, recycled shingles are turned to asphalt in order to construct city roads. In 2007, MBL Recycling added concrete washout containers to its extensive line of services, further improving its position in the marketplace, tackling the market with a different style box, while the boxes also better comply with growing environmental standards.
Programs and services
The addition of 11,000 square feet to its new material recovery facility allows plenty of space for future growth.
And as its volume has continued to grow, MBL Recycling has seen an increase in incoming streams from diversifying construction projects, further adding to both the demand and specification of the waste separation. Because of such a high volume with its customers, MBL Recycling was able to hold its percentage in the market as the company successfully navigated the impact of the global economic downturn, which was specifically damaging to the American housing economy.
Business development
“Construction is really down here. Housing has come to a halt. We were pretty fortunate though because we never really focused much on housing,” said Robert. “We did a lot more commercial and it has slowed down…but nowhere near the housing.
“Will next year be any better? It is still too early to tell. We see it from an excavating side because we can tell when they bring in bids and how much work is there for the spring, and there isn’t much,” added Robert, illustrating that the excavating business allows for a unique secondary insight into the future.
“We pinch ourselves everyday that we are here and still going. We are riding the storm and doing everything status quo until everything bounces back. We’re always thinking of new things, but we have a couple hurdles here in Illinois that we are trying to work on now too (like getting into the drywall recycling market),” said Wendy.
“We were able to pick up some of the slack from some of the other guys that were in the housing market. The shingles this year also brought our tonnages way up,” said Robert. “Before we used to have to ship [the shingles] to Wisconsin and they used them in asphalt mix. Just in the last year, Illinois recognized this and got a standard for it.”
“We do a lot of work with Power Construction (based in Schaumburg, Ill.), a high profile contractor. We do a lot of hospital additions. We just finished the Northwest Community Hospital nearby and that was a huge project. Astellas Pharma is another Power Construction job. It’s a three-year project that just started this year,” said Wendy.
But right now our only out is that we recycle our own stuff, so that is our little niche.” Associated with the U.S. Green Building Council, MBL Recycling provides all LEED documentation for its customers, generating environmental sustainability reports on a monthly basis.
The transition to ‘go green’ is something that is becoming a “really big thing with the general contractors…they love to recycle, especially with some of the locations around us,” said Wendy. “Hooray for Chicago because they mandate 50 per cent recycling of construction. It is wonderful that they recognize that.”
As such, in 2009, the Illinois Recycling Association recognized MBL Recycling as the Recycler of the Year.
Quality customer service
MBL Recycling prides itself on providing the best possible service to its customer base.
“Service is a big thing nowadays. People call and they want their stuff. It is not all about the pricing because at least when people call us they know we are going to be there,” said Robert.
“People are so thankful. You would be surprised at the phone calls—people go out of the way to call here and say something nice about one of our drivers, or for us being there in a pinch. Everyone gets the feedback and gets to feel good about things,” said Wendy. “We treat all of our customers the same—like gold.”
WWW.MBLRECYCLING.COM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv3M4zUsU5U&feature=player_embedded
It’s Easy Being Green!
MBL is committed to environmental best practices and sustainability. MBL diverts millions of pounds that would normally go to landfill in your C&D container. MBL is taking C&D recycling to the next level. Diverting waste from landfills, promoting reuse and recycling in our community.What is your Current C&D waste management plan?
Are your crews taking the time to separate each and every item and put them in separate containers for disposal?
Do you have multiple containers to handle the variety of materials to be disposed?
MBL is committed to environmental best practices and sustainability. MBL diverts millions of pounds that would normally go to landfill in your C&D container. MBL is taking C&D recycling to the next level. Diverting waste from landfills, promoting reuse and recycling in our community.What is your Current C&D waste management plan?Are your crews taking the time to separate each and every item and put them in separate containers for disposal?
Do you have multiple containers to handle the variety of materials to be disposed?Or are you already putting jobsite C&D debris mixed into one container?
MBL Recycling is ready to handle your C&D waste. Mix all C&D waste into one container. Do not incur the extra time and cost of separating materials yourself. No need for extra job crew training: just explain you will be recycling.
Just direct ALL your C&D materials to MBL!
MBL will take your C&D container and separate the recyclable materials for you. On average 75% of every C&D container is recycled. Allow us to recycle your construction and demolition debris, diverting tons of material from landfills.
An alliance of professional environmentalists working to promote greener solutions. Find us atwww.thegreenteamchicago.com.
$4 million habitat project for fish at Colony Farm
Officials will mark the near completion of fish habitat at Wilson Farm at Colony Farm Regional Park with a celebration with the Kwikwetlem First Nation today.
TRI-CITY NEWS FILE PHOTO
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By Staff Writer – The Tri-City News
Juvenile salmon will have more protected habitat to get a good start in life thanks to a $4 million habitat enhancement project now nearing completion at Colony Farm Regional Park.
Environment Minister Terry Lake will be celebrating the near-completion of the project today, Monday, with members of the Kwikwetlem First Nation who were key to its development
Lake will join Metro Vancouver Environment and Parks Committee Chair Heather Deal and Kwikwetlem First Nation Chief Ron Giesbrecht in a ceremony to welcome the salmon, unveil a new interpretive sign on the Colony Farm walking path and showcase the habitat enhancement work.
The project, located on the “Wilson Farm” portion of Colony Farm Regional Park, has build a vital habitat for juvenile salmon and restored tidal function to a part of a river traditionally ranked high in the Outdoor Recreation Council’s ‘Endangered Rivers List’.
“This project went a long ways to addressing a major limiting factor to the production of salmon in the Coquitlam River,” said Dr. Craig Orr, environmental consultant to the Kwikwetlem First Nation in a press release. “Urbanization has claimed much of the juvenile salmon habitat in the lower Fraser River area, and this project aimed to restore a large part of that critical habitat.”
The Wilson Farm project, a negotiated highway construction mitigation project funded by the provincial Gateway Transportation Project, has deepened and expanded existing channels for juvenile fish, replaced old tidal pumps with newer and fish friendly pumps, and added cool groundwater to allow fish to survive better. The project was planned with help from experts from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the private sector, and input from the public. It was also designed to have minimal impacts on the old field habitat of Colony Farm Park and its associated wildlife.
See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.
The project received complaints from Burke Mountain Naturalists but went ahead with public consultation.
dstrandberg@trictynews.com
Wild Colorado: Even fish aren’t safe from fire
Wild Colorado: Even fish aren’t safe from fire
Trout would be most affected by wildfire
By Paige Blankenbuehler
Summit Daily News
Summit Daily News
ENLARGEHeavy equipment operators with Colorado Parks and Wildlife move large boulders to improve fish habitat in the Conejos River in 2010. Improving habitat helps fish weather future fires.
Special to the Daily / Josh Nehrig, CPW
Fish are the last species one would think of being devastated by fire; seemingly in the clear from the flames and sparks by being submerged in water. But Randy Hampton, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife tells me that is not so. In fact, fish — namely Summit County’s trout — would be the species most affected by wildfire.See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.
Fortunately, Summit County has remained largely unscathed so far in this dry year’s fire season. Knock on wood, and pray for your favorite local trout.
The most prevalent fish species in Summit County are trout, and their varieties are plentiful. Summit County is home to brown, cutthroat, rainbow, and brook trout.
“The biggest concern is the cutthroat trout, because it is a protected species and the state fish,” Hampton said.
Fire retardants
In areas affected by fire, techniques used by firefighters can have adverse effects for fish. The red liquid dumped by air tankers and helicopters is a fire retardant known as slurry, a mixture of mostly water and fertilizer designed to protect trees and other flammable material from flames.
The coating clings to vegetation and insulates it from the approaching flames; the fertilizer helps the damaged areas regrow in the wake of the blaze.
Though the retardant is good for the soil, when it enters into streams it can kill fish.
“In high enough quantities, slurry can hurt fish populations,” Hampton said. “Anything that is not water that is introduced is not good for fish.”
When fish ingest large quantities of slurry, they are essentially being poisoned.
Ash and sediment buildup
When fire comes close to fish populations, they also battle the adverse effects of ash, which creates sediment and can clog gills of fish.
“When this happens, fish basically suffocate,” Hampton said.
This effect can extend into the long term as well, negatively affecting fish populations.
“The Hayman fire of 2002 deposited extra sediment into the rivers for as long as three years,” Hampton said.
Much of the residue remains in the air, and rain can also deposit ash and higher amounts of sediment into rivers for an extended period of time.
In areas near the Hayman fire, it has taken 10 years to reach a full recovery of fish populations, Hampton said.
Sediment and ash build-up also affect the areas where fish lay their eggs and areas that serve as insect breeding grounds.
“Sediments tend to smooth out riverbeds and can cement-in little gaps where fish and insect reproduce,” Hampton said. “In those areas, eggs will no longer hatch.”
Bug populations
The heat and sediment build-up tend to affect aquatic insects first and can more easily devastate those populations that serve as a food source for fish.
“If fire impairs a waterway, it can wipe out the food source for fish,” Hampton said.
Sometimes the ash and sediment accumulation effects are so adverse that intervention is needed to restore fish populations.
“Essentially, rivers and reservoirs affected by ash and sediment build-up have to be vacuumed out,” Hampton said.
Protecting water sources and fish populations
In fire seasons, moderation of fish populations is a top priority for local aquatic biologists. When fish populations are low, biologists moderate by replenishing the species by introducing more into the habitat.
The fish health of rivers, streams and reservoirs are moderated to account for areas that may have been adverse affected by fires and ash deposition into the water.
Waters that can support fish life are deemed healthy.
Local aquatic biologists test fish health by using electro-fishing techniques, which stuns fish temporarily. When they float to the surface, biologists can then evaluate their health.
No interventions have been required in areas that have had wildfire this year, Hampton said.
“We’ve been lucky,” he said.
The Blue River is currently being moderated for fish health to prepare for intervention if a fire occurs. The outlook is good.
“The Blue River is a healthy habitat for trout with a large population, likely to rehab quickly from fire,” Hampton said.
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Audit finds fish habitat not well protected
Audit finds fish habitat not well protected, fire suppression system inadequate
Published on July 5, 2012 by DesiWireFeed · No Comments
THE CANADIAN PRESS
VICTORIA — An audit by British Columbia’s forestry watchdog has found 23 of 24 timber sales licence holders it investigated failed to comply with provincial legislation.
Auditors from the Forest Practices Board discovered instances where fish habitat was not being adequately protected because of sediment introduced into streams.
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The board says some BC Timber Sales licence holders failed to maintain the natural drainage patterns of several small streams while others did not have an adequate fire suppression system on site during extreme fire hazard conditions.
The areas audited include Gold River on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Sayward on the west, and Lower Mainland areas across from Campbell River.
Board Chairman Al Gorley says more than 100 compliance audits have been conducted since 1996, including more than 20 of BC Timber Sales operations, and typically very few problems are found.
He says this audit is an exception, although BC Timber Sales has committed to taking action to address the board’s concerns.