StructureSpot

“Retired NFL veteran and Fishiding customer, Aaron Graham, placing our products in his private pond in Gretna, Nebraska”.

Football players fish too!

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

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Group works to improve habitat

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.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Restoring the river…….

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

Published: Wednesday, June 01, 2011, 6:57 AM
Paula Holmes-Greeley | The Muskegon Chronicle By Paula Holmes-Greeley | The Muskegon Chronicle

KSM flooding 10.JPGCHRONICLE 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.

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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.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Viewpoint – Ecosystem health an economic issue too

By Contributed Opinion – Gulf Islands Driftwood

Published: June 01, 2011 10:00 AM

By GEORGE EHRING

Over the May long weekend, I had the opportunity to go on a marine nature tour with Ian Gidney of Gulf Islands Safaris. As much as I really wanted to push thoughts of the Trust out of my mind and enjoy watching the orcas, sea lions, seals, eagles and other wildlife, the concept of the need to protect the riparian areas that support the marine environment kept interrupting me.

Riding in Ian’s zodiac and looking at what’s around you, you can’t help but feel that we live in a beautiful, special place. We say this so often that I think we lose sight of it. Special place, yeah, yeah. Sure.

Five years ago now, the province told local governments that they couldn’t issue permits to private landowners for development in areas along streams (“riparian” areas) unless an environmental professional assesses the proposal and provides development guidelines. The province wants to protect fish habitat. I think protecting fish habitat is a good idea.

But it isn’t just for the fish.

Protecting riparian areas also has the benefit of providing some protection for our drinking water supplies. By helping prevent sediment from washing into streams, it will also reduce unwanted and excessive nutrients from washing into the lakes. It will help prevent the dangerous algae blooms that now plague St. Mary Lake, as an example.

We at the Trust are frequently told we should promote tourism and enhance the economy.  Anyone take a walk down to the dock lately and see all the boats owned by commercial fishermen? Anyone think about all the recreational boaters who come here, not only because “it’s a beautiful place” but because they also go fishing? Anyone think that tourists might be dissuaded from visiting our island if they read that they can’t drink the water?

Protecting complex and fragile riparian ecosystems enhances the economy as well as our environment — not to mention our own health.

One of the things that the province was saying to landowners when they brought in the Riparian Areas Regulation was: try to plan your development more than 30 metres from a stream. It’s a very sensible idea. Not that you can’t develop there if you have to, but the easiest, simplest way to avoid regulation and expense is to try not to disturb that 30-metre buffer. If you can’t, you call in a professional and get some advice.

Now I fully realize that my little letter isn’t going to have much of an impact on the people who are waving the flag of “property rights.” That’s okay. They’re certainly entitled to their opinions.  In fact, you can bet that there will be letters next week with the predictable denunciations, denials and assertions that they want to protect the environment. Fine. I know they’re coming, and you can judge their merit for yourself.

But I also know that the Trust is required to implement the Riparian Areas Regulation, and we will, just as dozens and dozens of other local governments have already done. We’re trying to craft a bylaw that will respond to the concerns of homeowners and reduce delays, red tape and expense as much as possible.

As I said, this is a special place, and we like to think we’re special. But we’re not so special that we can ignore a regulation brought in by provincial legislation. On top of that, it’s the right thing to do, for many reasons. Look around.

The writer is a Salt Spring trustee on the local Trust committee.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

 

Bilston watershed seeks a few good neighbours

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Ian McKenzie, with the Bilston Watershed Protection Society, is backing the Habitat Acquisition Trust’s program to have people living near Bilston Creek in Langford and Metchosin become stewards of the watershed.

Edward Hill/News staff
By Edward Hill – Goldstream News Gazette
Published: May 31, 2011 3:00 PM
Updated: June 01, 2011 2:40 PM

In Witty’s Lagoon park, Bilston creek offers a picture of what nature should be –- a clear meandering stream, home to native cutthroat trout and thick with streamside vegetation.

A small dam built before living memory almost looks like an organic part of the river. Crisscrossed with fallen trees, it creates ideal shade and shelter for trout. It’s also a reminder of the long history of human influence on the creek.

“The dam is part of the history of Bilston. It functions just fine,” says Ian McKenzie, with the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association, overlooking the pool, which may have been used as a drinking hole for cattle in the past. “It’s one of those things that adds character to the stream.”

The Bilston group has worked for decades on projects to restore the health of the creek from damage done in the 1980s and 90s. Now with residential development ever expanding within the 7,900 acres of the Bilston watershed, the creek and its tributaries are weathering the influence of rapid urbanization, particularly in Langford.

To stem the tide of pollutants, the Habitat Acquisition Trust, a non-profit land trust, is rolling out another phase of its “Good Neighbours” project within Bilston and North Latoria watersheds.

HAT is spreading the message that homeowners and hobby farmers can take relatively simple actions to keep the creek and watershed healthy, and is offering education and advice to interested residents.

“We want to prevent pesticides and nutrients from getting into the creek,” says Todd Carnahan, HAT’s Good Neighbours project leader. “We can identify problems and things people can do to keep the trout population healthy in the stream. We want people to be part of a place they value.”

In urban areas, being a steward can mean not using chemical pesticides on gardens and lawns, removing invasive plant species and allowing native streamside vegetation to flourish. On hobby farms, it can mean keeping livestock out of the creek and siting manure piles away from drainage areas.

“If there is beautiful streamside vegetation, we like people to leave it alone. Plants hold the soil, prevent run off and slow the release of water into natural streams,” Carnahan says. “Often the best thing is about doing nothing.”

Bilston creek and its many tributaries flow out of the green hills of Mount Wells Park and drain in Witty’s Lagoon some seven kilometres east. Shorter North Latoria creek flows out of Triangle Mountain to Albert Head.

Both systems collect pollutants as they wind around homes, farms, failing septic systems and roadways – the threat to watersheds is damage by a thousand paper cuts.

Carnahan says fish kills in North Latoria creek in recent years highlighted the need for public stewardship programs in Colwood, Langford and Metchosin. McKenzie says residential development in Langford is continually washing dirt into the creek.

“(Witty’s) lagoon is gradually filling with silt and will eventually become a field,” McKenzie says. “Langford has development guidelines in place, but still, there’s a lot of silt going into the stream.”

Silt and mud hurt spawning trout, who are native to the creek system and never leave, and have never had their numbers boosted by hatchery fish. Most of the Bilston enhancement projects over the years have been focused on creating better fish habitat –- healthy trout are a good indicator of the overall health of the watershed.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

“There are a reasonable number of trout,” McKenzie says, “but they are at risk due to urban development.”

HAT is seeking homeowners to become stewards of Bilston and North Latoria watersheds. Call 250 995-2428 or drop by the HAT office at 827 Broughton St. See www.hat.bc.ca for more information.

For more information on the Bilston Watershed Protection Society, see www.bilstoncreek.org.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com

Shoreline projects aim to improve fish habitat

Jun 1, 2011  |

The sea wall runs jagged in the fog Saturday morning along the St. Clair River south of Cuttle Road in Marysville. Work will start this summer to replace crumbling seawall and to create spawning reefs along the shoreline. / Melissa Wawzysko/Times Herald
By AMY BIOLCHINI
Times Herald
Pete Butler, of Columbus Ohio, fishes from the boardwalk just north of Cuttle Road where the sidewalk is still intact Saturday.

Pete Butler, of Columbus Ohio, fishes from the boardwalk just north of Cuttle Road where the sidewalk is still intact Saturday.

Although scores of anglers cast lures and drift bait for walleye, smallmouth bass and other gamefish, the St. Clair River — identified as an area of concern in the mid-1980s for its lack of wildlife habitat and waterquality degradation — could use some help.

Three projects, tentatively scheduled to begin construction late this summer, are designed to make the fishing better.

About $3.68 million in grants from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will be used to rehabilitate shoreline in Port Huron and Marysville and create fish spawning areas in the St. Clair Flats where the river empties into Lake St. Clair.

The biggest portion of the grant money is in Marysville, where $1.5 million from the GLRI and $300,000 in matching funds from the city will be used to repair a failing sea wall and create fish spawning habitat. The 2,250-foot-long stretch of riverbank from Cuttle and River roads to Clinton and South Riverside avenues could also receive a new sidewalk and railings.

Topographical surveys of the site were completed mid-May, Marysville City Manager Jason Hami said, and the city now is awaiting plans from environmental consulting firm JFNew in Ann Arbor. Hami said he was concerned budget restraints would not allow the sea wall to be replaced in such a way that it would give the public the access to the river the city wants. The city had planned to apply for an additional $2.5 million in GLRI funding, but the program ran short of funds, Hami said.

In Port Huron, a 320-foot
stretch of shoreline at the end of Lincoln Avenue just south of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock’s dock will receive an environmental overhaul.

The $1.3 million project will restore shoreline washed away by erosion and create a safe haven in that part of the river for fish to spawn, city engineer Bob Clegg said.

“We have no shortage of fishing locations,” he said, but expressed concern there aren’t enough locations for fish to reproduce.

Tuesday, divers were in the river to film current conditions underwater. The video will be sent to fish habitat experts for their advice.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved a conceptual plan and quality assurance plan for the site as drafted by Tetra Tech — the engineering firm with an office in Port Huron the city hired to design the project, Clegg said. Final plans and a project timeline have yet to be determined. Clegg said he hopes some work will start by the end of the summer.

In the Middle Channel of the St. Clair River, the Michigan Sea Grant — a partnership between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University — is using a GLRI grant of about $880,000 and matching funds to create a $1.043 million spawning reef.

Jen Read, a principal investigator for the Ann Arbor-based Michigan Sea Grant project, said her team will complete assessment testing on the ages of fish species currently present in the area by the end of July.

The St. Clair Flats area is host to many recreational boaters. It comprises the largest freshwater delta in the United States.

“It’s one of the most fished areas in the Great Lakes,” Read said.

Although the flats typically are not a fish spawning area, Read said, researchers discovered the conditions there mimicked those necessary for fish to deposit their eggs.

“In the busier areas of the river, all the habitat has been dredged out,” Read said.

The reefs should be in place by the end of August or early September, Read said, so that lake whitefish can spawn in the area in the fall. Other fish species in the area include northern madtom and mooneye — which are rare to the Great Lakes region — as well as lake sturgeon and walleye.

Reef construction will be across the Middle Channel, which separates Harsens and Dickinson islands, at the top of the delta, Read said. Three reefs across the channel each will contain three different types of material: Mid-sized rocks, small rocks and a combination of the two. The variation allows researchers to study which placement and kind of reef material is most attractive to fish, Read said.

Michigan Sea Grant will be partnering with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and an Ann Arbor landscape design firm.

Ketchikan teacher reels students in art of fishing

Published: Friday, May 27, 2011 10:45 a.m. MDT

By Danelle Landis, Ketchikan Daily News

KETCHIKAN, Alaska — “We got to miss school and go fishing” Fawn Mountain Elementary School fourth-grader Asher Ilten yelled. He leaned against the railing of the Ketchikan School District’s F/V Jack Cotant while holding up his limp, fiercely spined rockfish.

Cheers flew as grinning kids, stuffed into yellow, red and blue lifejackets jostled to show off their catches of the day.

Fawn Mountain’s counselor, Norm Noggle, held a two-week after-school fishing workshop in April. He then took his 14 fourth- and fifth-graders for a five-hour fishing trip Thursday.

Ketchikan Charter School students gather around some to their catch, mostly rockfish and "red snappers" (yelloweye rockfish),at Clover Pass Resort on May 20, 2011,  in Ketchikan, Alaska.

Ketchican Daily News, AP Photo/Hall Anderson
Ketchikan Charter School students gather around some to their catch, mostly rockfish and “red snappers” (yelloweye rockfish),at Clover Pass Resort on May 20, 2011, in Ketchikan, Alaska.

This was the second year that Noggle has conducted the workshop and taken the kids fishing on the Cotant, he said.

“Last year, we were boarded by the Coast Guard,” he said. The students were worried, and had no idea what to expect.

The crewmen “handed out little chits for free ice cream, because they noticed all the kids had their lifejackets on,” Noggle said.

At Fawn Mountain, for one hour per day in the workshop, Noggle taught the students how to tie knots, cast, put line on reels, and identify fish species. He also taught them about Fish and Game regulations, fish habitat and fish-catching strategy.

Noggle brought in experts from the U.S. Coast Guard to teach the students about boat safety, and Fish and Game professionals who taught them about fish species, gave a pop quiz, then coached them through making a “mepps spinner” salmon lure.

He also took his group on a field trip to the Whitman Lake Hatchery, and students asked the staff questions they had created and rehearsed ahead of time.

He said he’d like to add a fly fishing course next year that would teach students about fishing etiquette, how to “read” the water, tie flies and how to cast.

Among schools offering educational fishing excursions is Point Higgins Elementary, where teacher Linnaea Troina will take her fifth graders out on Wednesday. Knudsen Cove Marina sponsors their fishing trip, she said, supplying boats, fuel, and guides.

Ketchikan Charter School teacher Greg Gass also headed up a fishing class this year. Instead of an after-school workshop, his was offered as a physical education elective.

He chuckled when he explained why, out of all the sixth-through-eighth graders who could have participated, only one eighth-grader was in the group of 12 on the fishing trip. Students in eighth grade were allowed to sign up for their choice of elective classes first, and most of them chose more traditional classes, like sports.

Gass laughed and said that the ones who opted out of the fishing class were seriously rethinking their choices when his group was gearing up for the fishing trip.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

State pulls Park grant

May 28, 2011 in City

Concerns over spawning habitat delayed project, allowing $530,000 award to expire
 

Christopher Anderson photoBuy this photo

Water rushes past old railroad bridge abutments near the Sandifur Memorial Bridge just west of downtown Spokane on Friday.
(Full-size photo)

More on this topic

The future of a proposed white-water park in the Spokane River just downstream from downtown is in danger after state officials decided to pull a grant that was supposed to pay for nearly half the project.

Spokane park leaders have appealed the decision and hope to persuade the state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board to reverse the decision at a hearing on June 23.

“It’s all kind of in jeopardy,” said Tim Sanger, president of the board of Friends of the Falls, the nonprofit group that has led the effort to create the white-water park.

The project won the $530,000 grant in 2007. It was supposed to be used within four years, but plans for the project stalled in 2009 when then-City Planning Director Leroy Eadie ruled that concerns about the park’s effects on native redband trout were serious enough to require a study of the project’s environmental impact before a shoreline permit could be issued.

Eadie, who later was named park director, said those working on the park didn’t agree to pursue an environmental study until late last year. At the time, the city won a six-month extension for using the grant – until June 30. He said the city was about to award an $80,000 contract to begin work on the study when state officials warned this spring that the grant would get no further extensions because of the long delay.

If the state board agrees to a new extension, Eadie said he’ll move forward on the environmental study, which could provide recommendations to avoid harming spawning areas of native trout.

A study on redband trout in the Spokane River, released recently by Avista, indicated that there is a sizable spawning area near the proposed white-water park, said Rick Eichsteadt, the attorney for Spokane Riverkeeper, a nonprofit group that supports clean-up efforts and conservation.

Eichsteadt said the group believes the environmental study is needed but probably wouldn’t have a problem with a white-water park if recommendations to protect habitat are followed.

Sanger said Friends of the Falls is hopeful that the park could be constructed in ways that could improve the fish habitat.

“We’re really not interested in harming existing fish habitat,” Sanger said.

If the funding board’s decision is reversed, Eadie said the project would need a shoreline permit from the state Department of Ecology, hydraulic permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and an aquatics land lease from the Department of Natural Resources. The earliest construction could start is next summer.

Susan Zemek, spokeswoman for the Recreation and Conservation Office, said if the decision stands, the grant will be allocated to another project.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Fishers hooked on habitat

Fishers hooked on habitat
NSW State Government

More than 60 recreational fishers met with landholders, scientists and natural resource managers to talk about all things related to fish habitat at the successful Fishers for Fish Habitat Forum 2011, held in Tamworth last week.

‘The Forum provided an unparalleled opportunity for fishers from across NSW to learn more about the latest research into fish habitat and to share their stories about efforts to rehabilitate habitat and make more fish,’ said Craig Copeland, Conservation Action Unit Manager with NSW Department of Primary Industries, in chargeof the Forum.

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‘Recreational fishers assessed the Forum as a major success and plans are now underway by many fishers to fix some fish habitat in their local area over the coming year.’

President of the NSW Recreational Fishing Alliance, Malcolm Poole said recreational fishers at all levels were inspired by speakers at the Forum who explained what fishers could and should be doing to create more fish naturally for the future.

Ecofishers President, Ken Thurlow said the Forum was ‘a superb opportunity to network with recreational fishers from around NSW and discuss the key role of fish habitat in supporting our fisheries.’

President of the NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers, Rodney Tonkin said a highlight was Dr Martin O’Grady’s presentations on issues affecting fish habitat in Ireland and how these were being addressed.

As well as being a mad keen fisher himself, Dr O’Grady challenged fishers to seriously look at habitat repair as a cost-effective way of improving fish numbers.

Mr Copeland said the Forum included several site visits, as well as the presentations from senior scientists and managers on the key importance of habitat in supporting fish populations.

‘One of these visits was to the defunct Jewry Street weir in Tamworth itself,’ he said.

‘Participants also enjoyed a demonstration of long-stem tree planting, hearing about the fish habitat work being done by local landholders and by the children at Calrossy School.’

Malcolm Poole said the Recreational Fishing Alliance thoroughly recommends all anglers get involved and take time out to attend next year’s Forum.

‘In the mean time, why not check out the Fish Habitat Network website for more info right now,’ he said.

This was the third Annual Fishers for Fish Habitat Forum and was organised using funds from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust.

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