Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Success 2011 Book FWS

7/29/2019 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Success 2011 Book FWS

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Restoring theGreat LakesSuccess Stories from the2011 Field Season

Restoring theGreat LakesSuccess Stories from the2011 Field Season


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Table of ContentsWelcome!..........................................................................

GreatLakesRestorationInitiative..............................

MillerCreekDamRemoval.........................................

BenetsofRemoteSensing.........................................RestoringLakeErieMarshes.....................................

GLRIFundingIdentiesVulnerableSpecies............

FishTaggingandRecovery.........................................

RestoringOhioAreasofConcern..............................

BattlingAquaticInvasives...........................................AlleghenyNFHtoProduceLakeTrout....................

SamplingforPathogens................................................

DetroitRiverIWRAcquiresSugarIsland................

EasternMassaugaRattlesnake..................................

BuildingaNurseryforLakeSturgeon......................2

MakingWindPowerWildlifeFriendly....................... 2

RESTORATION

Great LakesRESTORATION

Great LakesRESTORATION

Great Lakes


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Genesee River Area of Concern, USFWS


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DearReader,

Nowinitssecondyear,theGreatLakesRestorationInitiativecontinuestomakegreatstridesintheprotectionandrestorationoftheGreatLakes.Aninvaluableresourcetothe

UnitedStatesasasourceofdrinkingwater,transportation,power,recreationalopportunitiesandjobs,theGreatLakesremainaconservationpriorityforthefederalgovernment.Thoughatougheconomicclimatecanjeopardizeconservationpriorities,researchhasdemonstratedthatthehealthoftheGreatLakesisinseparablefromthehealthoftheU.S.economy.A2011MichiganSeaGrantreportfoundtheGreatLakessupportmorethan1.5millionjobsandareasourceformorethan$62billioninwages.

PerchedbetweentheUnitedStatesandCanadaandtouchingtheshoresofeightstatesandmanytriballands,theGreatLakesareanexpansiveresourcerequiringthehighestlevelsofcoordinationinmanagementactivities.TheGreatLakesRestorationInitiativecontinuestotakeimportantstepstoprotectkeyspecies,restoreareasofconcernandbetterconnectwildspaceswithinthemorethan10,000milesofcoastlineand30,000islandsthatprovidecritical

habitattomanyfishandwildlifespecies.

AsaproudfederalpartnerinimplementingtheGreatLakesRestorationInitiative,theU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceisexcitedtosharewithyouoursuccessstoriesfromthe2011fieldseason.ThroughaninteragencyagreementwiththeU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,theServicereceivedmorethan$48millioninfundingtoreducetoxicsubstances,restorecriticalhabitat,protectwildlifeandpreventthemovementofinvasivespeciesintoandthroughouttheGreatLakes.InoursecondeditionofRestoringtheGreatLakes,wepresentonlyasamplingoftheamazingworkourstaff,fieldteamsandprojectpartnershaveaccomplished.SupportedbyGreatLakesRestorationInitiativefunding,theirhardworkanddedicationhasresultedinmanyon-the-groundachievements.

Whethertheelectricitypoweringyourhomeisfromwildlife-friendlywindenergysources,orthelaketroutontheendofyourfishinglineisfromoneofournationalfishhatcheries,youmaybesurprisedtolearnhowtheworkoftheU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceintheGreatLakesbasinimpactsyourlife.Ifthestudieswithinthisbooksparkyourcuriosity,weinviteyououttoournationalwildliferefugesandnationalfishhatcheriestolearnmoreaboutthefishandwildlifeoftheGreatLakesandthepeoplewhodependontheseresourcesasasourceofincomeandawayoflife.Wearealreadyplanningour2012fieldseason,andlookforwardtosharingourongoingGreatLakesRestorationInitiativeaccomplishmentswithyou.

Warmestregards,

elcome!

TomMeliusRegionalDirector,MidwestRegion

WendiWeberRegionalDirector,NortheastRegion


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Great Lakes RestorationInitiative (GLRI)

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Sturgeon in Bad River, Wisconsin,USFWS

Shiawassee Flats FloodplainRestoration,USFWS

The Great Lakes,NASA

Asian Carp, Illinois,USFWS

From top) The USFWS is working to increase lake sturgeon populations in theGreat Lakes. The Shiawassee project restored 141 acres of wetland, providingaluable habitat to many endangered and threatened species. Aquatic invasivepecies that could potentially disrupt the Great Lakes ecosystem, such as Asian

arp, will be targeted for control and eradication.

Why save the Great Lakes?Comprised of more than 10,000 milesof coastline and 30,000 islands, theGreat Lakes provide drinking water,transportation, power and recreationalopportunities to the 30 million citizenswho call theGreatLakesBasin home.Fishing, hunting, and wildlife watchingin theGreatLakesgenerate almost $18billioninannualrevenue.AsthelargestgroupoffreshwaterlakesonEarth,theGreatLakeshold95percentoftheUnitedStatessurfacefreshwater.Unfortunately,years of environmental degradation has

lefttheGreatLakesinneedofimmediateon-the-groundactiontosavethispreciousresourceforgenerationstocome.

What is the Great LakesRestoration Initiative?The Great LakesRestoration Initiative(GLRI) is a driver for environmentalaction in the Great Lakes. Buildinguponstrategicrecommendationsforhowto improve the Great Lakes ecosystempresented in the GreatLakesRegionalCollaborationStrategyof2005,PresidentObamasFY2010 budget invested$475million for GLRI. Funding decreasedto $300 million in FY 2011. GLRIrepresentsacollaborativeeffortonbehalfof the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency and 15 other federal agencies,includingU.S.FishandWildlifeService(USFWS),toaddressthemostsignicantenvironmental concerns of the GreatLakes.

What is the USFWSs role in theGreat Lakes Restoration Initiative?The USFWS facilitates theimplementation of GLRI Action Planpriorityprograms,projectsandactivitiesto protect, restore, and maintain theGreat Lakes ecosystem. Through aninteragency agreement with the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, theUSFWS was allocated approximately

$69million inFY2010 and $37.4miin FY2011 to work on projects infollowingfocusareas:

Toxic Substances &Areas of ConcernYears after pollution stops persipollutantscanremainintheenvironmoften trapped in sediments belowsurface of the water. The areathe Great Lakes Basin most sevimpactedby thesepollutants are knasAreas of Concern (AOCs). USF

willwork to restore and protect aqecosystems in the Great Lakesthe threat of persistent pollutantsaddition, the USFWS is initiatineffort to address the looming threemerging contaminants, such assanitizers,pharmaceuticals,andperscareproducts,intheGreatLakes.

Invasive SpeciesMore than 180 non-native speciesestablished in the Great Lakes.most invasive of these reproducespread,ultimatelydegradinghabitatcompetingnativespecies,anddisrupfoodwebs.USFWSactivitieswillwocontrolanderadicateharmfulnon-nspeciesintheGreatLakes.Anaddit$10millioninGLRIfundingwasalloto the USFWS to work specicallAsiancarpcontrolandmanagement.

Habitat and Wildlife Protection& RestorationFrom climate change to increadevelopment activities along the sh

oftheGreatLakes,amultitudeofthrareaffectingthehealthoftheGreatLhabitats and native wildlife. USFprojectswillworktoidentify,restoreprotect important habitat for the ashandwildlife.

Accountability, Education, Monitoring,Evaluation, Communication, & PartnershUSFWS will foster coordinationmanagementactivities tocreate synwithprojectpartners.

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Diversity and the Great Lakes: GLRI represents the collaborative efforts of a diverse group of stakeholders. Pictured aare State, Federal and Tribal representatives who participated in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration ConvenMeeting held in Chicago, IL in December of 2004. This group is just a sub-set of the more than 1,500 stakeholders helped identify needed priority actions in the Great Lakes, many of which are now being implemented through the G

Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Lake Sturgeon Fish PassageProject, Menominee River,Wisconsin,.USFWS

Shiawassee Flats FloodplainRestoration, Michigan,.USFWS

Muskrat Huts, HunneymanWetland, New York,USFWS

Great Lakes Restoration InitiativeBuilding Partnerships TheUSFWSsGLRIprojectsinvolveawidearrayofstakeholders.TheMenomRiverFishPassagePartnershipiscomprisedofstateandfederalagencies,nonpconservationorganizationsandaprivateenergycompany.Theprojecthasalsohomultiplefamily-friendlycommunityopenhouses.

BoostingLocalEconomieManyGLRIprojectsplacemoneyintolocaleconomies.ShiawasseeFlatsFloodplainRestoration utilized local contractors and created1,500manhoursinconstructionlabor.

Creating Positive Environmental ChangeUsingexistingfundingchannelstheUSFWSisabletomoreefcientlytranslatedointoactions.InthecaseofmuskrathutsintheHunneymanRoadWetland,fundingreleasedinFebruaryof2010andbyJulyrestorationactivitiesresultedinincreaseterlevels,theconstructionsofnewmuskrathutsandtheeventualincreaseinplantwaterbirddiversity.

*Anadditional$10millionwasallocatedtotheUSFWStoworkonactionitemsftheAsianCarpRegionalCoordinatingCommitteesControlStrategyFramework.bringstotalUSFWSGLRIfundingforFY2011tojustover$48million.

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Genesee River Area of Concern, USFWS

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Te Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects highlighted in this bookwere made possible through a partnership between the U.S. EnvironmantalProtection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlie Service. Te phraseworking with others is prominent within the Services mission statement.In addition to the 14 ederal agencies implementing the Great LakesRestoration Initiative, the Service s on-the-ground actions were urtheracilitated by our state, tribal and nonproft project partners.

Ludington Dune. JennaTews,USFW

Te Power of Partnerships

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JennaTews,USFWS

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View of Miller Dam impoundment approximately one month after the concrete base was removed. The stream channegan to form immediately following removal and the area is beginning to vegetate. USFWS

emoval project on Miller Creek, aold-water tributary to theThunderBayRiver.Thedamislocatedafewhundred feet upstream of the con-uence with the main stream of theThunderBayRiverineasternMont-morency County, Michigan. It hasbeen a barrier to sh and aquaticrganismpassage,andalterednatu-al sediment movement and streamowforover65years.Aswithmanydams, the impoundment above thedam was lling in with ne sedi-ment.Itwasalsocausingwatertem-

1)Restoringwetlandsandotherhab

2)Workingwithpartnersonoutreac

Alpenastaff andpartnersare inmiddle of the dam removal procTo-date, project design, strucselection, state/federal peapplication,partialdewateringofimpoundment and partial remofthestructurehasbeencompleA time lapse camera is being uto document the pond dewateand formation of a newly de

stream channel. The cameraalso photographed wildlife uthe restored wetland ecosysand documented the re-vegetaprocess.A new structure that spthebankfullwidthofthestreambe installed this fall after theis removed. Volunteers will awith structure assembly andplacement. All parties are eagerthe completion of the projectto witness how the environmrespondstotherestorationproce

Thisprojectwillrestoreconnectto over 12 miles of cold-water25 acres of riparian/wetland. Italso restore cold-water habitatsupports native brook trout inreach of Miller Creek and aaquatic organisms to move betwthe Thunder Bay River and M

Creek.

Project: Miller Creek Dam Removal

peratures to rise, changing the type

of aquatic life that could live there.

Miller Creek Dam was constructedin 1945 and created a shallow 30acre impoundment. The dam wasdeterioratingandneededtobeeitherrepairedorremoved.Duetothehighcostofrepairingadam,theownerwaslooking for other options since theymust cross over the river to accesstheirproperty.Damremovalisaone-time cost and often less expensive

than other alternatives.Funding forthisprojectwasprovidedbytheGreatLakes Restoration Initiative andaddressestwoofthevefocusareas:

View of the Miller Dam impoundment June 17, 2011. USFWS

uringthe2011eldseason,staff

from the Alpena ofce workedwith partners on a small damD

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Data gained from remote sensing will provide valuable information about Gravel Island habitat and colonial nestinwaterbirds like these Caspian terns.USFWS

Remote Sensing: Dening PopulationHealth without Disturbing

nformationonwaterbirddistribution,population numbers and currentondition of breeding habitat aressentialaspectsthatdeneeffectiveonservation and managementtrategies. Great Lakes RestorationnitiativefundingisenablingServicetafftocensusandmonitorpopulationsf colonial nesting waterbirds alongmportantnestinggroundsinnorthernLakeMichigan,including:GreenBayNational Wildlife Refuge, GravelslandNationalWildlife Refuge andMichigan Islands National WildlifeRefuge.

slands are inventoried via remoteensing through the use of aerialphotographybyMidwestRefugePilotBrianLubinskiwiththeUSFWSP68bserverplanethatisequippedwith

anApplanixDSS439high-resolutionamera system. The regionalConservation Planning team, alongwithrefugeeldstaff,useatechniquewhichcombinesageospatialimageryoolsetandremotesensingtechniqueswith state of the art digital imageryo assess spatial changes to islandize,colonycongurationandhabitatomplexity. Accordingly, maps aredeveloped displaying locations ofnestingbirds,colonyshapeandsize.

Data tables include counts of nestsand birds, where available. The

resultingmapsaretoolsthatestimatethenumberofbreedingbirdsforeachspeciesatagivencolony.

Remote sensing inventories such asthesedecreasethehumandisturbancethat is typically associated withperforming ground nest counts andimprovevisualization.Staffarebetterable to understand the relationshipbetweencolonialwaterbirds and theenvironmentsinwhichtheylive.

Data gained from these effwill provide distribution

abundance information on colonesting waterbirds for the purof conservation and resolconicts stemming from increaand expanding populations.will provide managers withnecessary information to idenappropriate management stratefor maintaining healthy waterpopulationsat the localandregi

scale.

These Gravel Island maps were created in ArcMap and provide valuable daon species use, colony shape and size, and habitat conditions for 2008 and 2

USFWS

20102008

olonial waterbirds are an

important biological resourcein the GreatLakes ecosystem.C

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Nearly 400 acres of coastalwetlands along the westernportion of Lake Erie will be

estored and enhanced in an efforto return these valuable marsheso pristine condition. The UpperMississippi River and Great LakesRegionJointVentureawarded$150,000nGreat LakesRestorationInitiativeGLRI) fundingthisyear totheOhio

Department of Natural ResourcesandDucksUnlimitedtosupporttheseestorationefforts.

ThecoastalwetlandsarepartofMageeMarshStateWildlifeAreawhichisusedxtensivelybymigratingandwinteringwaterfowl, songbirds, raptors, baldagles,shorebirdsandcolonialnestingwadingbirds.Thisregionalso servesas a primary migratory corridor forwaterfowlandprovideshabitatforthe

Lake Erie marshes are of incredible value to wildliand people. This project will enable Magee Marshto be more biologically productive, diversify thefood sources for wildlife and improve much-neededrecreation land for the citizens of Ohio RoyKroll,

Topographic survey work in progress at Magee Marsh in support of engineering and design plan. DucksUnlimited

Restoring Lake Erie Marshes

highest concentration of staAmerican black ducks in N

America, with average annual pdailycountsof40,000birds.Hundrof species of neo-tropical migrabirdsarealsodocumentedasusinghabitatsofMageeMarsh.FrommApriltoMayeachyear,MageeMand its well-known public-acboardwalkhostapproximately150visitorsprimarilyforbirdwatching

Pied-billed Grebe,J.Mattsson,USFWS

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owards the development of theUpper Midwest and Great Lakes

LandscapeConservationCooperativeUMGL LCC). The UMGL LCCncludes members of federal, stateand tribal governments, as wellas nongovernmental agencies thatome together as a conservationommunitytoaddresssharedscienceneeds and coordinate cooperativeonservationim-plementation.

Knowledge and tools developedby the UMGL LCC will help theonservation community effectivelyaddress the stressors impacting ournatural resources at the landscapecale.TheUMGLLCCconservationpartnerssharethevisionofcreatingandscapes that sustain sh,wildlife, and cultural resources byaddressing common science needsand coordinatingmore effective andfcient on-the-ground conservationdelivery across jurisdictions and

tate,federal,andtribalboundaries.

n pursuit of this vision theUMGLLCC used GLRI funds to supporteveral projects that leverageadditional resources to buildollaborations that address pressingonservation needs. One of thoseprojectswillidentifythespeciesmostulnerable to climate change in theGreat Lakes region. The projectwill allow partners to exchange

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative FundingUsed to Identify Species Vulnerable toClimate Change

information about the distributionand abundance of terrestrialspecies and discuss their resistanceand resilience to climate change,ultimately identifyingthosethatare

particularly vulnerable to climateimpacts and require coordinatedconservation efforts across multiplejuris-dictionstoensuretheirsustain-ability. TheWisconsinDNRandtheUniversityofWisconsinMadisonareactingcollaborativelyonbehalfoftheUMGLLCC to organize interactiveworkshopswithstate,federal,tribal,and non-governmental partnersacross the region. The workshopsfocuson potential climate scenarios,the likely impacts of those changesonterrestrialspeciesbasedontheirlife history requirements, whichagencies and organizations havethe responsibility for and capacityto manage the subject species, therelative priorities for managementintervention, and triggers formobilizingmanagementefforts.

Guestspeakerswillgivepresentations

on climate trends, adaptivemanagement, structured decisionmaking,andpartnershipdevelopment.Workshopparticipantswill collectivelydiscuss the common interestsof the multi-agency and multi-interest audience and then engagein facilitated discussions, typicallythrough small breakout sessions.Bytheendofeachworkshopalistof species which are managementpriorities for the group wil l be

identifiedforinclusioninaregiclimateimpactassessment.

Thereare10workshopsschedulebecompleted incalendaryear 2

Thespecieslistsgeneratedfromworkshopwillbeusedto identifypriorities thatare shared acrossentireUMGLLCCandwillthenrenedasasetofRegionalPrioSpecies. The information wilpresented in a report whichinclude priority species identin each workshop, the aggreglist, the Regional Priority SpeList,anddetailsonspeciesselecpotential management optiavailablemanagementresources,otherrelevantinformation.

Ecologicalmodelswillbedevelofor each of the Regional PrioSpecieswhichassess the impactclimate change and other streson their future distributionabundance. This assessmentintegratethebestavailabledatamostcurrentscienticunderstan

in an inclusive, transparentprocwhich details both assumptionsuncertainties, to project populatlevel responses of target specielikelyclimatechangescenarios.Tinformationcanthenbeusedbyconservationcommunitytohelptcoordinateappropriateon-the-groactions,intherightplacesandatrighttimes,basedupontheirspecauthorities,missions,andneeds

In Fiscal Year 2010 and 2011the Great Lakes RestorationInitiativeprovidedfundingLakes

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Staff from the lab are also assisthe New York State DepartmenEnvironmental Conservation wrecovery of tag Chinook salfrom Lake Ontario and will wdirectlywithanglersandcharter

captains to recover as many shpossiblethisyear.Thisprogrampartial funding by the Great LaRestorationInitiative.

The full program will requireautomated trailers and four matrailers. Annual operations includtags, recovery efforts, andextraction services, will cost ab$6 million. An operational planbeen completed to mark allprior to stocking, and to recotaggedshaspartofregularshsurveys from anglers, commershers, and charter boat operatA data management system wildeveloped to cooperatively arcandanalyzerecoverydatatoansquestions of lake-wide or bawide scope. Efforts are underto communicate to stakeholdthe benets of mass marking

to secure the necessary fundingequipment and annual operatiProject leaders expect this progto be fully implemented withinyearsbutthatscheduleispredicon funding levels and subsequagency commitment. This projecan excellent example of cooperaproactiveeffortstoimproveandresherymanagementacrosstheGLakesbasin.

Great Lakes FishTagging and RecoveryLab Enjoys a BusySecond Year

F

ishery managers in the GreatLakes annually stock over 30

million salmonines (salmon androut) to diversify sport sheries,estore native sh populations, andontrolinvasiveshes.However,littles known about how well these shurvive, contribute to the sheries,ndreproduceinthewild.Toaddresshese concerns the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service led a cooperativeffort under the request of theCouncil of Lake Committees of theGreatLakesFisheryCommission,to

evelopabasin-wideprogramtotagll stocked salmon and trout. Thisffort will provide greater insightnto survival of stocked sh, theontribution of stocked adults toestorationofnativeshes,theabilityo manage harvest away from wildsh,and the opportunitytoevaluatend improve hatchery operations.The mass-marking program usesdiposen-clipsandcoded-wire tagsotrackgroupsofharvestedshthatwere stocked from federal and stateatcheries.

This year is the second year of theagging program and will involveagging about 5 million lake troutaised by the Service for lakesMichigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario,nd4.7millionChinooksalmonraisedy the states of Illinois, Indiana,Michigan and Wisconsin for Lake

HuronandLakeMichigan. Taggingnd clipping all these sh requiresheuseofasophisticated,computer-perated automated system thatapidly sort sh by size and moveshem down six tagging lines thatuicklycliptheiradiposenandplacesmallpieceofwireintheirsnouts.

The Tagging Lab currentlyperates 4 automated trailers. Thewire(tag)hasanumber(code,hence

coded-wire-tag) that allows groupsofshtobeidentiedwhentheyarerecaptured by shers and biologistslaterinlife.Groupsofshcouldbethose of the same strain or thosereleased at a stocking site. Whentaggedsharerecovered,theirsnoutsareremovedandsenttotheTaggingLab at the Green Bay FWCO forextractionandreading. Theanalysisof many recoveries will assist withmanagementdecisionsonstockinginthefutureyearsthatwillhelpimprove

andmaintain thesevenbilliondollarsportsheryontheGreatLakes.

Juvenile lake trout wait their turn during mass marking effort. USFWS

What happens to hatchery sh oncethey are released into the wild? Massmarking will track hatchery sh tond out.USFWS

The adipose n is clipped by themass marking machine. USFWS

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n terms of environmental contami-nants, the most severely degradedareas in the GreatLakesBasinareknown as Areas of Concern. The

AOCsarehighprioritylocationsforhe Service becauseof the diversityandabundanceofshandwildlife,andheenormouspotentialoftheseareasnce contaminants are eliminatedandhabitatrestored.TheU.S.FishndWildlifeServicesEnvironmentalContaminantsPrograminRegions3nd5havededicatedover$10millionnGreatLakesRestorationInitiativeundstoimprovingconditionswithinheGreatLakesAOCs.

TheServiceistakingacomprehensivepproachtorestoringAOCs,usingaarietyof tools. Withfederal, statend local partners, EnvironmentalContaminants specialists at theServices Ecological Services eldfceinColumbus,Ohio,arefocusing

on the AOCs on the Ashtabula,Cuyahoga and Black rivers. Thepartnersarelookingforopportunitiesto restore and enhance habitat andmonitoring impacts of contaminantsonshandbirds.

On the Ashtabula River, GLRIfunding is supporting a historyof efforts to safely remove PCB-contaminatedsedimentsandgaugingimpacts to aquatic life. Fundingsupports an early warning systemto detect and identify emergingcontaminants new substances thatpose threats to ecosystems, suchas pharmaceuticals, personal careproducts and new pesticides. Someof these contaminants are thoughtto be endocrine disruptors with thepotentialforlong-termimpactstoshandwildlifeoftheGreatLakes.

Contaminants left by steel mills intheBlackRiverAreaofConcernnearLorain,Ohio,arethefocusofGLRI-fundedeffortstoaddresscontaminants

Restoration Activities in Ohio Areas of Concern

In terms of environmentalcontaminants, the most severelydegradedareasintheGreatLakes

andrestoreriverhabitat.Thisprowill includetheremovalanddispof an abandoned bioremediasystem thatwas constructed inintheearly1990s.Fundsalsoherestoretheareathroughplacemencleansoilandplantingtheareawnativeplants,treesandshrubs.

The Cuyahoga River ShipChannel negatively impacts wquality, separates theriver fromriparian corridor, severely degraaquatichabitat,andprovidesahoenvironment for sh. The chanwithin the Cuyahoga River AreConcern,isankedwithdeteriorasteel and concrete armoringcompletely isolates the river fthe riparian corridor. The ScraRoad Peninsula Integrated HabRestoration Project will craquatic,wetland,andriparianhabandprovidepublicaccesstotheloCuyahogaRiver.OngoingremovdamsintheprojectareawillenhashmigrationbetweenLakeEriespawningareasupstream.

The Cuyahoga River Project site includes creation of habitat and wetlands in a derelict marina. PhotocourtesCuyahogaRAP.

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withstatepartnerstoenforcefederalwildlifelawsthroughouttheMidwestRegionandhavemanysuccessstoriesoheraldtheefforttotargetcriminalctivities, suchaswildlife trafckingndhabitatdestruction.

Battling InvasivesThe Ofce of Law EnforcementOLE)programfocusesresourcesandttention on potentially devastatinghreats to wildlife resourcesllegal trade, unlawful commercialxploitation, habitat destructionnd environmental hazards. In anfforttostavethespreadofinvasivequatic species like Zebra musselsndpathogenslikeviralhemorrhagic

S

Battling Aquatic Invasives - One Drop at a Time

septicemia(VHS),theMidwestRegionOLE program successfully soughtGreat Lakes Restoration Initiativefundingforamobiledecontaminationunit that is currently in use by theWisconsin Department of NaturalResource.

Chemical-free DecontaminationWisconsin Department of NaturalResources Deputy ConservationWarden and Water Guard ProgramCoordinatorGregStaceyoverseesthiseffortandselectedtheunit,designedandbuiltbyHydroEngineeringbasedinSaltLakeCity,Utahbecauseitisthebesttoolforthejob.

TheHydroEngineeringunitaffordsa mobile, chemical-free option forboat launches. The smaller portable

design and specialized attachmassure decontamination is thoroand completenomatterhow remthe locale. Decontamination utithermal control, a processinvolvesheatingwaterto140degrand has been proven effective

destroyingnumerousaquaticinvaspecies. Severalwestern statesfederal agencies, including theFish and Wildlife Service, curreoperatethisequipment.

Mobility is Key!The OLE program understathat meeting anglers and orecreationalists onsite, atlaunches across the Great Lregion, is essential to curbing

spreadofaquaticinvaders.

ThenationalMastersWalleyeCirheldrecentlyinEscanaba,Michsolidexampleoftheintendedpurof this unit. Warden Stacey joforces with other state and fedpartners in early August 2011assist in fullling Michigan Dtournament permit regulationsrequire hot water decontaminafor all participating watercraft.OLE program will continue tocreativesolutionsinthebattleagathespreadofaquaticinvasivesinGreatLakesregion.

Wisconsin Deputy Conservation Warden Greg Stacey uses the power nozzle toolo decontaminate the transom. Note the blue mobile decontamination unit in

he background. PhotocourtesyoftheWisconsinDNR.

pecialAgentswiththeU.S.Fishand Wildlife Service Ofce ofLawEnforcementactivelywork

Zebra mussels.RandolphCroft

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rout for the rst time in ve yearshis fall. The hatchery has beenlosedsince2005whenadeadlyvirus,nfectious Pancreatic Necrosis or

PN,wasdetectedinthesh.Summersh health testing showed no signf disease at the hatchery. Diseaseoncerns in 2005 precluded furthernsiteproductionof lake trout. Theatcherywasoncetheonlysourceofake trout for sh restoration in thewolowerGreatLakes,whichshowstsimportanceforlaketrout.

Funding from the Great LakesRestorationInitiativeandtheAmerican

T

The Return of Lake Trout toAllegheny National Fish Hatchery

Reinvestment andRecovery Act wasusedtobringthisimportanthatcheryback into operation.The fundswereused to build the infrastructurerequired to reopen the facility andpreventdiseasetransmission.Anewaeration tower will remove harmfulradon and nitrogen gases from thewell water and oxygen generatorswereaddedtofurther improvewaterquality. Quonset-style huts wereplaced over the outdoor pools toprevent future contamination fromspray off the nearby dam or frompredators that might threaten shhealth.

Additional construction of specialsettling ponds will ensure the

he Allegheny NationalFish Hatchery in Warren,Pennsylvania, will produce lake

requirements for protecting rwaterqualityandwildaquaticspedownstream. Other improvemwillprotectworkersandhelpevalprogramsuccess.

Thehatcheryisexpectingtoincreits former production of 660yearling lake trout to almostmillion lake trout. About 2brood sh will be reared to supeggs required for this level ofproduction and will be releasedLakeErieandLakeOntario.Fuegg production may be increasesupportrestorationprogramsinLMichiganandLakeHuron.

The Allegheny National Fish Hatchery in Warren, Pa., will produce lake trout for the rst time in ve years this fall. USF

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Great Lakes Restoration InitiativeGLRI) this year. The rst is a

ampling study to determine theprevalence and geographic rangeor viral hemorrhagic septicemia, adisease that causes large-scale shkills.Thevirushasbeendocumentedat locations throughout the GreatLakesregion.

The funding also expanded effortso monitor and survey for exoticand emerging diseases in the lowerGreat Lakes shery. Fish health

dataderivedfromtheseprojectswillprovideinformationtoguidedecisionsonsheriesmanagementintheLowerGreatLakesBasin.

A new strain (type IVb) of viralhemorrhagicsepticemiawasdetectedn the GreatLakes in 2003 through2005.

Fewdifferenceswereidentiedamonghesamplesindicatingthatthestrain

wasintroducedimthepastfewyears.Thestudyresultsdidnotindicateanynewlocationsorhostspeciesforviralhemorrhagicsepticemiainthebasin.

The Lamar Fish Health Centerworked with the New YorkDepartment of EnvironmentalConservation, Pennsylvania FishandBoatCommission,andtheU.S.GeologicalSurveytocollectandtestishaspartofthisstudy.Atotalof,452fish,representing15differentpecies,werecollectedfrom27sitesandexaminedforthepresenceofthisvirusandotherdiseaseagents.Twelveofthespeciescollectedareknowntobe susceptible to viral hemorrhagicepticemia. As of mid-September,viralhemorrhagicsepticemiahasnotbeendetectedin2011.

T

Samplingfor Pathogens

Because the virus had previouslybeenfoundattwositesinNewYork

outsideoftheGreatLakesdrainage,thesurveywasextendedintothetwolower lake states. This part of thestudy covered 25 sites, more than800 sh, and 14 different speciesincludingthreethatmayormaynotbesusceptibletothevirus.

Increased sh health surveillanceof wild sh stocks has revealedtwo new diseases that may affectsalmonids: lake trout herpesvirusor Epizootic EpitheliotropicDisease and Nucleospora salmonis,a microsporidium. Testing forthe other emerging pathogens(EEDV and Nucleospora) involvesa molecular (DNA) test. For thissh health study, 369 free-rangingsh,representingfourspecies,weretested. Nucleospora salmonis wasconrmed in two steelhead troutfrom Lake Erie, one collected at

Trout RunWeir and the other fChautauquaCreek.

Testing for pathogens continuesarchivedsamples.

Additionally,morethan500laketspawned at hatcheries for userestoration programs in both Upand Lower Great Lakes progrweretestedattheLamarFishHeCenterand found negativefor thdisease agents. Largemouth BViruswasisolatedandconrmedflargemouthbassfromonesiteinLErie,andfromsmallmouthbassfsevensitesinGreatLakesstatesoutsideofthebasin.

he Lamar Fish Health Centerin Pennsylvania managed twoprojects funded through the

Lamar Fish Health Center in Pennsylvania managed two projects funthrough GLRI.USFWS

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asset in that waters of the lower

Detroit River that is furtheringhe conservation mission of theService. Sugar Island is located inloseproximity to the DetroitRivernternational Wildlife RefugesGibraltar Bay Unit, Calf IslandUnit,LakeErieMetroparkUnitandHumbugMarshUnit. The island isonsidered part of a ConservationCrescentthatsurroundsthesouthernnd of Grosse Ile, Mich. and servesas important stopover habitat for

migratorybirds.ThebedrockshoalsurroundingSugarIslandalsoserves important spawning habitat forsh,includinglakewhitesh.

WeareverypleasedtoacquireSugarsland as part of the ConservationCrescent that will help protect anmportant bird and sh migration

uringthesummerof2011,GLRIfundingwas utilized to acquirean important conservation

P

D

Extending DetroitRivers ConservationCrescent

species for listing under theEndangered Species Act, have beenhampered by lack of informationaboutthesnake.Recognizedasstateendangered or as a special concernspeciesthroughoutitsrangeintheU.S.and Canada, including many GreatLakesstates,theeasternmassasaugaaces threats including habitat lossandfragmentation(wetlanddrainage,urbanization, conversion of habitato agriculture, road mortality) andharvest. Information about thesnakeslifehistoryandpopulationareneededtohelp developmanagementguidelines and models of extinctionrisk. GLRI is funding eld work$106,000 for 2010 and 2011;$60,000or2012)togatherdataonacentrallyocatedpopulationofeastern

Sugar Island as seen from the air in the lower Detroit River in GrosseTownship, Mich.PhotobyBobBurns.

corridor, notes Detroit RiverInternational Wildlife RefugeManagerJohnHartig.

SugarIslandisa30-acre,uninhabitedisland located at the mouth of the

DetroitRiverinGrosseIleTownMich.Ithasmorethan4,500feewaterfrontageandliesapproxima0.5 miles west of the U.S.-Canaborder.

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

massasaugas; the information willbeappliedtopopulationsthroughoutthespeciesrange.Fundingwillalsohelp efforts to improve extinctionriskmodels;andsupporttheEastern

rotection and recovery effortsfor the eastern massasaugarattlesnake,a federalcandidate

Massasauga Species Survival Pthrough enhancing the capbreeding program and interageinformationsharing.

Eastern massasauga rattlesnake, JamesChiucchi

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&WildlifeServicewithfundsfromtheGreat Lakes Restoration InitiativeGLRI),wasdeliveredtothebanksoftheKalamazooRiverinsouthwesternMichigan,thisfacilityisakeystepinthe long-term effort to rehabilitatecritically small lake sturgeonpopulationsinLakeMichigan.

Great Lakes sturgeon declined

dramatically in the late 1800s fromovershing, pollution and habitatoss.Thoughmanypopulationswereextirpated long ago, sturgeons stillpersistinatleast8riversaroundLakeMichiganatasmallfractionoftheirhistoricabundance.Oncedepleted,t is often difcult for sturgeon torecoverbecause the survival rateofyoungshispoorandittakesthemmanyyearstomature.

As part of a multi-agency effort torehabilitate this ancient species inLakeMichigan,theServicecommittedtoconstructingandoperatingthisnewtrailer-based streamside hatcheryontheKalamazooRiver.ThiseffortnvolvedboththeGreenBayFishandWildlifeConservationOfce(FWCO)andtheGenoaNationalFishHatcheryNFH)working inpartnershipwiththeMichiganDepartmentofNatural

Resources (DNR) and other local

partners.

The new streamside hatchery wasprocured and constructed at theGenoa National Fish Hatchery(NFH) and began operation inApril2011.Duringweeksof 24houreld sampling, a dedicated crewof biologists from the ServicesGreenBayFWCOandGenoaNFH,Michigan DNR, the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi

Indians, and the Kalamazoo RiverChapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrowwere successful in collecting severalhundredwildfertilizedeggsfromtheKalamazooRiver.Onceplacedinthenew hatchery, these wild eggs soonhatchedandstarted their lifewithinthe streamside facility. They had amuchbetter chance of survival thaneggs and sh in the wild that facepredation,diseaseandstarvation.

Building a Nursery for Lake Sturgeon

Thisspringasmallbutimportant

new trailer-based sturgeonhatchery,builtbytheU.S.Fish

Over the following 6 months,teamof Service andMichiganDbiologists nurtured the surviva150 young sturgeon along, feedthembrineshrimp,bloodwormskrill.Theshgrewuptoasiz6-10 inches so they couldbetag

andreleasedbackintotheriverinfalltocontinuetheirlifeasKalamaRiversturgeon.

An importantaspectof streamsrearingisthatthesharerearewater pumped from the river. increasesthelikelihoodthattheyosturgeon will imprint in the s

waywildshdo,ensuringtheirreto this river as mature adultsreducing thechance that theymstraytootherrivers,causinggenconcerns forotherpopulations. big test will be in 20-25 yearswthese streamside reared sh storeturnto theKalamazooRivespawnandsustainthenextgeneraofsturgeon.

Service biologists set egg collection mats near the spawning grounds onKalamazoo River. Collected sturgeon eggs are transported to the streamhatchery facility for rearing.RobElliott,USFWS

These juvenile sturgeon have spthe entire summer living in streasmside rearing unit. They soon be ready to be released back the wild .USFWS

Outside view of the streamside rearing unit. USFWS

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In2002,apartnershipofagencyuniversitybiologistsandresearcinitiated a lake-wide assessmenthe status of lake sturgeon in LMichigan. Rehabilitation newere identied and prioritand rehabilitation guidelinesconservingthegeneticcharacteri

of remaining populations wdeveloped.Oneparticularlyimporidea was that stocking traditionreared hatchery sh mightto the loss of some remnantgeneticallydistinctpopulations.Twas the impetus for developingstreamside rearing technique,initiatedontheManisteeRiverbyLittleRiverBandofOttawaIndiThistechniquewasthenusedtobereintroducingsturgeontofourrivinMichiganandWisconsinwherehad been extirpated. The ServnewKalamazooRiverhatcheryissixthstreamsidefacilitynowinusLakeMichigan.

Top left: USFWS technician LindseyLesmeister (left) and MIDNRBiologist Kregg Smith (right) deploymats near lake sturgeon spawning

grounds to collect eggs. KevinMann,USFWS

Service biologists Kevin Mann (left) and Sam Stafslien (right) examine

mats for lake sturgeon eggs. These wild collected eggs are then transpoto the Kalamazoo River streamside rearing facility where they are rearengerling size and released in the fall. RiverElliott,USFWS

Left: Service Biologist Sam Stafsliensearches through drift net samples

collected from the Kalamazoo Riverto nd eggs and larval lake sturgeon.RobElliott,USFWS

Bottom: Tribal employees JesseComben (left) and Andrea Koster(right) search for radio-tagged adultlake sturgeon near their spawninggrounds. RobElliott,USFWS

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Inside the streamside rearing unit. USFWS

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developed safely for birds andbats. The knowledge gained fromhe project will also be useful inprotecting areas important tomigrating birds from other habitatmpactsandwouldhelpidentifykeyareas that are critical to the many

bird and bat species that migrateacrossandaroundtheGreatLakes.Finally, the data obtained from thestudies will identify areas whereadditional analysis is necessary toensurethatwindpowerisdevelopednamannerthatisprotectiveofbatsandmigratorybirds.

Project ProgressThe initial focus has been on theandward shoreline areas wherehe greatest pressure for winddevelopment is occurring. Asecondaryeffort isbeingstartedonsomeoftheGreatLakesislandswheresomewinddevelopmentisbeginningo occur. Four complementarymethodsare being utilizedtobegindeterminingmigration corridors forbirds and bats along the landwardshoreline areas. These fourmethods are: avian radar systems,

he primary purpose of thisproject is to identify areaswhere wind projects may be

Making Wind Power Wildlife Friendly

The shorelines, islands, and offshore areas of the Great Lakes provide excellent

resources for wind power development. However, the shorelines and open water areas are

also important habitat for many bird and bat species, particularly during the migration

season. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wind project developers, regulators, and

others need better information regarding: shoreline migration corridors and stopover

habitat for birds and bats, utilization of Great Lakes islands by migrants and breedingbirds, and migration use over open water (pelagic) areas.

acoustic/ultrasonic monitors, visualobservations, and digitization ofhistoricalbirdobservations.

Two avian radar systems werepurchased and operated from mid-April to early June for part of thespring migration period. The tworadarunitsweredeployednearPointBeach State Forest north of Two

TRivers, WI with one coveringshoreline area and the other furlandward.FalldatacollectionbegAugust,withoneradarunitoperaon the east shore of Lake MichnearShelby,MIandtheotheronwest shore of LakeHuronnortPortHope,MI.Theradarsoftwis designed to identify birdsbats as targets and provide d

Avian Radar System (ARS) with Horizontal Scanning Radar antenna (deployed, Vertical Scanning Radar antenna (background) and GLRI logo.

JennaTews,USFW

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on their approximate size, ightdirection, altitude,timeobserved,andlocationrelativetotheground.

Avianradarislimitedinitsabilityoseparatethe targets intobirdsor bats and to classify themurtherintofamilyorgenus.Visualobservations will help determine

whatbirdswerefoundin theareaas the radar data was collected.Additionally, the U.S. Fish andWildlifeServicehaspartneredwithheU.S.GeologicalSurveyandtheUniversityofMinnesotatoconductacousticmonitoring.Twoacoustic/ultrasonicmonitorswereoperatedwitheachradarunitforbothspringandfallseasons.Theseunitsaredesigned to pick up calls of batsultrasonic) and nocturnal birds

acoustic) as they pass throughhe area. This fall approximately2 additional monitors have beendeployed along the shorelines ofLakes Michigan, Lake Erie andLakeOntario.

n addition to the work beingonducted by the Service, thesevegrantshavebeencompetitivelyawardedtoconductadditionalworkwithfundingtotaling$148,000:Biodiversity Research Institute,Monitoring and spatial mapp-ing of migratory bird and bathabitat use in the ThousandIslands region of New YorkState,$56,949;

Ozuakee Washington LandTrustandWesternGreatLakesBird and Bat Observatory,Digitizing Datasets of Avian

Migration Data for LakeMichigan Shoreline andIslands,$29,900;

Woodland Dunes NatureCenterandPreserve,Digitizingbirdsurveydataforspringandfall migration periods for thewest shore of Lake MichiganatManitowocandTwoRivers,Wisconsin,$18,375;

BlackSwampBirdObservatory,Digitization, organization, andconversion of historical birdsurvey and accompanyingdatasetsofBlackSwampBirdObservatory,$18,170;

Audubon Chicago Region,Digitizing a rich and detaileddatabase of Chicago lakefrontmigratory bird information,$25,000.

Pins indicate spring and fall deployment locations during 2011.

One hour summary of nocturnal migration from Lake Michigan site. Ndominant colors indicating primarily north and northwest directiomovement and directional movement on graph.

Three of the digitization projwill result ina thoroughdatabofhistoricandcurrentuseofwestern LakeMichigan shoreby migratory birds in sprand fall. Twenty years of dfor western Lake Erie willdigitized as well. New databird and bat migration pattewill be obtained from migrasurveys on the eastern LOntario islands inNewYork.

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historicandcurrentbirddatawillbeenteredintotheMidwestAvianDataCentersdatabase,partoftheAvianKnowledgeNetwork. Thiswillensurethedatawillbepubliclyaccessibleandwillenabletheuseof geospatial tools to undertakevariousanalyses.

The radar andacoustic/ultrasonicdata will be coupled with thedigitizedbirdsurveydatatoobtainpecies-specic information foreach site. By combining thesedatasets the Service will have aobust data set describing howbirdsusetheGreatLakeshorelinesduring migration, which will bean invaluable tool to understand

the potential interaction betweenmigrating birds and wind powerprojects. The immediate goal of

gatheringthisinformationistobeabletoaccuratelyandscienticallyevaluate proposed wind powerprojects potential impact onmigratory birds, a Federal trustresource. But the value of theinformation extends far beyondjust this utility. Migratory birddata canbe used to evaluate andprioritize land for conservationor restoration, inform habitatmanagement, and aid in

understandingspeciesdistributionand behavior. By making bothcurrentdataandhistoricdatasetspubliclyaccessible,thisvaluable

informationcanbewidelyusedforconservationplanningpurposes.Future WorkDataanalysisof spring radarhasbegun and will continue throughfallandbecomemostintensethiswinter between fall and springmigrationwhenwewillhaveoverfourFTEs dedicated to the task.For spring migration, we hopeto have one radar unit sited incoordination with units operatedby the CanadianWildlife Serviceand Ontario Ministry of NaturalResources, who are conductingsimilarstudies.

Overview of the acous

ultrasonic monitor.

Close-up of the monitor (green

box), battery (blue box), andultrasonic microphone housing(white cylinder).

Acoustic microphone raised aboveground to reduce ambient noise.

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AllU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceeldsiteswhichreceiveGrLakesRestorationInitiativefundingwillbemarkedbyassimilartotheonepicturedabove.Identifyingoureldsitespartofourinter-agencyagreementwiththeU.S.EnvironmenProtectionAgency.ThisfundingrequirementwasdesignedincreasepublicawarenessandtransparencywithregardtouseofGLRIfunding.

Sign of Progress

To learn about other USFWS GreLakes Restoration Initiative projeplease visit: http://www.fws.gov/GL

Please direct inquiries to:Katie Steiger-MeisterExternal AffairsU.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceMidwest RegionPhone: 612/713-5317Or at Katie_Steiger-Meister@fws

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service800/344 WILDttp://www.fws.gov

Tom MeliusRegional DirectorMidwest Region

ttp://midwest.fws.gov

Wendi WeberRegional DirectorNortheast Region

ttp://www.fws.gov/northeast

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Success 2011 Book FWS

Documents

Transcript of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Success 2011 Book FWS