Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - News

Egg collection for Great Lakes trout and salmon underway

STURGEON BAY – With higher water levels on Lake Michigan and a pipeline aiding flow in Strawberry Creek, state fisheries crews are expecting a good run of chinook salmon in coming weeks to the facility where they’ll collect eggs from the fish to raise the next generation of “kings.”

The outlook is not as clear for the runs of coho and steelhead, however, given a dry July and August at tributaries near Racine and Kewaunee where the state’s other egg collection facilities are located, and a recent trend of fewer fish returning.

“We’re at the mercy of Mother Nature here,” says Mike Baumgartner, supervisor of the C.D. Besadny Anadromous Fish Facility near Kewaunee. “We’re working on four to five years with dry summer conditions and we don’t have a pipeline. We need well-timed rain events a week apart to trigger the fish to run and to provide the stream flow to help them get upriver.”

The Besadny and the Root River Steelhead Facility in Racine are the two facilities the Department of Natural Resources operates along Lake Michigan to collect steelhead and coho eggs and backup collection of chinook eggs. A third facility, the Strawberry Creek Spawning Facility near Sturgeon Bay, is the primary collector of chinook eggs. Fertilized eggs from the chinook and cohos will be transferred to DNR hatcheries and raised there before being stocked back into Great lakes tributaries in spring 2005 for chinook and spring 2006 for coho. Steelhead, which run in late summer and early fall, are not ripe for spawning when captured so they're taken to the Kettle Moraine Springs State Fish Hatchery, where they are held until they're ready for spawning in January or February.

The three facilities are critical to producing fish for stocking to maintain the trout and salmon fishery in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Chinook, steelhead and coho aren’t native to Wisconsin but were stocked starting in the late 1960s to help control alewives and have since become a popular target for anglers. These Pacific Coast natives don’t reproduce in significant numbers in Wisconsin, so eggs collected during spring and fall spawning runs are needed to produce the next generation of fish.

Recent low water levels on Lake Michigan and dry summers have contributed to poor runs and dicey egg collections. In 2003, the chinook egg collection was saved by a pipeline DNR installed in 2000 to pump Lake Michigan water to the Strawberry Creek weir. The pipeline allowed DNR to collect at Strawberry Creek the majority of the chinook egg quota -- 3.4 million of 3.8 million eggs.

The water conditions were more problematic at the other two facilities, which don’t have pipelines and are farther upstream. “We had some incredibly poor conditions in the Kewaunee River for the fish to run in,” Baumgartner says. “In one spot, there was a 150-yard stretch the chinook had to make it through where the river was only 10 to 12 feet wide and six inches deep.”

The chinook salmon return to the Besadny facility in fall 2003 was about 20 percent of the previous year, and the facility endured its second lowest steelhead return in spring 2003 and fall 2003: 371 compared to the typical 1,675 fish taken. Coho captures were also way down.

At the Root River facility in Racine, near-drought conditions resulted in a very poor return in 2003 of coho and steelhead, according to Matt Coffaro, DNR fish expert for southeastern Wisconsin.

“Last year at this time, we had to go looking for steelhead with electrofishing equipment,” he says.

The Root River and the Besadny facility were able to collect enough eggs to meet the steelhead quota, but didn’t get the desired breakdown among the three strains stocked. And the agency ended up securing surplus coho eggs from another state to fill out the coho quota, Coffaro says.

While the low flows and water levels contributed to the poor runs, they weren’t the only reasons, and DNR fish biologists are trying to identify other factors at work, according to Steve Hogler, the DNR fish biologist in charge of steelhead collection efforts. Harvest trends, fish health, size at stocking and Lake Michigan forage issues are being investigated to determine if and how they have contributed to the declining runs, he says.

“Skamania have always been a difficult fish for us because they run into the streams that are usually not real hospitable for them – streams with warm water and low flow because of summer conditions,” Hogler says. “So we’re pushing the envelope there trying to maintain a fishery under difficult conditions.”

He is hoping for better runs this year of steelhead and coho because the higher lake levels and a rainy May and June left the Kewaunee and Root rivers in better shape this fall than last. But it will still be important to get rain this month to increase the flow in those tributaries to attract the fish, he says.

Chinook egg collection should be in good shape, between the pipeline and the higher water levels on Lake Michigan, according to Paul Peeters, the DNR fish biologist in charge of Chinook egg collection. “We should have no problem attracting or holding the chinook and collecting their eggs.”

Already, 1,250 chinook have run up Strawberry Creek and into the holding pond. DNR crews plan to start taking eggs Sept. 29, and will continue capturing fish and collecting eggs throughout the end of the run. “We believe that the progeny of fish collected early in the run will come back early themselves, so we try to maintain genetic diversity of the run by collecting fish from throughout the run,” Peeters says.

For anglers and others, the three egg collection facilities offer good opportunities to see Great Lakes trout and salmon up close, as well as the effort that goes into producing them. Here are the details:

• Strawberry Creek Spawning Facility, located on Strawberry Avenue off Door County Highway U, east of Sturgeon Bay and south of the ship canal. Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to observe egg collection, but call ahead for hours and days of operation. (920) 746-2860.
• C.D. Besadny Anadromous Fish Facility, located at 3884 Ransom Moore Lane, off County Highway F, west of Kewaunee, is open daily, dawn to dusk, Monday to Friday. An open house will run Oct. 9 all day (see details below) Call (920) 388-1025.
• Root River Steelhead Facility, on the Root River, inside Lincoln Park in Racine. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but call the Lake Michigan Fishing Hotline (414) 382-7920 for updates or view the Root River Steelhead Facility's Web page.

Open house set for Oct. 9 at Kewaunee egg collection facility

Visitors to the C.D. “Buzz” Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility open house on Oct. 9 will be able to see the chinook salmon return to the Kewaunee River.

The open house will run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and will feature activities throughout the day, including guided tours at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. People will be able to watch salmon jump the fish ladder through underwater viewing windows and learn about the history of Lake Michigan fisheries and the salmon egg collection process.

The fisheries facility is one of three DNR operates along Lake Michigan tributaries to collect eggs used to produce trout and salmon for stocking in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. It's nestled in a secluded area along a quiet stretch of the Kewaunee River and is ideal for showing students, fishery professionals and the public how the DNR provides a diverse sport fishery for anglers on Lake Michigan, says Kathy Dax, the facility's naturalist.

The C.D. Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility is located at 3884 Ransom Moore Lane, off Kewaunee County Highway F, west of Kewaunee, on the west bank of the Kewaunee River. For more information about the open house call (920) 388-1025.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Baumgartner, Kewaunee facility (920) 388-1025; Paul Peeters, Strawberry Creek (920) 746-2865; Matt Coffaro, Root River facility (414) 263-8614

Horicon Marsh recognized as Wisconsin’s first Important Bird Area

MADISON -- The 32,000 acre Horicon Marsh will be recognized as Wisconsin’s first Important Bird Area (IBA) on Oct 16 at a 1:30 p.m. ceremony at the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center near Mayville. The event is part of National Refuge Week-Open House.

An Important Bird Area is a site that provides critical habitat for one or more species of bird at any stage during the animal’s life cycle. This includes areas important to mating, nesting, foraging, summer and winter habitat, and/or migratory stopovers.

The recognition ceremony will feature several speakers and a ribbon cutting. Steve Miller, director of Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Facilities and Lands, will represent the agency. Noel Cutright will represent the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also be represented. Mike McDowell of Eagle Optics will be present to award prizes to the winners of the IBA nomination contest, which Eagle Optics sponsored.

“A resource of this quality and importance is a real asset to Wisconsin,” said Miller. “Not only is it vital to waterfowl passing through on migration as well as resident wildlife, it’s a significant destination for tourists and bird enthusiasts who stimulate the local economy. Over the years, thousands have learned about the marsh, its animal life and about wildlife in general through the educational efforts of the marsh staff. Without a doubt, this is an excellent choice as Wisconsin’s first Important Bird Area.”

“Horicon is unique by the sheer number of birds a person is able to see in on place at one time,” said Andy Paulios, WBCI coordinator. “During peak migration times it’s possible to see over one million birds in a day making it one of the few places in the Midwest where you can see the hugeness of the fall migration in this way.”

The entire marsh, consisting of the Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area and the adjoining Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, will be part of the Important Bird Area. Horicon also is designated as a Wetland of International Importance and a Globally Important Bird Area.

The IBA program was started in Europe by BirdLife International, and came to the United States in 1995. Forty-six states now have IBA programs.

The IBA program identifies and protects these sites using a voluntary, grassroots, collaborative approach to conservation. In Wisconsin, the IBA program is being implemented by the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative (WBCI) a partnership of over 130 organizations working to foster bird conservation efforts. Dozens of sites have been nominated in Wisconsin and more IBAs will be designated according to WBCI officials.

Horicon Marsh is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States. It is a significant breeding area for many marsh birds such as ducks, herons, pelicans, bitterns, and terns, and is especially important for ducks and geese, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, which congregate on the marsh during fall migration. Biologists and birders have recorded 285 bird species on the marsh. Additional information about Horicon Marsh is available on the Department of Natural Resources Web site.

Additional information about the IBA program can be found online at: <http://www.wisconsinbirds.org/iba - Exit DNR>.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Yoyi Steele, IBA Coordinator - (608) 266-8169

Groundwater protection report available

MADISON - Wisconsin's progress in protecting its groundwater resources in the past year and the overall condition and emerging threats to those resources are detailed in the recently released annual report of the Groundwater Coordinating Council.

The 2004 Groundwater Coordinating Council Report to the Legislature which also contains recommendations for the future direction of protection activities, can be found online at the Department of Natural Resources Web site. The Groundwater Coordinating Council, or GCC, was formed in 1984 to help state agencies and the University of Wisconsin coordinate non-regulatory activities and exchange information on groundwater.

The report summarizes the council's and agencies’ activities related to groundwater protection and management in fiscal year 2004, which runs from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004, according to Tim Asplund, the DNR water resources specialist who serves as a staff member to the council. The report highlights the significant focus Wisconsin placed in 2004 on groundwater quantity, culminating with a new law intended to protect trout streams and other high quality waters that depend on groundwater for some of their base flow, Asplund says. The law directs DNR staff, when considering an application for certain high capacity wells, to weigh the environmental impact of the proposed well when it's proposed to be located near trout streams and high quality waters.

"This new legislation, the product of broad, bipartisan support, signals that the broader public recognizes the importance of protecting Wisconsin's groundwater resources," says DNR Water Division Administrator Todd Ambs, who chairs the council. "This report provides a good overview of this new legislation and of the state's work on other areas."

The report also provides information on groundwater quality, including the latest monitoring results for contaminants including the presence of pesticide breakdown products, pharmaceuticals and viruses in groundwater.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Asplund - (608) 267-7449

Communities receive funds for boating projects

MADISON – Seventeen Wisconsin units of government and two qualified lake associations will receive grants totaling $3,522,058 to make improvements for recreational boating in their communities.

The grants were approved at the August 25 meeting of the Wisconsin Waterways Commission, a five-member commission appointed by the governor to determine the need for recreational boating facilities and to approve financial aid to local governments and agencies for the development of recreational boating projects. Funds for grants comes from the state Water Resources Account and are raised through a formula transfer of excise tax on gasoline used for marine purposes.

The Commission approved 19 new projects. Grant agreements for the approved projects will be released by the department over the next several weeks. The following is a list of the projects:

• City of Ashland, Ashland County: $15,000 to conduct a feasibly analysis regarding ice damage repair/management and harbor expansion for the Ashland harbor on Lake Superior.

   

• Milwaukee County: $86,400 to extend the existing boat ramps an additional 10 feet into the water at the South Shore launch facility to Lake Michigan.

   

• Door County: $2,800,000 to reorient and expand the number of ramps at the Stone Quarry launch site to Green Bay and construct a harbor of refuge with breakwater structures to protect the launch area.

   

• Gremore Lake District, Crawford County: $81,300 to dredge and mark 5,700 feet of 50-foot wide navigational channel in Gremore Lake, a backwater of the Mississippi River.

   

• Pierce County: $120,325 to dredge approximately 20,000 cubic yards from a 50 foot wide navigational channel in Nugget Lake.

   

• Silver Lake Management District, Waushara County: $4,500 to chemically treat approximately 20 acres of Eurasian water milfoil on Silver Lake.

   

• Little Green Lake Protection & Rehabilitation District, Green Lake County: $12,500 to chemically treat approximately 45 acres of Eurasian water milfoil on Little Green Lake.

   

• Tri-Lakes Association, Kewaunee County: $2,176 to chemically treat approximately 5 acres of Eurasian water milfoil on Krohn’s Lake.

   

• Eagle Spring Lake Management District, Waukesha County: $1,799 to chemically treat approximately 7 acres of Eurasian water milfoil on Eagle Spring Lake.

   

• Sawyer County: $8,510 to chemically treat approximately 40 acres of Eurasian water milfoil on Connor’s Lake.

   

• St. Croix County: $17,000 to renovate the existing boat launch on Glen Lake. Construction will include the installation of a new single lane launch ramp and accessible boarding dock.

   

• City of Fountain City, Buffalo County: $153,540 to renovate the deteriorated landing to the Mississippi River in Fountain City. Construction activities will include installation of a double lane launch ramp, accessible boarding docks and paving the existing gravel parking area.

   

• Barron County: $8,300 to replace the existing boat launch with a single lane concrete ramp, paving the approach and placing a hard surfaced walkway between the new ramp and the dock.

   

• Town of Milltown, Polk County: $18,375 to renovate the existing landing on Half Moon Lake. Construction will include the installation of a longer concrete panel ramp.

   

• Town of Menominee, Menominee County: $7,150 to update the existing launch ramp on the west shore of Legend Lake. Construction activities will include the installation of a new concrete launch ramp.

   

• Town of Presque Isle, Vilas County: $15,170 to upgrade the existing launch facility to Crab Lake. Improvements will include a new concrete launch ramp, accessible boarding dock and paved parking area.

   

• City of Whitewater, Walworth County: $16,170 to renovate the existing launch site at Tripp Lake. Construction will include the installation of a new single lane launch ramp, accessible boarding dock and paved parking area.

   

• Town of Geneva, Walworth County: $161,718 to renovate an existing launch on Lake Como. Construction will include the installation of a new concrete single lane launch ramp, accessible boarding dock and paved parking area.

   

• Lazy Lake Management District, Columbia County: $10,000 to acquire a used aquatic plant harvester for use on Lazy Lake.

Units of government and qualified lake associations interested in applying for matching funds for recreational boating projects should contact the community services specialist at their regional Department of Natural Resources DNR office. Eligible sponsors also include town sanitary districts and other local governmental units established for the purposes of lake management.

The next meeting of the Commission is tentatively scheduled for November 2004. Sponsors interested in making application should get in contact with regional community service specialist in their area. Projects cannot be forwarded to the Commission for consideration until all appropriate water regulatory permits or weed harvesting/chemical permits are obtained by the sponsor.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Freidig, DNR Bureau of Community Financial Assistance - (608) 266-5897

Brownfields Site Assessment Grant applications available

MADISON – Wisconsin communities interested in revitalizing abandoned, idle or underused industrial or commercial properties where redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived contamination have until mid-November to apply for state funds to help conduct environmental assessments of the properties.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Brownfields Site Assessment Grant (SAG) program has $1.7 million in available funding to help local governments jump start environmental activities at these type of properties, which are commonly referred to as brownfields.

“The Brownfields Site Assessment Grant Program has a proven track record for helping Wisconsin’s communities grow their economies,’ said Mark Giesfeldt, director of the DNR Bureau of Remediation and Redevelopment. “After five rounds of grants, municipalities are seeing their blighted properties become economic assets with the help of the state.”

Giesfeldt noted that the funding has helped local officials begin investigation and cleanup at 742 acres in 103 communities across the state since 1998. These activities included more than 340 site assessments and investigations, the removal of 197 underground storage tanks and the demolition of nearly 261 structures and buildings.

“The grants are important because they help leverage local investment and spur redevelopment at these properties, which is good for rejuvenating blighted areas,” said Giesfeldt.

Giesfeldt added that many of the properties receiving SAG’s have been redeveloped, including:

• the former Marathon Rubber site in Wausau, which local officials turned into a neighborhood park and low to medium income housing;
• the new Baraboo City Services Center, a $5 million, 65,000-square foot facility that stands on land once used for salvage and railroad operations; and
• the new Rockline Industries manufacturing facility, located in Sheboygan. The plant, which produces coffee filters, is located on the former R-Way Furniture factory site; the 100,000 square-foot Rockline facility cost approximately $2 million and provides 124 jobs to the community.

Local governments – which include cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes, and redevelopment, community and housing authorities – are eligible to apply for the SAG. While the SAG does not fund cleanup activities, it does fund the following activities:

• Phase I Environmental Site Assessments;
• Phase II Environmental Site Assessments;
• site investigations;
• demolition of buildings;
• asbestos removal associated with demolition;
• removal of abandoned containers; and
• removal of Underground Storage Tanks (USTs).

Applications and instructions for the $1.7 million are available from the DNR Remediation and Redevelopment program. Applications for both large and small grants are due Nov. 12, 2004.

Of the $1.7 million authorized this fiscal year, $1.02 million is allocated for small grants and $680,000 is allocated for large grants. Small grants range from $2,000 up to $30,000 and large grants range from $30,001 up to $100,000.

For more information about the SAG program, including the new application and revised grant criteria, please visit the DNR Remediation and Redevelopment Program.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Savagian - (608) 261-6422