Crockery Creek - WKTV Journal

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel will apply lampricides to the Rogue River and Crockry Creek in Kent and Ottawa counties. (Courtesy, Great Lakes Fishery Commission)

June 6–14, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel will apply lampricides to the Rogue River and Crockery Creek in Kent and Ottawa Counties to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom. The applications will be conducted in accordance with State of Michigan permits. Applications will be complete in about five days. Application dates are tentative and may change based upon local weather or stream conditions near the time of treatment.

Sea lamprey larvae live in certain Great Lakes tributaries and transform to parasitic adults that migrate to the Great Lakes and kill fish. Failure to kill the larvae in streams would result in significant damage to the Great Lakes fishery. Infested tributaries must be treated every three to five years with lampricides to control sea lamprey populations.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency have reviewed human health and environmental safety data for lampricides, and in 2003 concluded that the lampricides (Lampricid and Bayluscide) pose no unreasonable risk to the general population and the environment when applied at concentrations necessary to control larval sea lampreys. However, as with any pesticide, the public is advised to use discretion and minimize unnecessary exposure.Lampricides are selectively toxic to sea lampreys, but a few fish, insect, and broadleaf plants are sensitive. Persons confining bait fish or other organisms in stream water are advised to use an alternate water source because lampricides may cause mortality among aquatic organisms stressed by crowding and handling. Agricultural irrigation must be suspended for 24 hours, during and following treatment.

Extensive preparations are required for a safe and effective stream treatment. Prior to treatment, personnel collect data on stream water chemistry and discharge.In addition, they may conduct on-site toxicity tests with lampricides and stream flow studies with dyes that cause stream water to appear red or green.

Lampricides are carefully metered into the stream for approximately 12 hours, and continually analyzed at predetermined sites to assure that proper concentrations are maintained as the lampricides are carried downstream.Applicators are trained and are certified by (state/provincial) regulatory agencies for aquatic applications of pesticides.

The program is contracted through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The Commission initiated chemical control of sea lampreys in 1958. Since that time the highly successful program has contributed significantly to the maintenance of the $7 billion Great Lakes sport and commercial fisheries.

The Commission is committed to delivering a sea lamprey control program that practices good environmental stewardship. To support the continued safe use of lampricides the Commission recently conducted a series of studies at a total cost of $6 million to assess the effects of the lampricides on human health and the environment. In addition to these studies the Commission has implemented a research program to develop alternative control techniques. The Commission also is developing a strategy to increase the number of barriers on lamprey-producing streams, and is conducting research into barrier design, traps, attractants, and biological controls.

For additional information in the U.S. call 1-800-472-9212 and in Canada call 1-800-553-9091. TTY users may reach the Marquette or Ludington Biological Stations through the Michigan State Relay Service at 1-800-649-3777.

Crockery Creek Watershed Advisory Council hosts meeting on water best management practices on Jan. 28.

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Crockery Creek Watershed Advisory Council announced that it will host a workshop on resources for land and water best management practices at its next business meeting, Tues., Jan. 28, at 6:30pm at Cellar Brewery, 133 E. Division St., in Sparta.

Speaker Ben Jordan of the Ottawa Conservation District will discuss the services it offers to farmers and land owners, as well as funding resources available to implement better environmental practices. The conservation district currently has funding to offer confidential, free or reduced-cost assistance to residents in the Deer and Bass Creek Watersheds wanting to implement better land and water management practices on their property.

“The conservation district hopes to be able make more best management practices resources available in the Crockery Creek Watershed, so we encourage residents to join us at this presentation to learn more and get involved in the process,” Jordan said. “Until then, we are always able to provide advice, technical assistance, and connect residents to resources they need to get started with their own conservation work.”

Agricultural, water and land best management practices are designed to assist land-owners and agricultural producers in: balancing efficient production with sound environmental practices, meeting scientific standards for best environmental protection, runoff prevention, planning for emergencies, and safe fuel and chemical storage.

According to Callie Melton, who handles pubic relations for the Crockery Creek Watershed Advisory Council, there are are number of things people can do right now to help address water problems where they area. She noted that all the waterways are connected.

One example is to let your grass grow to three inches or higher before moving or leave more areas un-mowed.

“The more water captured by the ground, native plans and deeper root systems — will help reduce water flow into the Grand River and Lake Michigan,” Melton said.

For more tips and ideas, visit the the Crockery Creek Watershed Advisory Council meeting and workshop on Jan. 28.at Cellar Brewery.