Steuben County Lakes Council
LaGrange County Lakes Council
Presented a Fall Workshop "Dedicated to our Lakes" free of charge to local residents that included coffee breaks and lunch. I would like to thank everyone who attended and those whose hard work made this program possible.
This was a day full of informative topics on relevant issues presented by those who have dedicated their personal time and/or careers to managing and preserving the natural resources in Northeastern Indiana.
Mary Jo Fitzenrider shared how the residents of Clear Lake were able to get fertilizer with phosphate banned in their area. Then Bill Schmidt told us the ban can't be enforced unless a waiver is given by the state, so an educational outreach program has been started.
Pete Hippensteel explained the subwatershed analysis he has done in the area which documented how land use affects our water quality. Since all the water flows away from our area, we have no one to blame but ourselves. His study showed that agricultural use is the worst for water quality. It also showed that something as simple as creating a buffer zone between waterways and croplands makes a significant difference and that livestock must be fenced out of our waterways. There are programs in place to reimburse farmers for the loss of crop in buffer zones. And they are encouraging the use of "no till" methods on croplands to reduce runoff. The St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative website has detailed information about the watershed analysis.
Several speakers from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources presented information from their specialties:
Jeremy Price explained the permitting process of the DNR for seawalls and the rules regarding dock placement.
Angela Sturdevant gave us information about Indiana's Shoreline Landscaping Program and Landscaping for Lake Health. Indiana is emulating a Minnesota Shoreline Management program in using unmowed turf and native plants for residential buffers on shorelines to reduce the runoff of fertilizer and soil into our waterways. An additional benefit is that shrubs and wildflowers allowed to grow up to 3' tall are a deterrent to the geese who are leery of predators hiding in them and who are most likely to enter yards that have mowed turf grass.
Neil Ledet talked about regulations pertaining to dredging in lakes and channels. When a channel was permitted it can usually be dredged for maintaining it and manmade channels are usually easier to get permits for. Dredging a small area isn't effective as it will fill in from areas around it.
Kent Tracey explained how lake associations can seek funding from LARE, the Lake and River Enhancement Program, to investigate, evaluate, and remediate problems on their lakes.
Tyson Edwards of JF New & Associates, an ecological consulting and restoration firm, explained how the use of native plants, bio-logs, and other techniques can stabilize shorelines and reduce runoff. The use of native plants reduces water and chemical input and requires less maintenance than trying to force other species to survive.
Scott Banfield, Aquatic Enhancement & Survey, Inc., spoke on diagnosing depth problems in lakes and ponds. The use of aquatic herbicides and pesticides in shallow areas can lead to a cycle of plant growth which can't be remedied. Sometimes the solution requires changing the water depth of the area to prevent light from getting to the plants. And the time of year will influence which plants emerge and their prevalence.
Kathie Tennant, of Tennant's Industrial Dredging presented a program on the equipment and techniques used in hydraulic dredging.
