DNR Looks At Palestine Improvements
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
BURKET - Over the next year, Palestine Lake and the surrounding watershed will be studied.
The diagnostic study results from a $37,800 grant this year from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife's Lake and River Enhancement Program. Thursday night, Dr. Gwen White, DNR LARE aquatic biologist, and Sara Peel, project manager and aquatic ecologist with JFNew, spoke to the Palestine Lake Association and other interested property owners about the program.
LARE focuses on problem prevention. Its purpose is to ensure the continued viability of Indiana's publicly accessible lakes, streams and reservoirs, according to information provided by White. Program goals include controlling inflows of eroded soil and associated nutrients, and, where appropriate, forestalling or reversing degradation from these inflows through remedial actions.
White said LARE is one of a few unique opportunities across the nation. Few states have programs that help protect their lakes. As the lakes were formed by glaciers more than 10,000 years ago, they can't be replaced.
The condition of a lake reflects its watershed. What happens in the watershed and surrounding water sources will affect that lake. Good water quality equals higher property values.
"There's a lot of investment there we're trying to protect," said White.
The LARE program is built around the idea that it is easier to keep a lake clean than it is to clean up a lake after it goes bad. Work like dredging a lake can be very expensive, she said. LARE provides technical and financial assistance to address sediment and nutrient problems in publicly accessible lakes and streams.
Funding for the program comes from annual boat fees. A boat valued at less than $1,000 pays $5 while a boat at more than $10,000 pays $25. "It's a citizen-funded program," said White.
The first step in finding out how to protect a lake, she said, is to figure out what's going on now. Palestine Lake property owners are taking that first step with the watershed diagnostic study, which will be completed next fall. In the study, Peel and volunteers will look at the history and current condition of the lake, test soils, look at wetland loss, endangered species, fisheries, recreation, agricultural production in the area, as well as gather other data.
Once all the diagnosis is completed, White said management recommendations will be developed for lake and watershed protection. After those recommendations are made, possibilities could include wetland restoration, streambank stabilization, lakeshore erosion control, etc. Another approach might be to look at the watershed and how it's managed.
Funding also could be used for conservation tilling, filter strips, manure management, grade control or other options. All the programs are voluntary, White said. No one is mandated to participate.
White also spoke of a new part of the LARE program that became available in the last two years. The aquatic plant surveys can be funded in part by the state for a study of impacts of the aquatic plant life around a lake. While native plants are very beneficial, exotic species can cause problems. One such problem the DNR is trying to prevent now is the growth of Hydrilla in Rochester's Lake Manitou. The DNR also is trying to keep Hydrilla from getting into other lakes.
Peel said nine different sites around the Palestine Lake watershed will be tested as part of the diagnostic study. There will be some tours of the watershed and plant surveys. While there will be a meeting in the spring of 2007 to discuss what was found up to that point, the final meeting will be in March 2008. At that last meeting, Peel said they will report what the next step is. Once a lake is in the LARE program, it's in for life and easier to receive funds for projects.
"You've got a very interesting watershed," White said. "It's not typical for this part of the state."
She said the more local residents are involved, the better the project will be. "Please get involved, please get your neighbors involved," she said.
For more information on LARE, visit online at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/lare [[In-content Ad]]
BURKET - Over the next year, Palestine Lake and the surrounding watershed will be studied.
The diagnostic study results from a $37,800 grant this year from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife's Lake and River Enhancement Program. Thursday night, Dr. Gwen White, DNR LARE aquatic biologist, and Sara Peel, project manager and aquatic ecologist with JFNew, spoke to the Palestine Lake Association and other interested property owners about the program.
LARE focuses on problem prevention. Its purpose is to ensure the continued viability of Indiana's publicly accessible lakes, streams and reservoirs, according to information provided by White. Program goals include controlling inflows of eroded soil and associated nutrients, and, where appropriate, forestalling or reversing degradation from these inflows through remedial actions.
White said LARE is one of a few unique opportunities across the nation. Few states have programs that help protect their lakes. As the lakes were formed by glaciers more than 10,000 years ago, they can't be replaced.
The condition of a lake reflects its watershed. What happens in the watershed and surrounding water sources will affect that lake. Good water quality equals higher property values.
"There's a lot of investment there we're trying to protect," said White.
The LARE program is built around the idea that it is easier to keep a lake clean than it is to clean up a lake after it goes bad. Work like dredging a lake can be very expensive, she said. LARE provides technical and financial assistance to address sediment and nutrient problems in publicly accessible lakes and streams.
Funding for the program comes from annual boat fees. A boat valued at less than $1,000 pays $5 while a boat at more than $10,000 pays $25. "It's a citizen-funded program," said White.
The first step in finding out how to protect a lake, she said, is to figure out what's going on now. Palestine Lake property owners are taking that first step with the watershed diagnostic study, which will be completed next fall. In the study, Peel and volunteers will look at the history and current condition of the lake, test soils, look at wetland loss, endangered species, fisheries, recreation, agricultural production in the area, as well as gather other data.
Once all the diagnosis is completed, White said management recommendations will be developed for lake and watershed protection. After those recommendations are made, possibilities could include wetland restoration, streambank stabilization, lakeshore erosion control, etc. Another approach might be to look at the watershed and how it's managed.
Funding also could be used for conservation tilling, filter strips, manure management, grade control or other options. All the programs are voluntary, White said. No one is mandated to participate.
White also spoke of a new part of the LARE program that became available in the last two years. The aquatic plant surveys can be funded in part by the state for a study of impacts of the aquatic plant life around a lake. While native plants are very beneficial, exotic species can cause problems. One such problem the DNR is trying to prevent now is the growth of Hydrilla in Rochester's Lake Manitou. The DNR also is trying to keep Hydrilla from getting into other lakes.
Peel said nine different sites around the Palestine Lake watershed will be tested as part of the diagnostic study. There will be some tours of the watershed and plant surveys. While there will be a meeting in the spring of 2007 to discuss what was found up to that point, the final meeting will be in March 2008. At that last meeting, Peel said they will report what the next step is. Once a lake is in the LARE program, it's in for life and easier to receive funds for projects.
"You've got a very interesting watershed," White said. "It's not typical for this part of the state."
She said the more local residents are involved, the better the project will be. "Please get involved, please get your neighbors involved," she said.
For more information on LARE, visit online at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/lare [[In-content Ad]]