DNR crews begin annual Lake Michigan yellow perch assessment

The Department of Natural Resources today announced that survey crews from the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station headed out on Lake Michigan Aug. 24 to conduct surveys of yellow perch populations and other nearshore fish species. The surveys are being conducted from the research vessel Steelhead, as well as from smaller DNR vessels that permit sampling in shallow, nearshore waters. The surveys will run through September 11.

The DNR has been involved since 1995 in a lakewide collaboration with other Lake Michigan natural resources agencies to assess yellow perch. Data collected during these surveys is used to estimate a broad range of biological variables vital to understanding yellow perch populations in Lake Michigan and associated tributaries.

“Early indications from work in southern Lake Michigan by our sister agencies are that 2015 may be a banner year for yellow perch spawning and survival of young fish, so we’re excited to get out and see what populations look like in Michigan waters,” said Dave Clapp, Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station manager. “Fish hatched in 2010 and 2011 are just now reaching full maturity, so we expect to see an increase in spawning activity and an abundance of young perch this year, supported by increased lake levels and slightly warmer water temperatures this summer.”

Survey operations will be conducted near the ports of South Haven, Grand Haven, Portage, Pentwater, Charlevoix and Petoskey. Vessels involved in the surveys will be docked at these Great Lakes ports, and the public is encouraged to visit the vessels and talk with crew members about fisheries assessment operations.

To learn more about the efforts of all the DNR’s vessels, please visit the Fisheries Research website.
/Note to editors: An accompanying photo is available below for download. A suggested caption follows:

Steelhead 8-7-12 leaving CHX.jpg: The research vessel Steelhead will be busy on Lake Michigan in the coming weeks, collecting data on yellow perch populations./

WASHINGTON — A cache of internal memos that federal regulators intended to keep private reveals a culture of secrecy, falsehood and dysfunction that permeated the Waters of the U.S. rulemaking process.

Yesterday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released more than 50 pages of documents in which the Army Corps of Engineers repeatedly rebuked EPA officials for their abuse of the rulemaking process in producing the deeply controversial Waters of the United States rule. The entire economic analysis used to support the rule, Army Corps officials wrote, had no basis in either science or economics: https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Army-Corps-Memoranda.zip.

“It is clear from the memos that there were dire concerns internally that EPA was getting it wrong and with a high degree of arrogance,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “The flawed economic study is just the tip of the iceberg, and it was known internally that trouble was ahead. In fact, the memos themselves were stamped ‘Litigation Sensitive.’ They were never intended to see the light of day.” Read more

Cucumbers

Some cucumbers have already been picked.

Basil

The basil has been trimmed several times this season.

The Trinidad Scorpion is one of the world’s hottest peppers and the plant is producing well.

Trinidad Scorpion

Cabbage is ready for harvest, as well.

Columbia, MO –Larry and Brenda Potterfield, owners of MidwayUSA, recently donated $366,884 to the MidwayUSA Foundation’s Team Endowment Account Program, which benefits youth shooting sports. A large portion of this donation stems from the matching program offered by the MidwayUSA Foundation. Donors have the ability to choose the shooting team that will benefit from their donation and Larry and Brenda Potterfield match that donation. Read more

The quick thinking and persistence of Michigan Department of Natural Resources staff workers at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park were central to efforts this week to aid three hikers lost in Michigan’s largest state park. 

“This rescue is another excellent example of the dedication and professionalism of our employees,” said DNR Parks and Recreation Chief Ron Olson. “Our staff conducted the search in challenging conditions, working into the early morning hours in sometimes heavy rainfall. Because of these efforts, these hikers were able to return home safely.” 

Bob Wild, an interpreter at the park, said the incident was reported at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. One person who had not gone on the intended day hike with the group reported the trio as overdue in its return.

Park staff assembled a crew to begin the search for the hiking party, which included a couple from the northern Lower Peninsula in their 40s and the woman’s teenage daughter.

The hikers had planned to head from Lake of the Clouds down the Big Carp River Trail, but missed a turn and headed farther east, rather than looping back to their starting point.

Two teams of park staff initially began checking the trails, heading down both ends of the trail loop. “We knew where they had gone in and we knew where they were supposed to come out,” Wild said.

Other staff made phone calls, gathered supplies and checked trailheads. An incident commander stayed at Lake of the Clouds. Park Supervisor Dave Merk worked from his home as a communications link between the park and emergency dispatch operators. The searchers looked for a couple of hours without finding anyone. 

Meanwhile, the hikers had been trying to use their cell phone to call for help, but were unable to get reception. They sought higher ground for a better signal, a smart move, Wild said. Last winter, a group of snowmobilers lost in a storm at the park was able to get a text message out to searchers, which led to their rescue. 

“Around 8 p.m., the lost party was able to make a cell call to 911 and we were then able to pinpoint their location at Government Peak, about 6 miles from the nearest trailhead,” Wild said. The 1,850-foot peak is located roughly in the center of the 59,020-acre park, which encompasses parts of Ontonagon and Gogebic counties. Merk credited Marquette County Central Dispatch with greatly aiding the search effort by determining the location the hikers had called from.

“It made all the difference in the world knowing where they were because we probably would not have checked that location until the next day,” Merk said. “Once we had that, all we needed to do was to go and get them.”

The hikers were told to remain where they were, while searchers began heading to the location. “They had been out for over 10 hours at that point, with no food, no water, battling the insects, it was getting dark and it was pouring rain,” said Wild. “Yet they did as instructed and that made our job finding them much easier. That’s a good lesson for all of us.”

Searchers reached the hikers at about 9:30 p.m. They were taken to one of the park’s rustic cabins at Mirror Lake where park staff had a fire waiting, along with some much-needed food and water. By about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, searchers had gotten the hiking party out of the woods. Park staff had returned to headquarters by 3:30 a.m. 

Merk acknowledged the additional park staff involved, including Ellis Fryer, Travis Ceballos, Paul Squires, Kurt Thomas, Alex Taeger, Tyler Behrendt and Morgan Travis. “They all went above and beyond to ensure a positive outcome,” Merk said. 

For more information on Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, visit www.michigan.gov/porkies.