Saturday June 12th, 2010
9:00am 5:00pm
Lake Allegan, MDNR Echo Point Boat Launch
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Contact: Shawn McKenney for more information 269-673-8965 ×3
Why attend the 2010 Annual Lake Allegan Carp Derby?
Do you enjoy fishing? Competition? Bowfishing? Fish spearing? Clean water? Boating? Then, this is the event for you!
The entire family can hook, shoot (with bow/arrow), or spear a good time at the 2010 Annual Lake Allegan Carp Derby on June 12th, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lake Allegan Echo Point boat launch. The Kalamazoo Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Committee organizes the annual derby. 2010 sponsors include; Muzzy Bowfishing Company, AMS Bowfishing Company, D&R Sports, Gander Mountain and many others. Prizes will be awarded for the largest carp, smallest carp, most carp caught and of course a prize for the youngest and oldest participants! Come enjoy a day on the water or a day on the shore, either way you are sure have a carp-tastic time! No pre-registration or registration fee is required.
Carp populations are over abundant in Lake Allegan and many other inland lakes in Michigan. Carp populations increase turbidity (the brown stuff suspended in water) in local waters making it difficult for our native fish populations to breathe and find prey. These bottom feeders also uproot aquatic plants reducing aquatic habitat and re-suspend non-point source contaminants on the lake bottom.
In Lake Allegan, phophorus continues to be the predominant non-point source pollutant. When this phophorus is re-suspended by carp foraging the phophorus creates large algae blooms and reduces oxygen levels in the lake from the decaying vegetation it creates. This in turn reduces native fish species habitat and food sources.
The Lake Allegan/Kalamazoo River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Committee organizes the annual carp derby every year to inform the public about local water quality concerns including phophorus and other non-point source pollution in the Kalamazoo River Watershed and the negative effects carp populations have on local water bodies. Carp, as the dominant fish in Lake Allegan, influences the internal cycling of phosphorus within the lake and river, contributing to overall water quality degradation. The derby provides an opportunity for all involved to consider carp as a biological force that affects water quality
Visit our 2010 Sponsors:
News video from the 2009 Annual Gun River Canoe and Clenaup Day! Thanks for all those who attended.
The Watershed Project has provided technical assistance and installation guidelines to install a 140 foot tree-revetment project on the Gun River. This project used conifer trees anchored into the “toe” of the stream to prevent erosion from occuring and to rebuild the river bank.
Tree revetments greatly slow the current along the eroding bank; this decreases erosion and allows silt and sand to be deposited along the bank and within the tree branches. The deposited material forms a good seed bed in which the seeds of river trees such as cottonwood and sycamore can sprout and grow. The resulting trees spread roots throughout the revetment and streambank. By the time the revetment trees have decayed, the bank should be stabilized by the roots of the living trees. As an added benefit, tree revetments provide excellent fish and wildlife cover.
The Gun River Watershed Project cost-shared the use of a no-till drill to plant crops for a Plainwell producer in the spring of 2007. Some of the benefits of no-till vs. conventional tillage are:
A producer can save at least 3.5 gallons of fuel per acre by going 
Low Impact
from conventional tillage methods to no-till. At November 2007 diesel prices, this amounts to $7.70 per acre in production cost savings. On a farm with 1,000 acres of cropland, these savings add up to 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel per year valued at $7,700.
Currently, no-till is practiced on over 62 million acres. If the amount of no-till acreage doubled, farmers could save an additional 217 million gallons of fuel, valued at over $480 million.
No-till is a conservation practice that leaves the crop residue undisturbed from harvest through planting except for narrow strips that cause minimal soil disturbance. Crop residues are materials left in an agricultural field after the crop has been harvested. These residues include stalks and stubble (stems), leaves and seed pods. Good management of field residues can increase efficiency of irrigation and control of erosion. No-till can be used for almost any crop in almost any soil and can save producers labor costs and fuel. It’s a sound investment for the environment and the farm.
In addition to energy efficiencies and cost savings, no-till has several environmental benefits. No-till increases the organic matter in the soil, making it more stable and helping prevent soil erosion. No-till reduces greenhouse gases because it requires less fuel and sequesters (stores) carbon in the soil. Other benefits of using no-till as part of a resource management system include:
• Increased earthworm populations that improve soil quality—an average of 540,000 earthworms per acre versus 285,000 in conventional tillage
• Increased water infiltration—cutting evaporation and runoff by at least 70 percent
• Reduced tilling time per acre—by as much as two-thirds
The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed that the emerald ash borer (EAB) is present in Allegan County, in Section 27 of Gun Plain Township along M-89. The pest was likely transported to the county on firewood. The presence of this serious pest of ash trees does not mean that all Allegan County ash trees will be dead soon. The beetle does not spread very far on its own, only about ½ mile per year. To slow this spread, it is recommended to remove ash trees within ½ mile of known infestations. However there are no longer any government funds to do so. It is likely that areas within 5 miles of the known infestation will see impacts from EAB in less than 10 years. Ash trees for timber should also be removed or salvaged from these areas within that time frame to minimize EAB losses. To date, no widespread effective treatment has been found for EAB. There are some chemical treatments available to homeowners for valuable yard tree applications, but these treatments can be costly since annual applications are necessary for effective control in an infested area. The most important things all Allegan County residents can do is to be aware of the problem, talk to their neighbors, look for symptoms of the beetle and comply with the statewide and federal quarantines that restrict the movement of firewood. Suspected new EAB infestations may be reported to the MI Department of Agriculture in St. Joseph at 269-428-2575. For more information about EAB or the quarantines, visit www.emeraldashborer.info or www.michigan.gov/eab or contact Kelly Goward at the Allegan Conservation District, 269-673-8965 ×3. Another source of information is the Allegan County MSU Extension office at 3255 122nd Ave, Allegan, phone 269-673-0370, on the web at www.msue.msu.edu/allegan
The National Soil Survey is now avaliable online.
NRCS Web Soil Survey
The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed that the emerald ash borer (EAB) is present in Allegan County, in Section 27 of Gun Plain Township along M-89. The pest was likely transported to the county on firewood. The presence of this serious pest of ash trees does not mean that all Allegan County ash trees will be dead soon. The beetle does not spread very far on its own, only about ½ mile per year. To slow this spread, it is recommended to remove ash trees within ½ mile of known infestations. However there are no longer any government funds to do so. It is likely that areas within 5 miles of the known infestation will see impacts from EAB in less than 10 years. Ash trees for timber should also be removed or salvaged from these areas within that time frame to minimize EAB losses. To date, no widespread effective treatment has been found for EAB. There are some chemical treatments available to homeowners for valuable yard tree applications, but these treatments can be costly since annual applications are necessary for effective control in an infested area. The most important things all Allegan County residents can do is to be aware of the problem, talk to their neighbors, look for symptoms of the beetle and comply with the statewide and federal quarantines that restrict the movement of firewood. Suspected new EAB infestations may be reported to the MI Department of Agriculture in St. Joseph at 269-428-2575.
An excellent film being produced regarding our most precious natural resource: WATER
Trailer:
Interested in funding for conservation practices with up to 75% cost share without NRCS caps? No long complicated application process, no waiting for a scheduled review period. Take advantage now!
The Kalamazoo River Trading Program is a new source of grant-based funding available for agricultural producers to put soil and phosphorus reduction practices on the ground in select areas of the Kalamazoo River Watershed, including the Gun River Watershed. Gully stabilization, streambank stabilization, filter strips, feed lot waste management systems, prescribed grazing, conservation tillage, conservation cover, conservation crop rotation, cover crop & green manure, critical area planting, strip-cropping, etc. are all among the eligible practices.
This is a unique opportunity for any producer looking to install conservation practices in the Gun and Kalamazoo River Watersheds.
Please call Shawn for a field appointment or for more information! 269-673-8965 ext 3
Uncontrolled livestock access to surface water can lead to excessive sedimentation and phosphorous loads in rivers and lakes. The Watershed Project worked with a local producer to provide limited livestock access to the Knuth Drain in Allegan County. Previous to the project livestock had unrestricted access to the drain and were causing erosion and sedimentation problems.
Total Project Cost: $5925.00
Pollutant Load Reductions
Sediment: 4.5 tons/ac
Phosphorous: 5lbs
Nitrogen:1lb
