The Current State of the Pere Marquette River. January 1998 Winter has finally arrived, having waited until the new year to provide its blanket of white. At least it seems the fish and wildlife will benefit from this year's mild conditions. You'll recall we learned in early September that the Great Lakes Fishery Trust was coming under pressure to begin spending some of the settlement monies derived from fish mortality at the Ludington Pumped Storage facility. Our list of proposed projects was reviewed by Trust's Scientific Advisory Team on September 10th and they suggested we concentrate on two of the seven choices we had originally listed. We were urged to focus on a rehabilitation project, which would include sandtraps, and come up with a flagship project that would demonstrate an immediate impact on the river. With the cooperation and encouragement of both the Forest Service and the DNR, we revised our proposal to be an erosion control/habitat improvement project on the Big South Branch from Carr's Bridge to Walhalla Road. This "demonstration" project would include extensive before-and-after measurements of streambed composition, insect populations, and fish censuses. Woody debris would be added, educational materials developed for the public, and an access site developed at the sandtrap location. The detailed proposal was reviewed by SAT on October 22nd, and of the dozen proposals, the Watershed Council's was one of seven recommended for additional consideration. However, the Scientific Advisory Team was unable to reach a consensus on the issue of whether restoration projects can be shown to have a direct correlation on increases in the number of fish. (If you think they keep moving the target on us, we'd agree.) We were informed that any project would have to document the value of habitat improvement with the specific endpoint being a demonstrable increase in the population of salmonids. Three significant changes were imposed: 1. Remove the sandtrap from the proposal -- not only are they expensive, they require a long-term commitment. 2. Rehabilitation must depend on "soft techniques". The use of rock riprap should be replaced by large woody debris and other bio-techniques, especially looking for new concepts, new materials, even if it is more expensive and perhaps temporarily more unsightly. 3. New and improved methods need to be investigated to definitively show increased recruitment and natural reproduction of salmonids. We were informed that the SAT recognizes their requirements complicate the project, will require extensive research both in new materials and new census methods, and will require additional time to document the results, but they stressed the importance of good results being worth the extra effort. Our December 1st revision incorporated the three SAT recommendations, but expanded the study to include the entire Big South Branch tributary. The SAT presented this proposal to the Trust Board on December 2nd; we were informed the Trust continues to be interested in the proposal, but to revise the format to address a series of ten criteria. Basically, to gain approval a project must demonstrate tangible benefits to the Great Lakes fishery, since the funding is a result of past fish losses. Our January 15th (final?) revision would also include development of a forty-acre parcel at Ruby Creek, formerly a DNR rearing site, which would serve as an interpretive center and fishing access site for children and handicapped persons. The Advisory Team will review the proposal later this month, and if recommended for funding, we will be asked to defend the project to the trustees on February 10th. The next time you see Bob Nicholson, thank him for all the time he has put in on this project. One of the DNR's numerous tasks is to gather fishery catch statistics each year; Jerry Rakoczy is responsible for Lake Michigan, from New Buffalo to Charlevoix. Each of the approximately 500 charter boats must report all of their catches each month (accurate figures), and interviews are made of sportfishers by mode (boat, shore, pier) and hours (estimated figures) at selected ports -- there were 76,000+ interviews last year. In addition, two air flights (Saginaw Bay, Lake St.Clair, Lake Erie) are done annually. Jerry's summaries for last year are: 6,400,000 angler hours 49% Lake Michigan, 39% Lake Huron, 12% all other Fish harvest of all species was up 38% last year Chinooks up 13% Anglers average 13.3 salmonids/100 hours, the second best year on record Leland has the best overall catch rate with the central ports (Grand Haven to Frankfort) all having very similar rates. In the District 6 region (Little Sable Point to Arcadia): Chinooks now comprise 38% of the catch, resulting in less targeting of steelhead. Cohos are up 24%, mostly South Haven to Muskegon. Chinook catch is up 12% over 1996. Steelhead catch is down 24%, partly due to less targeting because of the more abundant salmon. Brown Trout catch is up 56%, but the numbers remain small. Ludington's overall rate is 17.3 fish/100 hours. Jerry presents his data in early January each year; if you are interested in more details, let us know, or mark your calendar for 1999. More news from the North: The Great Lakes Fishery Commission has determined that the Smith-Root electrical lamprey barrier on the Jordan River is indeed effective, consequently they have approved funding for the weir and fish passage structure at Custer. We're told construction will begin in the near future with testing to begin in the Spring of 1999. Our request for a grant to conduct our Watershed Assessment has been acknowledged by a local foundation, and additional materials have been forwarded to them. They too will make a decision on funding in late February. The maximum security correctional facility for juveniles (locally referred to as the "Punk Prison"), temporarily delayed and questioned by Webber Township authorities, has now received final approval and will begin construction in the Spring. It will be located in Webber Township off 32nd Street about 2 miles east of Skii's Bar. A new marina is planned for Ludington, south and east of the existing municipal marina; the site is currently an off-loading facility for lake freighters and parking for the Lake Michigan carferry. It will cover 10 acres and service mostly seasonal rentals while the current marina will host transient sailors. The state's Natural Rivers program will have a new zoning administrator as Jan Fenske moves to a new job in the Fisheries Division. Dave Borgeson, whose father recently retired after 25 years in the DNR, will be our new river guardian. Jan was an exceptional steward of our river and we owe her a debt of gratitude and wish her well. The Watershed Council will again support the Forest Service and DNR in Kids' Fishing Day, an annual opportunity to introduce our younger generations in the thrill of catching Rainbow Trout. This year's festival will be at Nichol's Lake on June 6th. See Dick Esenwein for details. USFS's Fishery Biologist Bob Stuber has proposed a concentrated effort to repair old fish structures on the flies-only stretch. He estimates there are 75 to 100 deteriorating habitat structures which, if volunteer-only work is used, would take ten years to upgrade. With use of contract and prison labor, and $30,000, Bob suggests the job could be done in three years. He will be setting up a meeting to discuss the issue, and to determine whether adequate funding can be found. The Lake County Road Commission and Consumers Energy were very instrumental in helping us to block ORV's from tearing up the land and river bank on the Middle Branch. For some time everything from "quads",Blazers & Broncos, and Monster Trucks have devastated the streamside springs and crossed the river on State Road, the Yates/Chase Township line. By relocating huge boulders and erecting guardrails access to the river is no longer an option. The 1998 Cast for Conservation will be held on July 11. A prelude to our Annual Banquet, this team flyfishing event (15 teams in all) showcases the recreational use of the Pere Marquette and the results of the Watershed council's erosion control efforts. Everything from lunker Chub to a 31" Steelhead have been caught and carefully released back into the river by the participants. This is a fun and challenging event that has raised over $50,000 to support the Councils' funding. If you would like to enter ($250 per person) or know someone who might be interested, contact George Kustin at 847-516-0545 or on the Internet at INFOPMWC@AOL.com or ask any board member for information. Tell any flyfishers you know about this annual event. The Annual Banquet will be held July 11th at Land's Inn in Ludington; a December fire has resulted in extensive on-going renovation of the entire motel and conference center, but we are assured they will be ready for us in July. Jan Potter is taking over this project after Chuck and Pat Smith have done a wonderful job the past six years. Be sure to mark your calendar now to attend our 28th Anniversary celebration.     Dick Schwikert President