The Current State of the Pere Marquette River. January l997 Well, there have been lots of changes since October's MAINSTREAM, the most obvious being the stark white blanket that now covers our beautiful Fall colors ... you've really got to feel a little sorry for the trout in the river on a day like this. Daryl Crowley offered an "Open Letter" regarding what we refer to as a lack-of-respect for our river. The following items need to be addressed: River use is increasing; while the river is open to all and will support a lot of use, we are seeing a growing number of snaggers and an increasing lack of etiquette; April and September tend to draw those who prefer to fish illegally; choose to snag are most likely to litter, trespass, and violate a myriad of other laws; ignorance plays a role, as many feel fish must be snagged, or they just don't know not to trample the spawning redds; and finally, enforcement is insufficient, and the fines are negligible or meaningless. Our Fish & Wildlife Committee will be studying Daryl's findings and will be making recommendations to your Board. In all likelihood, we will pursue efforts to take this matter statewide through MUCC with the hope that EDUCATION & ENFORCEMENT will turn around our respect for our river. The Watershed Council will be hosting a first-ever River Management Forum on February 21st. We have invited the local Chamber of Commerce, County Commissioners, government officials along with others who have a responsibility for, or interest in, our river. Our goal will be to develop a common set of guidelines or standards for those who use the river and the necessary mechanics for a cooperative enforcement of these standards. If we can develop a management plan, we feel we can accommodate the diverse uses being seen in the river, minimize user conflicts, and prevent denaturalization of our resource. You'll recall that last Spring we funded installation of a sandtrap on the Middle Branch just west of Queen's Highway; our plan, in addition to cleaning out sand and silt downstream from some beaver workings, is to attempt to quantify the value of removing sand on downstream spawning areas. We were quite upset to learn that "monster trucks" had torn up a nearby wetland and then found it convenient to drive into the river at our sandtrap to wash the mud from their ORV's. We've obtained permission from Consumers and Wolverine Power to block access to the river on their R-O-W to keep the ORV's out of the river. Officials from CSX Transportation attended our December Board meeting to discuss the May l995 derailment just north of the trestle between 68th and 72nd streets. The meeting was very well attended and provided an educational opportunity for those of us who used to serve as engineers for the Lionel Line. To summarize, northbound trains are usually empty, south-bound usually l00% loaded; common "hazardous materials" include LPG, chlorine, molten sulfur (solid in transit), sodium hydroxide, and hydrochloric acid; equally dangerous as a pollutant is each train's 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel; defect detectors check axles on passing trains, three times south of town, one west; most likely the easiest method to provide more protection at river crossings (mainstream and Kinne Creek) would be extensions of the speed restrictions (l0 mph) in force for the curve in the village of Baldwin. CSX officials have promised to return with an answer this spring. In early May the DNR cleaned the Bell sandtrap on the Little South Branch and removed 682 cubic yards of sediment. The trap was lengthened in order to make up for the abandonment of the Forks (James Road) trap. Although we had no major rainstorms during the summer, the Bell trap was nearly full this Fall. We persuaded the DNR to empty the trap in November, and even they were amazed to clean out over 800 cubic yards after only six months. Maybe someday we will be able to declare victory and retire all of our sandtraps. Your Board of Directors will be faced with two major programs requiring long-term funding commitments, and neither of which will directly place any rocks or habitat-improvement structures on the river. The two are a watershed assessment and an extension of our aquatic survey. If you have any strong feelings on either issue, please call one of the Directors with your comments. Assessment - The Restoration Committee has just completed the $l.4 million dollar project to stabilize erosion sites on the mainstream from the Forks to Walhalla. A ceremony this Summer will celebrate completion and note this major achievement. Your Council however would like to continue this type of progressive improvement project by now focusing on the tributaries; indeed, fourteen erosion sites on the Little South Branch are under contract for repair at this time. The Board is now directing its attention toward the Big South Branch and we've met with the Ruby Creek Conservation & Recreation Club to share our mutual interests. Naturally, before undertaking such a major initiative we would like to know as much as possible about the Big South's environs and what type of fishery it will support as we begin steps to rejuvenate this major fork of the river. Our estimate for a contract with a conservation group to compile the requisite data was woefully low, but on the other hand they would expand the review to the entire PM for a quite reasonable sum. Keep in mind that the final result will not add material to the river, but will provide us the basis for knowing what is needed and exactly where and how to fix it. We are investigating various means of funding for this report which will delineate the attributes, problems, and opportunities for future efforts. Survey Extension - Coincidental with the completion of the Restoration project is the final survey by Indiana University to measure the impact of the lampricide TFM on riverine invertebrates. By now everyone should know that past annual reports indicate that no measurable long-term effects on macroinvetebrates can be detected from the application of TFM. Further, as reported in IU's Ecological Profile, there is significantly less sand in the river than when the study began ten years ago, and the rate of sand loss has increased as the bank stabilization program has progressed. With this wealth of ten-years' baseline data, we could further define changes in other substrates (silt, muck, aquatic plants,...), where has the sand gone (both in relation to corrected erosion sites, or out of the study areas), the effect of variable water levels (especially in the tributaries), and other effects of both natural events as well as human activities. The continuation of this survey would also provide valuable clues to any possible changes which might result following operation of the Custer Weir and the (eventual) final use of TFM. So, if you have any suggestions or comments, please get a hold of one of your Directors.   Briefly, several other issues are on-going: Construction on the Custer Weir is on hold but expected to be resolved by mid-summer; the Scientific Advisory Team is developing a format for submission of projects for funding with the Ludington Pumped Storage Settlement moneys; the revised Drain Code continues its glacial-speed voyage through the legislature hopefully adding environmental requirements for future dredgings; and the McManus bill, which would enfeeble the state's Natural Rivers Act has been resubmitted to the new legislature. On a local level, we note the passing of Zimmy Nolph, one of the Council's long-time supporters; a memorial fund has been established to continue his efforts to enhance the Pere Marquette. The Council finished the year with expenses right on the budget, and revenue exceeding budget by nearly $l2,000, primarily from contributions from many of our members ... your Board truly wishes to thank every one of you. Last, but not least, Tom Rozich of the DNR asks that anyone who hasn't returned last year's Fishing Log please mail it to him at the address on the cover; this is a real help in our on-going fish census.   Dick Schwikert President