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DNR News

May 16, 2006

The DNR News is updated every Tuesday at noon. Click on the current issue link at left to reach the most current issue.
Previous DNR News are also available on-line.

Edited by Paul Holtan
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707
(608) 267-7517
Fax: (608) 264-6293
E-mail address: paul.holtan@dnr.state.wi.us

This Week's Articles

Northern zone musky season opens May 27

MADISON – Good news for anglers eager for the May 27 opening day of the musky fishing season on northern lakes: if state netting surveys are any indication, there’s more fish that are 45 inches and larger than a generation ago.

The northern zone includes inland waters north of U.S. Highway 10. For most waters, there is a minimum length limit of 34 inches and a daily bag of one. The southern zone season opened May 6 with the same length and bag limits.

This spring’s netting surveys in Wisconsin, as in recent years, are revealing greater numbers of these trophy size fish than in the late 1970s and 1980s, according to Tim Simonson, a Department of Natural Resources fish biologist who leads the department’s musky committee.

“I was up north netting in early May and some very large fish were being caught in fyke nets this year,” he says. “It reflects a trend we’ve been seeing in recent years in our netting surveys, and it means there’s a larger number of big fish out there for anglers to catch.”

For instance, 8.6 percent of the 151 adult fish netted on the Chippewa Flowage for a musky genetics study in 2006 exceeded 45 inches, compared to less than 2 percent found during a 1990-91 population estimate on the flowage. Fully 34 percent of the adult fish netted during the 2006 study exceeded 40 inches, compared to 12 percent during the 1990-91 survey. (see related story).

That proportion of big fish is considerably higher than in the late 1970s and 1980s, when 2.5 percent of the adult musky caught statewide in DNR fyke nets exceeded 45 inches, and 3 percent caught in northwestern Wisconsin exceeded 45 inches, DNR data show.

More DNR fisheries crews were out on the water looking for musky this spring than in recent years as part of the department’s long-term effort to evaluate and improve its musky stocking program. That effort takes advantage of recent advances in genetic analysis and involves three major pieces:

  • changing the way DNR collects adult fish and eggs for stocking, including obtaining them only from waters with naturally reproducing musky populations;
  • conducting DNA tests of fish samples to identify whether there are distinct musky strains in the state and their geographic boundaries, along with fish geneticist Brian Sloss, a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point fisheries professor, and his graduate students, who will be conducting the analysis.
  • evaluating how the musky strain used in Wisconsin’s stocking program performs compared to Minnesota in terms of their survival, the size the fish reach, and their ability to reproduce.

“We have already changed our egg collection practices to reflect the best genetic principles in musky stocking,” Simonson says.

This spring, DNR crews collected eggs and sperm from fish living in waters where the fish populations are naturally reproducing instead of from waters maintained entirely by stocking. In northwestern Wisconsin, eggs were collected from the Chippewa Flowage instead of Bone Lake; in northeastern Wisconsin, they collected eggs from North Twin Lake.

Fish crews followed precise instructions from Sloss on collecting eggs during different times in the spawning season, sampling a cross section of females, and mixing the optimum number of males and females. For example, while eggs in the past had been collected from very few females over a relatively short time period, this year, the goal was for each hatchery to collect eggs from 26 different females, with three males used to fertilize the eggs of each female.

Fisheries crews also collected genetic samples from roughly about 20 naturally reproducing populations this spring for Sloss’ laboratory to analyze. The crews took a nickel-sized snip of each musky’s fin, from which Sloss will be able to determine the genetic lineage of the fish’s parents.

The DNR Spooner hatchery was expecting yet this spring to receive young fish from the Minnesota DNR to be reared at Spooner and stocked into some of the same lakes as Wisconsin DNR fish, for a side-by-side comparison of the fish’s survival and growth.

Genetic strain is only one of several factors that determines the growth and size structure of muskellunge populations; the size of the water, the kind and availability of forage is another, as is fishing pressure.

More information on the stocking evaluation and improvement plan developed by the DNR musky team, including presentations made by Sloss, can be found on the Muskellunge Committee page of the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Simonson (608) 266-5222

Study finds healthy musky population on Chippewa Flowage

HAYWARD Wis. – State fisheries biologists conducting a genetics study of muskellunge in the Chippewa Flowage have documented something that many anglers have known for years: The “Big Chip” has a healthy and thriving musky population.

“We netted two fish over 50 inches, many over 40, and the males were so big that we sometimes mistook them for females at first glance,” said Frank Pratt, a Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist at Hayward. Male musky do not normally reach the size of older females, which on average run bigger than their counterparts.

A department-sponsored musky genetics study is being done this year on the Chippewa Flowage and many other waters in the DNR Northern Region. DNA analysis will be done by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

“We hope to learn about the genetic health of musky populations and also determine which ones are similar to others,” said Pratt. “This information is vital to making decisions about stocking and about where to collect broodstock for hatchery production.”

He added that 145 fin tissue samples were obtained for DNA analysis, far exceeding the project goal of 50.

“Genetic study results won’t be known for several months,” Pratt said.

But, what was found during the study, he said should make any musky angler smile.

A total of 151 muskies over 20 inches long were captured in the fyke nets, and 52, or 34.4 percent, of those were greater than 40 inches in length. Among the sexually mature fish (all but one), 93 were males and 57 were females.

Pratt said the last time a population estimate was done on the flowage was in 1990 and 1991. At that time surveyors found between 3,000 and 4,000 adult musky in the 15,300 acre water body, with 12 percent of them greater than 40 inches.

“Estimating the actual number of muskies was not the objective of this study,” Pratt explained, ‘but finding all these big healthy fish on one of many waterways that you manage is always a joy.”

The study was done by four teams of people from the Spooner hatchery, the Hayward DNR, and the Lac Court Oreilles Tribal Conservation Department.

Data collected during this survey on musky, pike, bluegill and crappie will help the Hayward DNR Fish Team to complete their upcoming Fishery Management Plan for the Chippewa Flowage, due out to the public by June 30.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Pratt – (715) 634-9658

Spring pond restorations
benefit trout, the anglers who chase them

ANTIGO -- State fishery crews have begun work in Langlade County to turn back the geologic clock on one of northern Wisconsin’s most productive areas for native brook trout.

They’re using a retired, retrofitted military amphibious vehicle to remove the debris and silt of hundreds of years from Polar Springs, a spring pond created by groundwater bubbling up from the ground. The project is similar to a successful restoration of trout habitat on Woodboro Springs in Oneida County in 2005 and to work completed on 50 spring ponds in eight counties over the past 45 years.

“These restoration projects provide a great return on the (trout stamp money) investment of $20,000 to $30,000 for each project,” says Pete Segerson, a Department of Natural Resources fisheries technician stationed at Antigo and involved in many of the projects over the years.

For instance, at Sunshine Springs in Langlade County, five years after dredging, trout numbers nearly tripled from 32.1 per acre before the dredging to 80.3 per acre, Segerson says. Fishing pressure increased 1,000 percent, the catch rate increased 700 percent, and natural reproduction of brook and brown trout increased due to cleaned gravel areas and increased spring flow, he says.

Wisconsin studies have shown that once dredged, spring ponds won’t fill in again for centuries, possibly even several millennia. Only days after dredging, the ponds become very clear and many take on an emerald green color and trout begin using the new home, says Dave Seibel, a DNR fisheries biologist stationed in Antigo.

Spring ponds, usually at the headwaters of trout streams, provide important cold water flow and spawning and rearing areas for trout, particularly for native brook trout. The ponds also provide refuge during warm or cold weather conditions.

Many spring ponds have filled in over the course of geologic time and in response to land uses, Seibel says. Runoff, vegetation, and woody debris that has fallen into the ponds fills them until they can no longer sustain a healthy population of brook trout and the minnow species the trout feed on.

Such is the case with Polar Springs, a high quality pond and outlet creek to the Hunting River.

Polar Springs is one of more than 250 spring ponds in Langlade County, which has one of the highest concentrations of spring ponds anywhere in the world. Bordering counties of Menominee, Marathon, Forest, Oconto, and Oneida also have spring ponds but not near the number, quality, or concentration as Langlade County.

Not all spring ponds need dredging – it depends on the amount of deepwater habitat present. Due to geology and land use patterns, some spring ponds might have filled in faster over time while others are still providing good trout habitat, Seibel says.

“You might have heard that every lake is born to die over the course of geologic time -- the same holds true for spring ponds,” he says. Spring ponds tend to fill in even faster than lakes because they are relatively small and produce large amounts of plants.

“By dredging spring ponds that have filled in over time and that are no longer providing good trout habitat, we are turning back the geologic clock to prolong their useful lives to sustain viable trout populations,” Seibel says.

DNR pursues the dredging of ponds meeting certain criteria, and after receiving the proper DNR permits and environmental review. Jeff Reissmann, fisheries technician in Antigo, uses the dredge to remove accumulated materials covering sand, gravel or rock bottoms. The banks are undercut to provide habitat; existing fallen trees are used for in-water habitat; and spawning sites are flushed of fine sediments to provide for good egg incubation.

Since 1961, when DNR started its first project to restore trout habitat through dredging filled in spring ponds, 50 ponds have been dredged to improve 164 acres of trout water. Recent projects have included Starks, Willow, Trout, Maxwell, and Polar Springs in Langlade, McGee Lake in Langlade, and Woodboro Springs in Oneida County. Other older projects that are now popular trout fisheries include Sauls Springs, Forbes Springs, Woods Flowage Fishery Area, Sunshine Springs, Clubhouse Springs, Elton Lake and Hatton Springs, all of which are located either in the Nicolet-Chequamegon National Forest or on DNR fishery lands.

Inland trout stamp revenues pay for most of the work, complemented by donations from Trout Unlimited chapters. For example, the Antigo Chapter of Trout Unlimited is donating money to cover the dredge fuel costs for the Polar Springs project.

Reissman says the work on Polar Springs is going well and he expects to be done in early October. “We anticipate a tremendous positive response by the trout population to this habitat restoration and enhancement project,” he says.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Seibel - (715) 623-4190 or Pete Segerson - (715) 623-4190

Rule proposals to affect very largest farms’ manure management

Changes aim to reduce
well contamination, fish kills, water pollution

MADISON – Proposed changes to rules governing manure management by Wisconsin’s largest farms will come before the state Natural Resources Board at its May 24 meeting in Elkhart Lake. State water quality officials say the changes are a critical component of efforts to reduce manure-related problems that contaminate drinking water, kill fish and pollute lakes and streams

The proposed revised rules will govern manure management for up to 165 of Wisconsin’s largest farms – those with at least 1,000 animal units and which generate at least 6.5 million gallons of manure a year plus other wastes. The proposed changes are triggered by recent changes in federal rules governing such large-scale operations, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs.

“We all want clean water, good fishing and prosperous farms,” Stevenson says. “Most of these very large farms already take the prevention measures we want them to take. Assuring that all of these very large farms take these same measures is very important to achieving clean water, good fishing and prosperous farms.”

The proposed revisions would affect the 150 farms that now have, or have pending, water quality permits from the state because they exceed 1,000 animal units, equal to 700 mature dairy cows, 2,500 pigs or 55,000 turkeys. An additional 10 to 15 farms would be brought under regulation due to changes in how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculates animal units (pdf, 31kb).

These very large farms represent a fraction of Wisconsin’s 30,000 livestock operations, but the sheer amount of manure each very large farm produces poses a significant threat to public health and the environment if the manure’s not managed properly, Stevenson says.

A single cow generates as much organic pollution as 18 people, and a farm with more than 1,000 cows potentially generates as much organic pollution as a city the size of Sun Prairie, and the livestock operation can spread manure on land with no treatment.

To reduce the likelihood of manure-related well contamination, fish kills and pollution from these very large farms, DNR is proposing to require them to have six-months storage for liquid manure and to prohibit spreading liquid manure on frozen or snow covered ground unless it’s injected or immediately incorporated into the ground, according to Tom Bauman, who coordinates Wisconsin’s agricultural runoff program and led the rule revision effort.

An estimated 80 percent of regulated farms already have such storage, and Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Indiana already require at least this much, he says. Other major proposed changes would:

  • Ban spreading solid manure on frozen or snow covered ground during February and March unless it was immediately worked into the ground. Research has shown that February and March are the riskiest months for applying manure on Wisconsin fields.
  • Require that manure spread on land be set back from private and public drinking water wells and from sinkholes and fractured bedrock. Additional restrictions would apply to manure and process wastewater spread on areas with shallow soils.
  • Require farms to follow nutrient management plans based on applying the right amount of phosphorus to the soil. This nutrient, if it enters lakes and rivers, can decrease water quality and fuel algae growth.
  • Require farms applying manure near lakes and streams to implement practices such as leaving crop residue on fields and limiting the amount of manure applied to protect against manure runoff.
  • Require farms to develop an emergency response plan to address manure spills or discharges.

The Natural Resources Board meets at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, 101 Osthoff Ave. More information about the proposed changes to NR 243 rules governing Wisconsin’s large-scale farms can be found on the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gordon Stevenson (608) 267-2759 or Tom Bauman (608) 266-9993

Comments sought on roadless area
management in state’s National Forests

MADISON – The public will have an opportunity to comment on federal management plans for roadless areas within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest at a series of open house meetings that will be held throughout Wisconsin in June and July.

Recent federal rule changes direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture-U.S. Forest Service to give state governors an option to seek adjustments to existing federal roadless area management plans within their state's borders through a petition process. States have until November 2006 to submit their petition.

Gov. Jim Doyle, in his “Conserve Wisconsin” initiative, directed the state Department of Natural Resources to solicit public comment on the National Forest Service management plans and to submit a summary report to his office for a decision regarding petitioning the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary to make changes in management on one or more of 25 roadless areas within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests located in north central and northeastern Wisconsin.

Seven areas within the two forests totaling 49,714 acres meet the basic requirements of inventoried roadless area: a total area of greater than 5,000 acres and an improved road density of less than one-half mile per 1,000 acre. Eighteen other areas totaling 69,000 acres are also being considered due to their previous status under the Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II) process in the late 1970s.

“For each of these areas we’re asking citizens to indicate whether they accept the plan as is or indicate that it needs adjustment,” said Jim Warren, forest lands management section chief with the DNR Division of Forestry. “If they feel a plan needs adjustment, we ask that they provide specific recommendations. We are limited to accepting comment only on these 25 areas.”

The public comment period begins on Friday, May 19 and runs for 60 days. The open houses will all run from 3 to 8 p.m. on the following dates at the locations listed:

  • June 22, Park Falls - Park Falls Library
  • June 27, Wausau - Wausau Inn and Conference Center
  • July 6, Eagle River - Lincoln Town Hall
  • July 11, South Eastern Wisconsin - location to be announced
  • July 13, Fitchburg - location to be announced

Summaries of the existing management plans for the 25 areas are available on the DNR Web site, or can be requested by calling or writing Jim Warren at (608) 264-8990. The plans describe the size, geographic features, recreational uses and existing forest types present based on land management plan completed in 2004. Full management plans and other information are included in the U.S. Forest Service’s Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Master Plan through a link on the DNR Web site.

In addition to the open houses, people can also submit feedback electronically through the Web site or by U.S. mail to Jim Warren, DNR Division of Forestry, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53704-7921.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Warren - (608) 264-8990

Scrapping burn barrels will help lead to cleaner air

MADISON – May brings spring weather and outdoor activities are starting to pick up, including yard work. With yard work comes the occasional smell of burning leaves or brush in the rural countryside. People have been burning yard debris, trash and household waste to dispose of them for as long as anyone can remember.

May is designated as Clean Air Month and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is urging people to think before they burn to minimize pollution and health risks.

“Even today, thousands of households, mostly in rural areas, small towns and villages, still burn their trash and yard debris rather than recycling, reusing, composting or landfilling,” says Kevin Kessler, acting director of the DNR Bureau of Air Management. “In states like Wisconsin with strong rural traditions and attitudes, the practice of open burning is widespread.”

Presently, the DNR estimates that there are about 500,000 burn barrels in the state, mostly in unincorporated rural areas. Many households in these same areas also periodically burn yard debris and wood in open piles. Together, this open burning of trash and yard debris makes a significant contribution to air quality problems in Wisconsin.

Over time, the composition of household waste has changed dramatically. In the past, more of it was paper and wood and the average household created less trash – mostly because there was less consumption, less packaging and more reuse. Today’s refuse contains many kinds of plastic and synthetics, coated paper, chemically treated materials and potentially dangerous chemical compounds that require recycling or safe and careful disposal.

Combined with yard waste, these household items can turn outdoor burning into a real health concern, Kessler says. In fact, in Wisconsin it is illegal to burn household solid wastes including plastic, painted or treated wood, waste petroleum products and oily paper and rags, and rubber products like tires. The only exceptions to the rules are small amounts of leaves and yard waste, clean wood and clean waste paper not suitable for recycling. Homeowners also need to be aware that burning these things may be limited or prohibited by local ordinances and, in fire control and many other areas, permits are required that limit the days, times and seasons for burning.

Another concern with illegal backyard burning is that household waste tends to burn poorly at low temperatures. As a result, a toxic plume of pollutants is created, containing chemicals and small, sooty particles. Burning trash can also generate dioxins, which are highly toxic chemicals. The resulting ash often contains high levels of metals like lead and cadmium, or other chemical compounds, many of which are especially dangerous to small children. Individuals with respiratory illnesses like asthma may especially suffer from breathing this polluted smoke floating across their property. The smoke from open burning can even take a toll on the lungs of healthy adults and children.

Open burning is also the leading cause of wildfires in Wisconsin. About one-third of these preventable, costly, destructive and dangerous fires, can be attributed to private burning in barrels and piles. Anyone who is responsible for starting a wildfire is Wisconsin can be held responsible for the cost of any damage done and the cost of putting out the fire.

Many people in Wisconsin and across the U.S. and Canada are increasingly concerned about the dangers of open burning to health, air quality, land use and safety. As a result, many states and communities have increased their efforts to promote awareness, education and encourage legal regulation of open burning and burn barrels. For more information on open burning in Wisconsin, go to the DNR Open Burning Web page.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Kessler – (608) 266-5207

Grants available to help turn brownfields into public places

MADISON – Local Wisconsin governments looking to turn brownfields in their communities into parks, libraries or other public places can apply for grants of up to $200,000 available through a unique state program intended to help municipalities clean up properties and return them to public uses.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Brownfield Green Space and Public Facilities Grants program has $1 million available to help municipalities clean up brownfields that will become public resources. Brownfields are abandoned, idle or underused properties where redevelopment is hindered by real or perceived contamination.

“Communities understand the value that green space and public facilities bring to any redevelopment”, said Mark Giesfeldt, director for the DNR Bureau of Remediation and Redevelopment. Giesfeldt added that these grants are one of the only state programs in the nation devoted to turning brownfields into green space or other public facilities. This grant program was proposed by the Brownfields Study Group – a non-partisan statewide task force – and first provided awards to 10 communities in 2004.

Those first awards helped fund the cleanup of contaminated land for Oshkosh’s Riverside Park, sports fields for a brand new elementary school in Kenosha, Eau Claire’s Phoenix Park farmer’s market, green space in Delavan’s downtown Ann Street neighborhood, a new park in the Town of Geneva and six other public projects.

Grants of up to $200,000 are available. Applicants must be ready, or almost ready, to enter the cleanup phase of their project, because the investigation of contaminated areas is not covered by these funds. Applicants must also be ready to commit to long-term public use of the property. However, public ownership is not required prior to applying for a grant.

Applications for Brownfield Green Space and Public Facilities Grants are due July 21, 2006. Any local government – city, village, town, county, redevelopment authority, community development authority, or housing authority – or tribe is eligible to compete. DNR will help by discussing project eligibility with potential applicants. The brownfields green space and public facilities grants application and applicant instructions are available on the Remediation and Redevelopment Program pages of the DNR Web.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Prager - (608) 261-4927

State efforts to reduce hazardous medical waste lauded

DNR program receives Champions for Change Award

MADISON – A Wisconsin program aimed at reducing the hazardous waste produced in hospitals and other medical facilities by virtually eliminating the use of mercury and minimizing, eliminating or improving the management of other hazardous materials has received national recognition.

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), a non-profit organization jointly founded by the American Hospital Association, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Health Care Without Harm and the American Nurses Association has given the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources its third “Champions for Change Award” for leadership in improving the environmental performance of the health care sector in Wisconsin.

“The Wisconsin DNR is at the forefront of a fundamental shift in the health care industry toward the proactive improvement of public health,” said Laura Brannen, director of the Hospitals for a Health Environment program. “The DNR is driving the sector’s use of healthier and more responsible products and practices. In doing so, they are making it easier than ever for health care facilities to operate in a way that protects the heath of patients, workers, communities and our global environment. They are to be commended for their contribution to this visionary work that benefits us all.”

Currently 42 medical organizations in Wisconsin, representing more than 165 separate facilities, have joined with the DNR as partners in H2E. Additionally, the DNR Cooperative Environmental Assistance program has been very active in promoting mercury reduction in compliance with DNR rules on reducing discharges of mercury to sanitary sewer systems.

The Waste and Materials Management program helps businesses and citizens reduce hazardous waste and handle the remaining wastes responsibly.

“We are proud of our award and committed to working with Wisconsin’s medical facilities through the Waste and Materials Management program and other DNR programs to identify new ways to protect public health by improving the environmental performance of the health care sector,” said Suzanne Bangert, director of the DNR Bureau of Waste and Materials Management. “We believe that making environmental responsibility a core part of our mission not only benefits the environment, but can also help health care facilities operate in ways that are safer and healthier for patients, staff and their communities.”

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment educates health care professionals about pollution prevention opportunities, rewards the sector’s best performers, and provides a wealth of practical tools and resources to facilitate the industry’s movement toward environmental sustainability. To learn more about H2E, visit <www.h2e-online.org> (exit DNR).

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Barb Bickford, (608) 267-3548.
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Last Revised: Tuesday May 16 2006