Ann Arbor Cycling And Fitness


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Ann Arbor Cycling And Fitness

Ann Arbor Cycling And Fitness

October 13, 2010 at 7 p.m., a group of people interested in protecting Ohio’s waters, including environmental activists, ODNR employees, and journalists, met at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in Columbus, Ohio. Speakers presented information on a variety of topics related to the conservation and management of Ohio’s waterways and natural resources.

Audubon Ohio

Eric Uhde, Grassroots Coordinator, Audubon Ohio, was the first speaker. Uhde provided an overview of the role of Audubon in counting and monitoring birds and working to create and protect habitat, especially shallow water habitat that is essential to many species of migrating birds. He remarked, “Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez spill, there are still noticeable effects.” Uhde said that one of the most serious effects of recent oil spills is long-term destruction of food sources that support bird populations.

Fisheries and Aquatic Invasive Species

Next on the agenda were ODNR Division of Wildlife representatives, Jeff Tyson and John Navarro. Tyson is the Fisheries Biology Supervisor for the Sandusky Fisheries Research Unit, and Navarro is the Division of Wildlife’s Program Administrator for Aquatic Invasive Species.

Tyson explained the biology and life cycle of one of Lake Erie’s most sought-after sport fish, the walleye. He presented data from more than three decades which illustrated the relationship between walleye populations and the amount of dissolved reactive phosphorus in the lake. Tyson stated that most of the problematic chemicals are runoff from farmland fertilizers and animal waste. High levels of these substances contribute to expansive blooms of toxic, blue-green algae, which in turn make the lake inhospitable for walleye.

Navarro presented information about invasive species, including the invasive bighead and silver carps that are currently creating a problem as they threaten Lake Erie. Navarro explained that there are man-made breaches, created to facilitate shipping, in the natural barriers between the Great Lakes. The Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal, Navarro said, was created to carry waste water away from Chicago, and it has become a valuable shipping avenue. While it is hoped that electronic barriers will keep the invasive carps from making their way into Lake Erie, DNA testing suggests that at least some of the fish are getting past the barriers. Navarro and other fish biologists are calling for stronger protective measures, including, if necessary, filling in the canal.

Bighead and silver carps are far from the only invasive species causing concern in water. According to Navarro, a new ANS (aquatic nuisance species) is discovered every twenty-eight weeks. The most common means of introducing ANS to new environments are boats and ships, waders and boots, and both intentional and accidental release.