habitat restoration – Aquarius-Systems

Buffalo River Restoration Shows New Life After Decades of Pollution

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 21:26:19 +0000

Overwhelmed by decades of pollution, by the late 60’s, the Buffalo River’s condition was disgraceful. Both Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy visited the New York river to inspect the carnage, and the death knell for this once proud waterway was sounding.

Jill Jedlicka is Executive Director Of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. The river hit rock bottom in around 1969 when it was functionally declared biologically dead by the federal government. Nothing could survive in the river, there was no oxygen in the water, not even Sludge Worms were living in the bottom of the river, it would change color, it would occasionally catch fire.

What was once a civic embarrassment is now a symbol of renewal. Over the past decade, a torrent of organizations has worked hard to restore the river. One of the most visible signs of life are the aquatic vegetation recently planted along the shore. From an environmental standpoint the re-establishment of sub aquatic vegetation and emergent vegetation is an indicator for the health of the river.

Wisconsin DNR Works to Restore Wild Rice Habitat on Spur Lake

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 20:08:27 +0000

Pete McGeshick II, 80, a Sokaogon Chippewa tribal member and former Rice Chief, recalls when he and Sokaogon Chippewa tribal members used to harvest wild rice on Spur Lake. The wild rice is all but gone, but DNR ecologists are working to clear Twin Lakes Creek, hoping to revive wild rice on Spur Lake.

The last several decades have been unkind to wild rice in Wisconsin.

The resource has deep cultural roots in the state, especially for Ojibwe tribal members. But it has been disappearing on lakes and rivers.

The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission estimates about half of the wild rice that once grew in Wisconsin is now gone. Five or six percent disappeared in the last decade.

Now, the Wisconsin DNR and a group of partners are trying to bring back what was lost on Spur Lake.

Seagrass Meadows Improve Water Quality and May Help Reduce Marine Plastic Pollution

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 16:37:03 +0000

Seagrass meadows are widespread in shallow coastal waters and are involved in trapping and binding sediment particles that form the seabed. These seagrass meadows also provide important ecosystem services and benefits, such as water quality improvement; CO2 absorption; climate change mitigation; sediment production for seafloor and beach stabilization; coastal protection; nursery and refuge areas for many species, and support in fisheries production.

Research team’s findings also suggest that seagrass meadows may help counteract marine plastic pollution. As previous research found that seagrass areas in the Mediterranean Sea have decreased by up to 50 per cent since 1960, seagrass meadow conservation should remain a priority, according to the authors.

Read More https://eandt.theiet.org/2021/01/15/seagrass-meadows-could-help-remove-plastic-oceans

How to Reduce Shoreline Erosion With Native Plants and Buffer Zones

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 09:19:25 +0000

High water levels leading to eroding shorelines have been front-page news in recent months. Shoreline erosion is a concern for property owners with homes located on a Great Lakes or an inland lake. While we can’t control how Mother Nature effects our water levels there are steps that property owners can do to minimize shoreline erosion on their property.

How to Improve Your Properties Shoreline:

Install a buffer zone – Leave or plant a buffer of natural vegetation can reduce erosion, maintain water quality, and provide habitat for wildlife

Native plants. Leave or plant native aquatic plants to help support lake wildlife and minimize erosion

Limit turfgrass- turfgrass has shallow roots and requires lots of maintenance

Minimize impervious surfaces such as concrete or asphalt- this will decrease the amount of run-off containing chemicals from getting into the lake

Leave fallen trees- fallen trees in the water will provide habitat for fish and wildlife

Use minimal sand- minimize the size of your sandy beach to allow for more natural vegetation onshore and in the water

Practice bioengineering- also known as lakescaping, is a method using native plants, biodegradable products and other natural materials (rock) to provide a stable shoreline

Restoring Kings Bay to Protect Florida’s Manatees and Water Quality

Wed, 02 Apr 2014 16:23:50 +0000

Florida’s tropical waters are home to a great diversity of life, but perhaps the most endearing is the Manatee. The manatee is a grazing animal and spends between six and eight hours a day feeding on seagrasses and other freshwater vegetation. The manatee actually plays an important role in controlling the aquatic plant growth in Florida’s shallow rivers, bays, estuaries, canals and coastal waterways.

As the human population increases and waterfront development continues, manatees are losing habitat. The development also damages seagrasses, degrades water quality and reduces the availability of the warm waters that manatees rely upon to survive. Waters below 68° can prove fatal to manatees.

2013 was the deadliest year on record for the endangered manatee. With populations of less than 5,000 they have suffered due to boats strikes and algae blooms that not only left many manatees dead, but also destroyed their food supply resulting in even more deaths.

In order to protect the manatees, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will establish a year-round manatee refugee in Kings Bay, its tributaries and adjoining water bodies. Kings Bay, located at the headwaters of Crystal River and consists of 30 known springs that used to be clear and beautiful.

The once crystal clear water with clean white sand bottoms is now in distress. Excess nutrients from wastewater, septic tanks and stormwater runoff resulted in declines in water clarity and growth of nuisance aquatic plants. One such aquatic plant, water hyacinth is now part of an experiment to help restore the Bay and save the manatees.

Water hyacinth once choked the waterways and extensive control measures began in the early 1900’s. With the water hyacinth under control, filamentous blue-green algae arrived. A controversial experiment is now under way in Kings Bay to reduce algae populations and remove nutrients by using the ever efficient filtering of the water hyacinth.

Water hyacinth will be placed in containment cages to prevent their spread. It is believed that the shade from the floating aquatic plants and the nutrients they will remove from the water will make a substantial difference in water clarity in the area.

Kings Bay Restoration