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Fish Kill at Badger Creek
Lake Likely From Natural Causes
MEDIA CONTACT: Bill Gross, DNR
environmental specialist, at (515) 238-7871.
DES MOINES - The DNR is
investigating on Friday what appears to be a natural fish kill at
Badger Creek Lake in Madison County.
An angler fishing at the lake,
located west of Cumming, reported the fish kill to the DNR
Thursday afternoon. The DNR observed hundreds of dead fish, mainly
4- to 6-inch bluegill. Some fish were decomposed, indicating that
the fish kill began earlier this week.
"We didn't observe any type of
pollution or runoff entering the lake, and because it affected
mostly one species of fish, it seems to be a fish kill from
disease or other natural causes at this point," said Bill Gross,
an environmental specialist with the DNR's Des Moines field
office.
DNR Fisheries staff will continue
to investigate what caused the fish kill.
No More Overflow Camping at
State Run Campgrounds
CHARITON - The Iowa Department of
Natural Resources is no longer allowing overflow camping at any of
its state park or state forest campgrounds. The DNR began
advertising the new overflow camping regulations in 2006 in
preparation for the statewide ban in 2007.
“Last year, we had 60 camping
units in the Stephens State Forest equestrian campground designed
for 40 units,” said Mike Schrader, park manager at Red Haw State
Park. “Overflow camping is usually only an issue around holidays
at Stephens Forest, but we are trying to get the word out so
people who drive 150 miles and arrive at 10 o’clock at night are
not angry when they get turned away.”
Schrader, who also works with the
campgrounds at Stephens State Forest, said all the equestrian
reservable campsites for Memorial Day Weekend at Stephens are
filled, leaving only 20 primitive sites available as first come,
first serve.
“Equestrian campers who do not
have a reservation and are planning to go to Stephens should call
ahead before they leave to see if any of the first come, first
serve campsites are available,” Schrader said. “We are trying to
coordinate with other equestrian campgrounds, like Elk Rock an
Brushy Creek, to steer campers once we fill, but with it being
Memorial Day Weekend, all of our equestrian sites will probably be
filled.”
The DNR will no longer allow
overflow camping at Shimek State Forest either.
“We will try to work with campers
as best as we can, but I would strongly encourage those without
reservations to call ahead to check on availability and in the
future to use the reservation system to guarantee a campsite,”
Schrader said.
For more information, contact
either Mike Schrader or Kirk Irwin at 641-774-5632.
DNR Launches Database Offering
Stream Use Assessment Reports
MEDIA CONTACT: Adam Schnieders at
(515) 281-7409.
DES MOINES - As the DNR assesses
Iowa streams in an effort to bring Iowa's water quality standards
towards compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, it is posting
reports in a new online database.
The database, located on the DNR
Web site at www.iowadnr.gov/water/uaa.html, offers maps, proposed
use designations and other information on selected streams and
stream segments throughout the state. Streams are added to the
database as fieldwork is completed and information becomes
available.
"Use designations are one part of
our state's water quality standards. They categorize water bodies
by what's capable of happening in the stream - recreation, a home
for aquatic life, or both," said Adam Schnieders, a DNR
environmental specialist working on the reports.
The database houses reports,
called Use Assessment and Use Attainability Analyses (UA/UAA),
that are part of the DNR's step-by-step process to gather
site-specific field data on stream features and uses.
Under new water quality rules,
the DNR presumes that all perennial streams and rivers, or those
that flow year-round, should receive the highest designations for
recreational and aquatic life uses.
"Assuming that all our streams
should be protected for swimming and fishing places a high value
on our streams. It also ensures the safety of Iowans that use our
streams, and the aquatic life that live in our streams," said Rich
Leopold, director of the DNR. "Assessing these streams is in the
best interest of our citizens, our natural resources and our
state's infrastructure."
After completing field
assessments, the DNR reviews available information to determine if
the "presumed" recreational and aquatic life uses are appropriate
for individual streams. It then prepares the UA/UAA report and
places it in the database, where it is available for public
viewing. Reports will be added to the database throughout 2007.
Information is currently
available for about 40 streams, including:
- Wapsinonoc Creek (Muscatine
County)
- Yankee Run (Clinton,Cedar
counties)
- Sugar Creek (Poweshiek, Jasper
counties)
- Linn Creek (Marshall County)
- Mill Creek (Johnson County)
- Brush Creek (Henry, Jefferson
counties)
- Beaver Creek (Polk, Boone
counties)
- Middle Fork Grand River
(Ringgold County)
- The Winnebago River
- The Skunk River
State Parks Readying for
Memorial Day Weekend
DES MOINES - Campers from
surrounding states heading to Iowa State Parks for Memorial Day
Weekend are being asked to not bring firewood into Iowa, to help
prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer, a small beetle native
to Asia. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources surveyed areas
around each park to identify where wood was available for campers
and is providing the information at the park.
The emerald ash borer has
devastated the ash population around Detroit and Chicago and has
been found in other areas of Michigan and Illinois as well as
Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin. Those five states have a quarantine
on moving firewood and other wood products.
"What we are trying to do is to
slow the spread of this pest. The most efficient way is to not
move firewood from state to state," said Greg Van Fosson, who
supervises state parks in north central Iowa for the DNR. "We are
trying to make people aware of this through signs in our parks, on
posters, on our website and on our registration cards. If someone
comes from one of the quarantined states, we will require them to
burn all their firewood within 24 hours."
State parks will be a busy place
for Memorial Day Weekend. Nearly every electrical site available
through the campsite reservation system (www.reserveiaparks.com)
is taken. Campers wanting a site for the weekend should plan to
arrive early to secure a first come, first serve campsite.
"Campers who plan to stay in our
more heavily used parks may want to call ahead to see if we have
any first come, first serve sites available. If there are sites
available, it would probably be a good idea to arrive early in the
week to claim a campsite," Van Fosson said.
Many state parks will have
programs offered during the holiday weekend. Check at the
campground kiosk or with the local park staff to find out what
programs are planned.
There is a lot of routine work
going on in the parks in preparation for the crowds, which is good
news given the recent heavy rains and tornadoes.
"We're going to be ready for the
weekend, rain or shine," he said. "But it is just better for
everyone if it's not rain."
For more information, contact Van
Fosson at 515-281-6157.
