Category: Lake & Watershed Management

Patty Hoch-Melluish, Project Scientist, presented on behalf of Kieser & Associates at the 2018 Michigan Water Environment Association Watershed & Stormwater Seminar on December 4, 2018 at the Lansing Community College West Campus in Lansing, Michigan.  Patty presented “The Kalamazoo River/Lake Allegan Total Maximum Daily Load.”  The presentation summarized the history of the Lake Allegan TMDL for Total Phosphorus and monitoring data trends to assess progress toward meeting the TMDL goals.  View the presentation slides at: K&A 2018 Michigan Water Environment Association Presentation.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) October 2018 Fisheries Bulletin, “Reel in Michigan’s Fisheries”, featured a K&A-led project at the Fort Custer Recreation Area (FCRA). The project to develop and implement an integrated lake management plan for lakes in the recreation area is funded through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, the Enbridge compensation for injuries to the Kalamazoo River related to the 2010 discharges. The MDNR article focuses on the fisheries and invasive aquatic plant management planning efforts at three FCRA lakes: Eagle Lake, Whitford-Lawler and Jackson Hole.

See the bulletin here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/bulletins/21825c1

See the full article here: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79136_79236_80245_80707-482116–,00.html?utm_source=govdelivery

Patty Hoch-Melluish, Project Scientist, presented on behalf of Kieser & Associates at the 2018 Michigan Inland Lakes Convention on October 5, 2018 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Patty presented “Protecting the Nearshore through Upland Lakescaping” as part of the Natural Shorelines session. The presentation summarized how development around lakeshores can impact lake health and included best management practices that can be incorporated on individual properties to help mitigate these impacts. Gabby Metzner, Project Scientist at K&A, also attended the conference. View the presentation slides at: K&A 2018 Inland Lakes Convention Presentation.

Native Plant Installation

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and Fort Custer Recreation Area (FCRA) have engaged a diverse Kieser & Associates, LLC (K&A) Project Team to enhance the FCRA lakes by controlling invasive aquatic plant species.  Three Fort Custer lakes, Eagle Lake, Whitford and Lawler Lake, and Jackson Hole Lake, are being addressed by this three-year project.  Funding is provided as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, the Enbridge compensation for injuries to the Kalamazoo River related to the 2010 discharges.

The objectives for the project include:

• Assess the presence and density of aquatic invasive plants
• Develop an integrated strategy to control aquatic invasive plant species
• Monitor and assess invasive aquatic plant presence and density during and after treatments
• Develop and implement an outreach program for recreational users to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species from and into the FCRA.
• Design and implement a monitoring program to evaluate aquatic recreational use of all three lakes.

The project was recently highlighted through an interview with Patty Hoch-Melluish and article on MLive. Read about the project and see photos of the weevils and beetles being used for biologic controls at: https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2018/08/beetles_weevils_added_to_michi.html

Kieser & Associates projects to protect the Arcadia Creek Watershed include work with various partners including the City of Kalamazoo, the City of Portage, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kalamazoo River Watershed Council and the Forum of Greater Kalamazoo.