Dear Fly Fishing Club Leader,

By working together, the Michigan fly fishing community has an opportunity to better understand some of our most prized rivers and stay in front of emerging threats to coldwater streams and trout populations. We are writing to ask for your financial assistance to fund a major, two year study of temperatures, flow rates and water chemistry on the Upper Manistee and Au Sable Rivers and their tributaries.

In June, the Anglers of the Au Sable board of directors approved a major investment in water quality monitoring on the Au Sable and Upper Manistee rivers. This two-year project will help scientists, regulators and anglers clearly document the state of our rivers today – at the dawn of a potential boom in new and intensive oil and gas development in northern Michigan. This research, performed by some of the top geologists in state, will also provide DNR fisheries biologists with a wealth of new data to better understand and improve our coldwater fisheries – even in the face of deep budget cuts within the department.

To pull this off, we could really use your help.

Fracking Controversy Nationwide

Over the past year, the Anglers of the Au Sable have worked to gain a better understanding of “fracking” – a controversial method of extracting natural gas from deep reserves previously unreachable by traditional drilling methods. For more information about some of these critical issues read Riverwatch Issue 60 on our website, ausableanglers.org.

In short, hydraulically fractured gas wells are the subject of numerous conservation and public health debates across the country. Fluids used to extract shale gas from deep formations contain toxic chemicals; the ensuing migration of methane gas through rock fissures is suspected for outbreaks of contaminated drinking wells; and isolated cases of fluid spills have directly contaminated rivers.

The state of New York imposed a temporary moratorium on fracking in 2010. The state of Arkansas imposed a moratorium earlier this year after numerous earthquakes raised concerns that the fracking of deep shale wells was causing abnormal seismic activity. And in April 2011, Chesapeake Energy — one of the nation’s largest producers of natural gas — temporarily halted
all fracking operations in Pennsylvania after one of its deep shale wells suffered a spill that polluted a nearby stream. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a comprehensive study of the environmental impact of fracking. That study may not be completed until at least 2012.

New Urgency in Michigan

In Michigan, one of the most acute concerns with fracking is large-scale withdrawal of groundwater. The Au Sable and Manistee rivers rely on groundwater for their consistent, cold-water flows. It takes five million gallons or more of groundwater to drill a “fracked” gas well. That’s 100 times more water than each of the traditional Antrim Shale wells that have dotted the northern Michigan landscape over the past 50 years. And, this withdrawal takes place “up front” during the process, so while the effects may be temporary, they may be severe when the withdrawal is taking place.

As of early May, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality had issued 18 permits to drill hydraulically fracked wells for natural gas in the Utica-Collingwood formation in northern Michigan. Another 12 permit applications were pending. One of those wells was within a couple miles of the headwaters of the Manistee River.

The upper Au Sable River and Upper Manistee watersheds sit atop some of Michigan’s thickest deposits of Utica-Collingwood shale, and the watersheds may see considerable fracking-related development in future years. In two auction cycles in 2010, oil and gas companies paid nearly $200 million for state-owned mineral leases on more than 120,000 acres across northern Michigan. That sum equaled the total lease revenue to the state over the past eight decades. In October 2010, for example, one firm spent $1 million to acquire drilling rights on more than 33,000 acres within the Au Sable watershed near Grayling. Because shale gas in the Utica-Collingwood formation is found at a depth of 10,000 feet, all of the wells drilled into that layer of gas will use the fracking technique.

Our Answer: Document River Conditions Now

The long-term potential impacts of additional development, including fracking, on cold water trout fisheries are largely unknown.

At our June board meeting, Anglers approved Part 1 of a comprehensive, two-year water quality monitoring study on the Au Sable and the Upper Manistee. Conducted by Dr. David Hyndman, the chair of the geology department at Michigan State University, this study will place advanced temperature and flow gauges at 40 locations on those two rivers. The result will be a detailed portrait of river conditions before any fracking rush is fully underway. If fracking takes off and river flows are impacted, we seek to have clear evidence to urge regulators and industry to prevent any degradation of our world-class fisheries.

In addition, regarding Part 2 of the study, we are in the planning stages of a water chemistry study of the same waters. If finances permit, this will take place over the same period of time. Patterned after similar work in Pennsylvania, the chemical analysis will allow us to detect potential future chemical impacts in the rivers from fracking.

We Need Your Help to Keep Watch Over Rivers

The Au Sable-Manistee monitoring study is patterned after a similar approach led by local Trout Unlimited chapters in Pennsylvania, where the fracking controversy is in full bloom. In Michigan, our monitoring techniques are scalable, meaning we can eventually add detailed chemical analysis and more river systems to the project if additional funds are available. We plan to share all data with state biologists to enhance further understanding of the fisheries.

None of this is cheap. The cost of Part 1, the Au Sable-Manistee temperature and flow study, is $96,000. That’s a huge expense for any nonprofit. But we view it as crucial. An investment of up to $5,000 from your Club would go a long way to help the Anglers cover these significant river protection expenses.

We welcome your feedback on this project and the rest of Anglers’ ongoing conservation work.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tom Baird
Vice President – Anglers of the Au Sable
Chairman – Anglers of the Au Sable Oil & Gas Committee

Terry Lyons
Chairman -Anglers of the AuSable Resource Agency Committee
VP Conservation, GLC, FFF

We need volunteers to assist in these projects. The camaraderie is good and we always have a blast. I would encourage you to come and help out. Bring someone with you especially if they are young and strong. The work may be hard but the rewards can be fulfilling. It is a great way to get to know the river and it’s secret spots. It will make you a better fisherman once you are in tune with the river.

We meet at Riverbend Park in Middlebury at 8:00 am for all work days. You will need to come ready to get in the water. Waders and bug spray is a must. I would recommend a garden rake and some rubberized gloves.

2011 Work Days:
June 11 8:00 am
July 23 8:00 am
August 13 8:00 am
September TBD 8:00 am

Map and more details

Dave’s study and focus is on water quality. He and his team are now in the implementation stage of “best management practices” in an effort to protect the river from contaminates such as siltation and pollution. Large amounts of grant monies have been utilized to protect the Little Elkhart River and a lot of data has been gathered and processed in this effort.

Point sources of contaminants have been identified and are being addressed. Correction of these issues has lead to cleaner water in the Little Elkhart River and it’s feeder streams. These improvements will equate to better habitat for our trout.

Dave is going to address our chapter at our December 8th Wednesday evening LECTU meeting. Dave will present his latest findings and outline the project’s future as they work their way down stream from the headwaters. Dave’s presentation is always interesting and informative. His work is crucial to our chapter’s mission and goals.

This is a meeting you do not want to miss if you want to know what is going on in the Little Elkhart River and what improvements are being made in the water quality of our home waters. The chapter meets at 7:00pm the second Wednesday of each month at the Middlebury Library.

The focus of the clean up is to open up the main river channel and clean out some of the logjams that impede the flow of the river. The logjam clean out accomplishes several objectives.

By opening the flow of the river, water is allowed to flow more freely. Moving water creates oxygen and prevents warming that occurs when water is backed up. Moving water will help scour the bottom creating more trout habitat. Opening flow through areas help make log jams more fishable by removing snags. The debris that are removed from the log jams are then either discarded up on the bank or rearranged to narrow the river and deflect flow creating more trout habitat. Legally all work has to be done by hand and using hand tools only otherwise permits have to be secured. Many times the logs that require moving are heavy and require several guys to accomplish the task.

We need volunteers to assist in this project. The camaraderie is good and we always have a blast. I would encourage you to come and help out. Bring someone with you especially if they are young and strong. The work may be hard but the rewards can be fulfilling. It is a great way to get to know the river and it’s secret spots. It will make you a better fisherman once you are in tune with the river.

You will need to come ready to get in the water. Waders and bug spray is a must. I would recommend a garden rake, drinking water, rubberized gloves, and long sleeves.

In the event of pouring rain or lightning we will not work on the stream.

The focus of the clean up is to open up the main river channel and clean out some of the logjams that impede the flow of the river. The logjam clean out accomplishes several objectives.

By opening the flow of the river, water is allowed to flow more freely. Moving water creates oxygen and prevents warming that occurs when water is backed up. Moving water will help scour the bottom creating more trout habitat. Opening flow through areas help make log jams more fishable by removing snags. The debris that are removed from the log jams are then either discarded up on the bank or rearranged to narrow the river and deflect flow creating more trout habitat. Legally all work has to be done by hand and using hand tools only otherwise permits have to be secured. Many times the logs that require moving are heavy and require several guys to accomplish the task.

We need volunteers to assist in this project. The camaraderie is good and we always have a blast. I would encourage you to come and help out. Bring someone with you especially if they are young and strong. The work may be hard but the rewards can be fulfilling. It is a great way to get to know the river and it’s secret spots. It will make you a better fisherman once you are in tune with the river.

You will need to come ready to get in the water. Waders and bug spray is a must. I would recommend a garden rake and some rubberized gloves.

This year we are attempting to report all catch rates on our LECTU.org web site. This is the vital information we need.

-How many hours did you fish?
-How many rainbow trout did you catch?
-How many brown trout did you catch?
-Were you fishing inside the catch and release section?
-Were you satisfied with your fishing experience?

These statistics are very important if we want to continue our brown trout stocking program or if we ever wish to expand areas of catch and release protected fishing. Please help us keep a running record no matter if it was a great outing or just a mediocre one they all are important in the overall scheme of things.

To report your catch please click here or on the link on the LECTU homepage.

The carp have been found in the canals that connect the Mississippi River with Lake Michigan. An Electronic barrier has been placed in the main canal to help prevent the Asian Carp from entering Lake Michigan. Recently Asian Carp DNA has been found past the barrier in the canals that lead to Lake Michigan.

LECTU President Mike Beachy has been in touch with, Great Lakes Fishery Commissioner, William James about this issue, and likes their direction. The GLFC is supportive of a biological separation of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes [Source]. Please take a look at some of the following links for more information, and come back to LECTU.org for more information as this important issue is addressed by the many interests involved.

Visit the Trout Unlimited Take Action Site Today!

Asian Carp Links:

Indiana DNR Invasive Species Page

Michigan DNR Asian Carp Page

Wisconsin DNR Asian Carp Page

Stop Asian Carp – Petition Page

Asian Carp Invasive Species Coordination Website

Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Great Lakes United Asian Carp Page

United States Environmental Protection Agency

United States Geological Survey

In the news:

South Bend Tribune

Indy.com

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