La Crosse Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office

Making Waves

Volume 12, Issue 6 August 2014

By Jenna Merry

What’s

Inside?

During the week of August 18th,

Nick Bloomfield and I met

Jeremiah Smith of the Columbia

(MO) FWCO to conduct annual

surveillance for invasive round

goby in the Illinois River. Since

assuming coordination duties for

the annual goby ―Round-Up‖ in

2013, I’ve made several changes

to the sampling protocol that

would make the effort very differ-

ent from past years - but first,

some history.

The round goby was found in the

U.S. in 1990 near Detroit in the

St. Clair River and quickly expand-

ed its range to distant reaches of

the Great Lakes region, including

the Chicago Area Waterway Sys-

tem (CAWS). Since 1996, the La

Crosse FWCO has annually led

cooperative efforts to monitor the

downstream spread of round go-

by from the CAWS into the Illinois

River. These waters link the Great

Lakes to the Mississippi River and

are a conduit for invasive species to

travel between the two basins.

Goby Move Closer to Mississippi

term surveys have annually

captured less than a handful since

they were first found here in 2004.

Because bow trawls

captured a few round

goby and enormously

increased catch per

unit effort compared

to other gears, we

used only the trawl in

2014. As a result, we conducted

35 trawls during three days of

effort in the La Grange Pool and

Alton reach of the Illinois River

and found that round goby have

crept closer than ever to the

Mississippi River.

Bath Chute at river mile (RM)

108.5 in the La Grange Pool. The

La Grange Pool population is

fairly scarce except in the

tail-water below RM 157 at the

Peoria Lock and Dam where long

Though small, the round goby is

an aggressive species and com-

petes with native fish for food and

spawning habitat. These fish are

also very fecund with the females

capable of spawning up to six

times per year (every 20 days) at

warmer water temperatures with

clutch sizes that may range from

70 to 600 eggs. So, it’s easy to see

how their popula-

tions can rapidly

grow and impact

native fauna.

In 2013, through

combined efforts of

the Service, the

Illinois Department of

Natural Resources

(DNR), and the Illinois

Natural History

Survey, round goby

were known to occur

in the Illinois River as

far downstream as

RM 108.5

2004-2013

RM 75.5

2014

Known limits

of IL River

distribution

Continued on Page 3

Round goby are

small, benthic

fish native to

Eurasia. USFWS

Fall

Cleaning

Page 3

Amazing

Adventure

Page 3

Key to

Success

Page 2

Mucket

Buckets

Page 2

Others

Say ...

Page 4-5

Turn-In

Sites

Page 6-7

Seasons

Greetings

Page 5

L. DeGrange

USFWS

Minnow trap

In 2013, I decided

to add a bow-trawl

(right) to the mix of

other gears used to

detect round goby

in the Illinois River.

USFWS

Bow trawl Angling

R. Sparks

C. Young C. Young

2

Planning: Key to UMR Spill Response By Mark Steingraeber

The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS)

is home to a diverse array of trust natural

resources. It also provides for a variety of

human uses including industry, transporta-

tion, and recreation. In 1986, the U.S.

Congress designated the UMRS as both a

nationally significant ecosystem and a

nationally significant navigation system.

It is also the only inland waterway in the

nation to have these dual designations.

Five national wildlife refuges are

located here that encompass over

300,000 acres of wooded islands,

water, and wetlands, including the 261-

mile long Upper Mississippi River National

Wildlife and Fish Refuge (UMRNWFR).

These public lands and waters are

transected/bordered by hundreds of miles

of highways, railways, and

waterways where

commercial shipments of

hazardous materials are

common and pose

continuous risks to trust

resources should an

unexpected spill occur. Prevention of, and

preparation for, spills of hazardous

materials are key elements needed to help

maintain the multiple uses of the UMRS.

Because many jurisdictions can be impacted

by a spill, pre-planning

for such an event is need-

ed to enact a coordinat-

ed response that is safe,

efficient, and effective.

The Upper Mississippi River Basin Associa-

tion (UMRBA) is a regional interstate organ-

ization formed by the Governors of Illinois,

Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin

to coordinate the states' river-related pro-

grams and policies and work with federal

agencies that have river responsibilities.

Since 1989, the UMRBA has played a key

role in spill response planning and coordi-

nation through its UMR Hazardous Spills

Coordination Group (Spills Group) which

includes representatives of state and feder-

al agencies who play a role in contingency

planning and spill response on the river.

The UMR Spills Group provides a forum for

interagency coordination, serves as a voice

for the region's spill responders on various

issues, and helps in the preparation and

execution of training activities.

Contingency planning efforts for hazardous

material spills that might impact UMR Pool

8 and natural resources within the La

Crosse District of the UMRNWFR were one

focus of Spills Group contingency planning

efforts this summer.

On July 31st, representatives of the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service,

U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers,

U.S. Department of

Agriculture (Animal and

Plant Health Inspection

Service - Wildlife Services),

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,

Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources, Wisconsin Departments of

Homeland Security and Emergency

Management, La Crosse County

Emergency Management, City of La Crosse

Fire and Police Departments, and Canadian

Pacific Railway met at the La Crosse District

office in Onalaska. Here they identified 38

sites with at-risk resources and drafted pre-

liminary response strategies to protect the-

se areas during a hazardous material spill.

On August 28, many of the same

representatives reconvened in La Crosse

and split into groups that visited each site

to: document points of access and

surrounding landscape features; evaluate

the effectiveness of the proposed response

strategy; and make additional detailed

recommendations to safely minimize

resource damage while efficiently

containing and recovering spilled materials.

Containment boom deployment

USBR

USFWS

The results of this planning exercise will be

used to revise and up-date the UMR Spill

Response Plan and Resource Manual (for

Pool 8) which has been adopted by state

and federal agency members of the UMR

Spills Group. This plan includes a resource

manual with detailed information on po-

tential spill sources, vulnerable resources,

and response assets and is designed to

complement broader

regional and national

contingency plans by

addressing issues and

concerns related specifi-

cally to spill response on

the UMR.

For more information,

visit http://umrba.org/hazspills.htm

Improved track

could allow

some clean-up

operations by

rail

USFWS

Tank cars containing flammable crude oil roll

beside the UMR on a railway that passes

through the UMRNW&FR near Stoddard, WI

An oil train that exploded in Quebec in 2013,

killing 47 people, passed through the

UMRNW&FR just days before this disaster

USFWS

Stop logs placed in this

water control structure

could quickly prevent a

spill in UMR Pool 8 from

damaging resources

downstream in Pool 9.

USFWS

The La Crosse FWCO now has a series of

nine ―mucket-bucket‖ juvenile mussel

rearing systems that will be used to aid

propagation efforts designed to help

recover mussel populations for species

that are endangered, threatened, or of

special conservation concern.

Located in the FWCO laboratory, the

mucket-buckets sit in a temperature

controlled

water bath.

De-chlorinated

tap water is

re-circulated

through seven

chambers

designed to

confine hun-

dreds of juve-

nile mussels in

each pair of

nested buckets. Current plans for the

system call for long-term investigations to

determine optimal feeding rations for

several mussel species that will maximize

rates of growth and minimize water quali-

ty issues that could jeopardize survival.

Special thanks to Jorge Buening, Nathan

Eckert, Katie Lieder, Danelle Lloyd, and

Ron Walley for helping to make this

propagation system a operating reality!

Buckets for Muckets By Mark Steingraeber

Mucket

buckets in

operation

USFWS

3

Give Your Medicine Cabinet A Fall Cleaning

On September 27, the U.S.

Drug Enforcement

Administration (DEA) will

coordinate a collaborative

effort with participating state

and local law enforcement

agencies nationwide to safely

remove potentially dangerous

pharmaceutical controlled

substances and other

medications from our nation’s

medicine cabinets.

This initiative compliments the

Service's continuing SMARXT

DISPOSAL campaign program,

a collaborative effort with the

American Pharmacist's

Association and the Pharmaceutical Research and

Manufacturers of America, to educate consumers how to

dispose of unwanted medications in a responsible man-

ner that safeguards lives and protects the environment.

The public is encouraged to take

their expired, unused, and

unwanted medications to one of

the hundreds of sites around the

country where they will be

collected for destruction, from 10

a.m. until 2 p.m. local time, on

Saturday, September 27.

Many collection sites located within

a 100-mile radius of La Crosse (WI)

are listed on page 6. A continuous-

ly updated list of collection sites in

or near your community can be

found on the Internet by visiting

www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/

drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

More than 2,123 tons of unwanted meds were collected

nationwide during eight earlier DEA-sponsored disposal

events, protecting both human and environmental safety.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s planned

nationwide effort to collect unwanted medications for safe

disposal on September 27 compliments the Service's

collaborative SMARXT DISPOSAL campaign to educate

consumers to dispose of unwanted medications responsibly.

By Mark Steingraeber

September 27th

Aquatic Ecosystem Adventure

By Trevor Cyphers

On Saturday, August

2nd, I was part of a FWCO electro-

fishing crew that headed to the

Goose Island Campground in rural

La Crosse for an outreach event.

Our objective was to demonstrate

the importance of the local fish

community to the ecosystem here.

Thus we gathered and displayed a

variety of fish

found near the

campground

while explain-

ing the niche

(role) of each

species within

the aquatic ecosystem.

I first explained the basic principles

of electrofishing and how it is used

to safely and efficiently collect fish.

Next I discussed the main duties of

a fish biologist and some of our

current fish management projects.

After these introductions, the fish

were brought out one at a time and I

explained what they ate, their niche,

and how each species benefits the

aquatic ecosystem. The diversity of

fish species that Goose Island has to

offer had many viewers astonished

and curious with further questions.

As larger fish were displayed, on

looking children

gasped in

amazement.

We held

three of these

events throughout

the afternoon with

many second-time visitors eager to

see what we caught between

demonstrations. The event was a full

success, informing the public of the

importance of local fish populations

and why we as fish biologists strive

to preserve this precious resource.

Campers gather for a close look at fish and a

chance to release them back into the river

M. Kaufman

Goby on the Move

Continued from Page 1

We began day one just downstream of

Havana (IL) where we captured two round

goby; one at a site (RM 106) two miles further

downstream than ever

previously recorded.

On day two we moved

down river near

Beardstown (IL) and were surprised to

capture a goby across the channel from the

boat landing here (RM 88.5), 20 miles down-

stream of its previously recognized range. On

day three we moved below the La Grange

Lock and Dam to work in the Alton reach

where we captured yet another

round goby at RM 75.5 …… Uh-oh!

These findings extend the known

downstream range of round goby

in the Illinois River by 33 miles and include a

new reach. The daunting fact is that round

goby may have been in the Alton reach for

several years. The Illinois DNR will determine

whether more surveillance will be conducted

in the Alton reach this year given that round

goby are now within 75 miles of the

Mississippi River.

4

Commercial fishermen under contract by the

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources netted

two adult invasive carp in Pool 2 of the Mississippi

River in the Cottage Grove area on Thursday, July 17.

One was a bighead carp that weighed approximate-

ly 40 pounds. The other was a silver carp – silver

carp are the ones that leap from the water when

disturbed – that weighed about 20 pounds.

Pool 2 is the portion of the Mississippi River above

the dam at Hastings and extends upstream to the

Ford Dam. Backwater lakes included are Baldwin

Lake, River Lake, Spring Lake, Mooers Lake and Grey

Cloud Slough.

Bighead and silver carp had not been found this far

north in the Mississippi River. Until now, bighead

carp had not been detected above the mouth of the

St. Croix River near Prescott, Wis.; silver carp had not

been detected above Pool 5A near Winona.

―The fish were caught as part of our invasive carp

detection program,‖ said Brad Parsons, DNR regional

fisheries manager. ―This is disappointing but not

entirely unexpected.‖ Parsons said while it’s

unknown how long these fish were in Pool 2 it is

known that invasive carp migrate upstream during

high water conditions. ―Such conditions existed for

many weeks this year,‖ he said.

Parsons said the discovery of these fish does not

necessarily mean a breeding population of invasive

carp exists within Pool 2. Still, he said both fish were

females that contained eggs. ―That’s concerning,‖ he

said. ―Invasive carp pose a threat to our native

fisheries, water recreation and ecosystems.‖

The DNR will continue its invasive carp sampling

efforts next week in an effort to determine if more or

smaller invasive carp are in the Grey Cloud Slough

area. They will do this by setting additional gill nets

and trap nets that are designed to catch smaller fish.

The sampling nets used by commercial fisherman

catch larger fish.

— Bighead & Silver Carp Discovered in Mississippi River Pool 2*—

What Others Say ...

The DNR has been intensively sampling the

Minnesota, St. Croix and Mississippi rivers for more

than two years to assess the presence of all life

stages of invasive carp. It is increasing sampling

efforts in extreme southern Minnesota later this

year (Pools 6 and 8).

Silver and bighead carp are two of four species of

invasive carp threatening the Mississippi River and

other native ecosystems. They can grow to 60

pounds, and they impact the base of the food chain

by consuming large amounts of plankton that

native fish also rely on.

Populations of bighead and silver carp are

established in the Mississippi River and its tributaries

downstream of Pool 16 in Iowa. Bighead carp have

been found in Lake Pepin and the Mississippi and St.

Croix rivers, and as far north as the mouth of the St.

Croix in Prescott, Wis. But there is no indication

bighead or silver carp are reproducing in the Min-

nesota waters of the Mississippi or St. Croix rivers.

The DNR continues to take a multi-pronged

approach to managing invasive carp including:

•Monitoring for invasive carp by using targeted

surveying and contracted commercial fishing.

•Partnering with the University of Minnesota’s

Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, which is

researching ways to prevent the spread and to

manage populations of invasive carp.

•Improvements to the Coon Rapids Dam to make it

a better fish barrier.

This discovery of invasive carp highlights the

importance of recently passed federal legislation

that will close the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock by

June 2015.

The agency maintains that this is the best approach

to keeping invasive carp out of the upper Mississippi

River watershed. Governor Mark Dayton has been

a strong supporter of closing the lock.

*Editor’s notes: (1) This article is a 18 July 2014 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources news release; (2) the La Crosse FWCO also conducted

surveillance for Asian carps in Upper Mississippi River Pools 7-10 this summer but captured none at any sites here.

5

A significant step has been taken toward protecting the

Upper Mississippi River above the Twin Cities from invasive

carp.

Dayton has also been a leader in bringing the issue of

invasive carp to the public’s attention and pursuing

protections for Minnesota’s waters.

―Closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock is the single

biggest and most important step Minnesota can take to

keep invasive carp out of the Upper Mississippi River

watershed, including Mille Lacs Lake,‖ said DNR

Commissioner Tom Landwehr. ―This will protect our local

economies and outdoor heritage in the north-central

part of the state.‖

The DNR anticipates the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

and city of Minneapolis will work with affected parties to

ensure timely and efficient closure. Under the new law,

the Corps has up to one year to close the lock.

While lock closure will prevent carp from swimming

upstream, there still exists the risk of humans introducing

carp into the Upper Mississippi River watershed, despite

the fact it is illegal to transport invasive carp. The DNR

will continue its education and enforcement efforts to

minimize this risk.

Landwehr said closing the lock will allow the DNR to

reallocate its resources to other ongoing invasive carp

prevention priorities.

Those efforts include: creating several barrier projects in

southwestern Minnesota to keep invasive carp from

coming in through the Missouri River system; and

working with the University of Minnesota Invasive

Species Research Center to limit or slow the carps’ spread

through the lower locks and dams to protect other parts

of the Mississippi River and important tributaries like the

St. Croix and Minnesota rivers.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dKok25glEy0/S7Um9DIUhbI/AAAAAAAAGCQ/2VlUEpOYLUk/s1600/st-anthony-falls.jpg

The Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in Minneapolis

will be closed to all navigation by June 2015

— Obama Approves Closure of Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock*—

What Others Say ...

Happy Oktoberfest from your FWCO

Friends in La Crosse! Ann, Heidi, Jenna, Katie, Kyle, Louise,

Mark, Nancy, Nick, Scott,& Trevor

President Barack Obama signed legislation Tuesday, June

10, that will close the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock to boat

traffic. Located in downtown Minneapolis, the lock is the

northern-most navigational structure on the Mississippi

River. Closure will help keep invasive carp, such as

bighead and silver carp, from reaching Mille Lacs Lake and

other important waters north of the Twin Cities.

The Department of Natural Resources would like to thank

Governor Mark Dayton and Minnesota’s congressional

members who supported this provision. They include

Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and Representa-

tives Keith Ellison, Rick Nolan, Erik Paulsen and Tim Walz.

Klobuchar and Ellison were the original authors of the bill.

Nolan played a critical role in getting the provision

through the House committee process and championed it

in conference committee.

*Editor’s note: This article is a 11 June 2014 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources news release.

6

COLLECTION SITE STREET ADDRESS CITY

ONALASKA CITY HALL 415 MAIN ST ONALASKA, WI

HOLMEN VILLAGE HALL 421 S MAIN ST HOLMEN, WI

SPARTA POLICE DEPT 121 E OAK ST SPARTA, WI

SCENIC BLUFFS HEALTH 238 FRONT ST CASHTON, WI

JACKSON COUNTY RECYCLING 115 HARRISON ST BLACK RIVER FALLS, WI

TOMAH POLICE DEPARTMENT 805 SUPERIOR AVE TOMAH, WI

MARSHFIELD CLINIC 2116 CRAIG RD EAU CLAIRE, WI

CRAWFORD COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE 224 N BEAUMONT RD PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WI

MAYO CLINIC - WEST SIDE OF GONDA BUILDING 100 3RD AVE SW ROCHESTER, MN

BOSCOBEL PHARMACY 1028 WISCONSIN AVE BOSCOBEL, WI

RICHLAND CENTER POLICE DEPT 470 MAIN ST RICHLAND CENTER, WI

BLOOMINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY 453 CANAL ST BLOOMINGTON, WI

CITY OF ADAMS MUNICIPAL BLDG 101 NORTH MAIN ST ADAMS, WI

TOWN OF BIG FLATS TOWN HALL 1104 CTH C ARKDALE, WI

KROTOCHWIL BLDG 206 N WISCONSIN AVE MUSCODA, WI

LANCASTER POLICE DEPARTMENT 222 SOUTH MADISON ST LANCASTER, WI

DUNN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE 615 STOKKE PARKWAY, SUITE G300 MENOMINEE, WI

REEDSBURG POLICE DEPT 200 S. PARK ST REEDSBURG, WI

TOWN OF ROME POLICE DEPT 1156 ALPINE DR NEKOOSA, WI

TOWN OF SPRINGVILLE TOWN HALL 3143 STH 13 WISCONSIN DELLS, WI

CHETEK POLICE DEPARTMENT 101 MOORE ST CHETEK, WI

MONTFORT VILLAGE HALL 102 E PARK ST MONTFORT, WI

POTOSI VILLAGE HALL 105 N MAIN ST POTOSI, WI

PORT EDWARDS POLICE DEPT 201 MARKET ST PORT EDWARDS, WI

MOWER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE 201 1ST ST. N.E. AUSTIN, MN

COLOMA COMMUNITY CENTER 155 N FRONT ST COLOMA, WI

PLATTEVILLE POLICE DEPT 165 N FOURTH ST PLATTEVILLE, WI

PIERCE COUNTY SOLID WASTE 707 N MAPLE ST ELLSWORTH, WI

RIVERVIEW HOSPITAL—PARKING LOT #2 420 DEWEY ST WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI

COLBY-ABBOTSFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT 112 WEST SPRUCE ST ABBOTSFORD, WI

SAUK PRAIRIE HOSPITAL 260 26TH ST PRAIRIE DU SAC, WI

Saturday, September 27th

7