Re: More than 40% of our lakes are unsuitable . . .
plainoldme wrote:for fishing and swimming.
That is the message that former president of the League of Conservation Voters Deb Callahan delivered when she introduced John Kerry last week.
What do you intend to do about this?
For openers, I wouldn't move to Minnesota!
plainoldme wrote:WHY???!!! I will repeat what my father said, again. He said how does anyone know that five ounces of fish per week is safe and what are the cumulative effects of eating five ounces of fish per week, 52 weeks per year, for 10, 20 years or longer.
I think my father's decision was sensible. Consider, if the fish are that contaminated, then swimming in the river is out of the question.
What river were they considering retiring on?
Eating fish from a river and swimming in it are completely different things. A river with heavy metals in it is going to contaminate the fish but be just fine for swimming. A chemically contaminated river will have no fish and be bad for your complexion.
Again, most trout streams in Michigan are in pretty good shape. The warnings you see are mainly for fish caught in the Great Lakes, or, andronomous trout that return to their birth streams from the lakes.
I have no idea what river it was. That was many years ago, long before my mother died in 1984. I suspect it was a river that flowed into Lake Michigan.
Michigan's streams and rivers are in much better shape than they were 20 years ago.
Here in west Michigan, you can fish for Steelhead and Salmon right in downtown Grand Rapids, the largest city on the west side of the state. Twenty years ago, the sewage containment during storms was so poor the river was closed to any recreation. Not anymore.
This ain't me, but look at this beauty caught in 1998 right in the middle of town.
You know what's killed a ton of our inland lakes here in Michigan?
Beaver.
The lack of trapping and fur sales has allowed the little engineers to damn up most of the unnavigable streams in the state, choking off and diverting the water flow, creating huge shallow wetland areas that fill with cattails that are unfishable and good only for, well, beavers.
cjhsa wrote:You know what's killed a ton of our inland lakes here in Michigan?
Beaver.
The lack of trapping and fur sales has allowed the little engineers to damn up most of the unnavigable streams in the state, choking off and diverting the water flow, creating huge shallow wetland areas that fill with cattails that are unfishable and good only for, well, beavers.
You blithering idiot. Beavers existed with fish for eons before people messed up the whole scene. Beavers, jesus h keeeerist, grab a brain!!
Uh, the only idiot here is the ignorant idiot who posted right above here.
Beaver have done significant damage to Michigan's waterways thanks to the bunny huggers who have allowed them to flourish in record numbers. Our trapping heritage is out the window, and so are many former streams.
At least our bald and golden eagle populations are making a comeback. This will help reduce the number of beaver.
Before you post JTT, you might want to buy a clue.
JTT, beaver are a major problem here in Pa. In Pa we have over 85K miles of streams , and beaver are invading many stream miles. The problem is that the condition you speak of is only true were there no competing PEOPLE. Weve , since about 12 to 18000 years BP, been invading Beaver lands and relaiming lands that were once giant swamps and shallow ponds that beavers created.
AS much as I hate to admit it, cj is quite right about the beaver problem. Since the market for this rat has dried up, theyve exploded in population and , around me, theyve moved in by swimming up the tribs from the Susquehanna River. I have a small stream on my land and Im always whacking beaver and busting dams before they turn good pastureland in to wetlands. (PS, if they become wetlands for more than a season, then Im bound by "sod-busting" regulations and wetland regs telling me how I may use my own agricultural land.
lynx will kill and eat beaver. So all we have to do is get the lynx population up.
Beaver have turned the "100 mile wilderness " area of the last 1/3 of Eastern Maine into one huge tannic acid laden swamp. This area , from Moxie Mountain to Katahdn was always a "wet " walk, We were just over to Katahdin for an afternoons sketch trip and we were aghast at how the beaver dams have turned this pristine wilderness into an area that looks like a stack of rice paddies.
There's an awful lot of people that don't understand wildlife management. Whether they like it or not, humans are stewards of the earth.
On a lighter note, I found this place where Roxxxanne must go on vacation to swim in the rivers.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=396612&in_page_id=1770
It is good to learn that the state of Michigan waters is improving. Here, in Massachusetts, the Charles is cleaner than it was during the late 60s and early 70s and Massachusetts Bay is cleaner as well. We still need to exercise caution and to continue to work for a cleaner, safer environment.
I had heard about gender transforming fish before. I have also heard about problems with beavers, although those problems had to do more with flooding than with turning waters tannic, although I can understand the process of 'tannification.'
Nobody get me wrong - I think beaver are pretty cool - and certainly ingenious, but boy can they ever transform an ecosystem.
cjhsa wrote:There's an awful lot of people that don't understand wildlife management. Whether they like it or not, humans are stewards of the earth.
Stewardship is not ownership or dominance and includes responsibility.
I'm very responsible. And respectful. I always respect my game by cooking it in a little butter and garlic.
In fact you've inspired me. I'd hate to be the source of an ecosystem breakdown that might affect people and wildlife for hundreds of miles both up and downstream. So, I'm going to have a trapper come in and take most of the beaver off of my property. All I ask in return is that they don't leave a mess, and one pelt to make a nice warm hat from.
cjhsa wrote:In fact you've inspired me. I'd hate to be the source of an ecosystem breakdown that might affect people and wildlife for hundreds of miles both up and downstream. So, I'm going to have a trapper come in and take most of the beaver off of my property. All I ask in return is that they don't leave a mess, and one pelt to make a nice warm hat from.
is it cold now in michigan?
cjhsa wrote:In fact you've inspired me. I'd hate to be the source of an ecosystem breakdown that might affect people and wildlife for hundreds of miles both up and downstream. So, I'm going to have a trapper come in and take most of the beaver off of my property. All I ask in return is that they don't leave a mess, and one pelt to make a nice warm hat from.
A steward with at least a fourth grade education. Watch out ecosystem!
According to a study sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife, the consumption of one 6 oz. can of tuna a week by a 140 woman will put more mercury in her system than considered safe by federal standards.
So, they defend wildlife by trying to make people afraid to eat it?
There's bugs (and likely mercury) in their tofu too.
