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| Yours truly, counting emergent plant stems, in this case Stiff Arrowhead (Sagittaria rigida) |
Once upon a time the East Basin of Lake Puckaway was nothing more than a river channel in a sea of wild rice and bulrushes that concealed the lake below. Also in the shallows grew arrowheads, cane (Phragmites), sedges, and cattails. These are all emergent plants, which means a major portion of the plant sticks out of the water. These plants are critically important to many fish and wildlife. Northern pike only attach their eggs to vertical stems, so without this type of vegetation, there could be no natural reproduction of northern pike. Emergent and other vegetation also have a profound effect on water quality by holding sediment in place, dampening wave action, and several other mechanisms. In parts of a lake, the water clarity may be less than a foot, while in a healthy bed of aquatic plants, the water is much clearer.
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| Clear water in the aquatic plant bed, Western Lake Puckaway. Mid-lake the water clarity was less than a foot. |
Starting with the construction of the dam at Princeton, water level management began to have a slow but steady negative effect on emergent plants. Coupled with poor agricultural practices and shoreland use, this eventually led us to a greater than 80% loss in emergent vegetation. The Emergent Plant Stabilization project recognizes the importance of this habitat and the need to halt and reverse these losses.
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| Derek is using the GPS in the LPPRD's work boat. |
Emergent Plants in the Survey
Stiff arrowhead, Sagittaria rigida
Soft-stem bulrush, Schoenoplectus acutus
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| Pulling the boat through shallow water to another survey point. |
