Warren Yerex - Grand River Conservation Authority

9 Th Annual Grand River Watershed Water Forum
Ecology

9 Th Annual Grand River Watershed Water Forum
Outline
• The Lake Erie Environment
• The Lake / River Interface
• Fisheries Management in the River and the
Lake : Acknowledging the Connection
• Beyond Fish: Describing the Ecosystem
• Documenting Ecosystem Dysfunction
• Moving toward Rehabilitation

Looking Upstream

The Lake Erie Watershed
ON
GR
MI
NY
Lake Erie
PA
OH

The Lake Environment
West Central East

9 Th Annual Grand River Watershed Water Forum
The River / Lake Interface

River/Lake:
Nutrients and Productivity
• Eutrophic (high
nutrient) River Water
meets Oligotrophic (low
nutrient) Lake Water
• High primary
production (planktonic
algae) meets Low
primary production
TP (ug / L)
Chlorophyl (ug / L)
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
*
01/May 01/Jun 01/Jul 01/Aug 01/Sep 01/Oct 01/Nov
L.E. eastern basin nearshore
Grand River at Dunnville
2004
L.E. eastern basin nearshore
Grand River at Dunnville
0
01/May 01/Jun 01/Jul 01/Aug 01/Sep 01/Oct 01/Nov
2004

Dunnville
3
2
River Water
higher conductivity
1
0 825 1,650
412.5 Meters
3.5 m depth
Lake Water
lower conductivity
4.5 m depth
Stn 3:
5 km upstream
Schematic:
with conductivity data from June 15, 2005
Stn 2:
3.5 km upstream
6 m depth
Stn 1:
2 km upstream

River / Lake: Water Levels
177
ABOVE DAM
BELOW DAM
Upstream of Lake Effect Zone
River elevation (m)
176
175
Lake Effect Zone
174
May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Date (2004)

Lake / River / Lake Conceptual Model

Lake / River / Lake Conceptual Model

Grand River Fisheries Management Plan
• Desired Fish Community for the Lower River
Reach:
– diverse warmwater fish community dominated by
top predators
– e.g., walleye, muskellunge, pike, channel catfish
• Inclusive input
• 1998

Lake Erie Fish Community
Goals and Objectives
• Great Lakes Fishery Commission - Lake Erie
Committee
• To secure a balanced, predominantly
cool-water fish community with WALLEYE
as a key predator in…
• the near-shore waters of the eastern
basin, characterized by self-sustaining
indigenous and naturalized species that
occupy diverse habitats, provide valuable
fisheries, and reflect a healthy ecosystem
P.A., R. Knight, R. MacGregor, G. Towns, R. Hoopes, and W.
Culligan. 2003. Fish-community goals and objectives for Lake
Erie. Great Lakes Fish. Comm. Spec. Publ. 03-02. 56 p.

Fish Community Objectives
1. Ecosystem conditions
2. Productivity and yield
3. Nearshore habitat
4. Riverine and estuarine habitat -Protect and restore self-sustaining,
stream-spawning stocks of walleye, white bass, (lake sturgeon), and
rainbow trout.
5. Western basin
6. Central basin
7. Eastern basin
8. Contaminants
9. Fish habitat
10. Genetic diversity -Maintain and promote genetic diversity by
identifying, rehabilitating, conserving and/or protecting locally adapted
stocks.
11. Rare, threatened, and endangered species
12. Forage fish
13. Food web structure

Environmental Objectives
Environmental
Structures, Processes
or Conditions that
must be addressed at
a number of spatial
scales to effect
achievement of the
FCGOs

Lake Erie Environmental Objectives
• Fish Access
– Improve access to spawning and nursery habitat in rivers and coastal
wetlands for native and naturalized fish species
• Rivers and Estuaries
– Restore natural hydrological functions in Lake Erie rivers and
estuaries
• Coastal Wetlands and Submerged Macrophytes
– Restore submerged macrophyte communities in estuaries and
embayments and protected nearshore areas
• Dissolved Oxygen
– Maintain dissolved oxygen conditions necessary to complete all life
history stages of fishes and aquatic invertebrates
• Coastal and Shoreline Processes
– Restore natural coastal systems and nearshore hydrological
processes

Hydrologic issues
Low flows
(climate, water taking/reservoir discharge)
Increased retention times (dams)
-reduced water
column mixing
-thermal structure
with depth
Periods
of low
oxygen
High nutrients
(point and non-point inputs of
phosphorus/nitrogen)
High sediment
load
(erosion / disturbed
clay landscape)
Total
suspended
solids
Loading and Eroding Issues
reduced
PAR at
depth
Planktonic
algae
(abundant)
macrophytes (low)
Deposition
areas
Zooplankton
(large grazers absent)
reduced
habitat
structure
Substrate disturbing, plant
uprooting, generalist fish
species
Benthic invertebrates
(low diversity, pollution tolerant
individuals)
Freshwater
Mussels
(impacted?)
Fish Community
(low diversity, pollution
tolerant individuals)
Habitat
Fragmentation
Issues
-reset of dynamic gradient (RCC)
-Upstream areas separated from water
level variation associated lake levels

Southern Grand River Ecosystem
Working Group
• Federal Agencies
– Environment Canada
– Dept. Fisheries and Oceans
• First Nations
– Six Nations Eco-centre
• Provincial Agencies
– Ministry of Natural Resources
– Ministry of the Environment
• Local / Watershed Agencies
– Grand River Conservation
Authority
– Stewardship Councils

Small Scale / Incremental
• Small but ongoing
• Incremental OR
temporary stop-gap
• Relatively cheap
Walleye transfer at Dunnville
• Local community engaged
• Long time to realize
improvement
Cattle fencing near Wellesley

Examples
• Taquanyah reservoir
draw down
• Pike Creek reconnection
• Higher Costs
• More planning and
stakeholder investment
• Long term benefits
realized more quickly
Medium Scale

Large Scale
• Examples
– WPCP upgrades (WQ)
– Coastal wetlands (habitat)
– Dunnville Dam retrofit or
removal (full or partial)
• Expensive and Complex
• Considerable negotiation and
buy-in
• More objectives realized
quickly

• Fish Access
Large Scale Projects
Multiple Environmental Objectives
– Improve access to spawning and nursery habitat in rivers and coastal
wetlands for native and naturalized fish species
• Rivers and Estuaries
– Restore natural hydrological functions in Lake Erie rivers and estuaries
• Coastal Wetlands and Submerged Macrophytes
– Restore submerged macrophyte communities in estuaries and
embayments and protected nearshore areas
• Dissolved Oxygen
– Maintain dissolved oxygen conditions necessary to complete all life history
stages of fishes and aquatic invertebrates
• Coastal and Shoreline Processes
– Restore natural coastal systems and nearshore hydrological processes

Remember: work in the watershed has
lakewide implications

Grand River is on the radar bi-nationally
• Ecosystem Objectives – Rehabilitating the
Grand River is a bi-national Priority for
fisheries objectives for Lake Erie
• Recent invited presentations
– International Joint Commission: Great Lakes Urban Habitat
Restoration Symposium, Chicago, January 2009
– Great Lakes Fishery Commission: Lake Erie Committee
State of the Lake, Ypsilanti, Michigan, March, 2009

We recognize that the river lake interface is best described as a
complex and dynamic niche BUT we know more about the
ecology of this system than ever before.
The importance of this ecosystem is recognized at scales that
range from local to bi-national.
We know what needs to be fixed and have several ways of
moving forward.
It will take a combination of small incremental steps and large
leaps forward.
The time it takes to realize our goals and objectives will depend
upon our ability and conviction to tackle the large components.

Credits
• Tom MacDougall, Rehabilitation Ecologist, Great Lakes
Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources
• Fieldwork: OFAH Clubs (Dunnville District Hunters and
Anglers, Port Colborne Conservation Club, Fort Erie
Conservation Club); Lori Richardson, Kari Killins, Daryl
Davis and Janice Gilbert
• Phil Ryan (retired from MNR)
• Sandra George, Environment Canada
• Larry Halyk, Ministry of Natural Resources
• Felix Barbetti (photos)
• Anne Loeffler, GRCA

9 Th Annual Grand River Watershed Water Forum
Key Messages

Steps To a Healthy Watershed & Great Lake –
Rebuilding the Link
• There are strong connections between the
Grand River and Lake Erie – the health of Lake
Erie is influenced by the health of the river
• An ecosystem approach is needed – if we fix
the land, we fix the river.. and if we fix the
river, we fix the lake!
• Collaboration and partnerships are key – we
need a shared vision, pooling of resources and
commitment to targeted upstream action

Steps To a Healthy
Watershed & Great Lake
– Rebuilding the Link
• Actions need to
be informed by
a shared vision,
relevant data
and science to
be effective.
• Actions need to
be taken now.