Ashland NFWCO 2006 Accomplishment Reports are now on the Internet
The Ashland NFWCO has compiled a listing of their 2006 accomplishments for our Internet audience.  This report summarizes all the activities we have conducted regarding: Partnerships and Outreach, Aquatic Species Conservation, Aquatic Invasive Species, Public Use, Cooperation with Native Americans, Leadership in Science and Technology, Aquatic Habitat Conservation and Management, and Workforce Management/Administration.  To learn more about these programs and accomplishments, please direct your Internet browser to: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/AccomRpt_FY06index.html.

Ashland NFWCO Partners with Ashland-Bayfield-Douglas-Iron Counties Land Conservation Department on Fish Passage Projects
A unique partnership has been formed between the Ashland NFWCO and Ashland-Bayfield-Douglas-Iron Counties Land Conservation Department (ABDI) in regards to fish passage projects being implemented by the Ashland NFWCO.  ABDI now goes into the field with the Ashland NFWCO staff and helps in conducting the preliminary surveys for the culvert replacements.  Mike Pero, Civil Engineering Technician and Ben Dufford, Resource Management Specialist, from ABDI are the two technicians usually accompanying the NFWCO and they bring along a Nikon Total Station Survey unit.  The Total Station Survey unit is used in plotting the present culvert and topography around it and the information is downloaded into an ArcView file.  This information is then used to determine the proper sizing of the culvert needed for the crossing, and the correct setting of the culvert, including the slope needed to allow a “natural” flow to occur at the crossing.  Plans are then reviewed by both offices and if an unusual design is needed, a consultation with Paul Johnson, engineer with the Natural Resources Conservation Services will occur.  After the plans have been finalized the NFWCO and ABDI present the new designs to the town boards for their approval.  The Ashland NFWCO, ABDI and the NRCS offices have a long history of assisting each other with numerous wetland and stream restoration projects.  The Fish Passage partnership is another chapter in this history which will provide many benefits for migratory brook trout, lake sturgeon and other Service trust resources.

New L☺☺K for the Fish Lines Newsletter and the Region 3 Fisheries Web Page
Frank Stone traveled to the Regional Office to discuss updating the look of the Fish Lines Newsletter and the Fisheries Internet Home page.  Along with Dave Radloff, Karla Bartlet and Jeff Finley, the team drafted recommendations on marketing the Region 3 Fisheries Program for greater visibility.  Our suggestions included; enhancing the look and feel of Fish Lines in order to broaden our audience, revitalization of Region 3 Fisheries website to update content, plus overall marketing strategies. 

Currently the Fish Lines newsletter is geared toward internal stakeholders; however Fish Lines has the potential to be more than that.  By providing guidance to the field on writing style and content, we hope to provide more reader friendly articles that will be read by a larger audience.  The group also identified an approach to revitalize the R3 Fisheries website that will expand on the content and ease navigation to all the relevant sites.  Although time lines are still being developed, the team hopes to have the new look for the Fish Lines newsletter and the Fisheries web site
on-line by April 2007.

Annual Toy Drive is Another Big Success at Ashland NFWCO
The Ashland NFWCO, along with the National Park Service Great Lakes Network Office and USGS Lake Superior Biological Office, teamed up and collected toys for the annual Ashland Firefighters Toys for Tots and Teens program.  This is the fifth year the offices have contributed to this worthy program.  Toys collected through this program are distributed throughout the surrounding Ashland – Bayfield - Iron counties area.  This toy drive is now the 24th year that the program that the program has been able to give presents to 500 – 700 kids (each year).

Ashland NFWCO completes Lake Superior angler’s creel lake trout scale reading for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
The Ashland NFWCO has completed another set of lake trout scales collected from anglers at various creel check points on Lake Superior.  The creel is run by the Marquette Fisheries Station, Michigan Department of Natural Resources.  Scales were collected in both 1836 and 1842 treaty waters of Lake Superior.  The ageing information is used in conjunction with the biological data in models regulating harvest of lake trout in Lake Superior. Approximately 600 lake trout scales from the 2006 creel (1836 waters) and 150 scales from the 2006 creel (1842 waters) were read. This was the fifth year the Ashland NFWCO has assisted with scale reading for the MDNR and this partnership appears to be a long-term association.  Data collected from the creels and surveys by the natural resource agencies throughout the lake will once again ensure the restoration of a native species in Lake Superior.

Poster Presentations for the 2007 Fisheries Project Leaders Meeting
At the request of the Regional Office, the Ashland NFWCO prepared three poster presentations for the February Project Leaders Meeting.  The topics we presented included the following:

Technical Assistance Provided to Native American Programs Spring and fall walleye surveys with the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. Midwest Tribal Aquaculture Network (MTAN). Lake sturgeon Migration study. North Shore surveys for coaster brook trout.
Habitat Programs at Ashland NFWCO Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program. Coastal Program – Great Lakes. Fish Passage Program.
An Experiment to Establish a Migratory Population of Brook Trout in Whittlesey Creek   Described the current status and abundance of the Whittlesey Creek fish community and identify and implement strategies to establish a self-sustaining migratory brook trout population.

2006 Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Coordination Meeting
Members of the Service’s Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team - Lake Sturgeon Committee, with assistance from a steering committee of several partner representatives, held a third Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Coordination meeting, November 29-30, 2006 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  The purpose of these meetings is to provide a forum to foster communication and exchange of information relating to the study, management, and restoration of lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes basin, to address priority research and assessment needs, and to address selected emerging issues. 
 
Over 120 individuals attended the meeting representing 40 different entities including state, tribal/First Nation, federal and provincial governments, academic, private, and other NGOs.  Evaluation forms completed by participants were extremely positive and supportive of the meeting and indicated that attendees were very pleased with the presentations and opportunities for interpersonal interaction.
 
Fish biologists, Henry Quinlan and Jonathan Pyatskowit of the Ashland Fishery Resources Office contributed to the meeting.  Henry served as a member of the Service steering committee that lead the planning, organization and leadership of the Coordination Meeting.  In addition, Henry prepared and gave a presentation during the Assessment Technology session of the workshop on the use of PIT tag technology for lake sturgeon rehabilitation in the Great Lakes.  He also led the breakout session meeting of the Lake Superior Lake Sturgeon Work Group.
 
Jonathan contributed to the meeting by handling the audiovisual duties for 25 PowerPoint and video presentations given during the meeting.  His professionalism and thoroughness ensured that all presentations functioned as expected and that presenters were at ease and familiar with the equipment prior to and during their presentations.

Ashland NFWCO Great Lakes Vessel Fleet and Assessment Activities
Henry Quinlan and Glenn Miller summarized the USFWS Great Lakes vessel and assessment capabilities for Lake Superior as part of a region-wide compilation of this information.  This compilation included information on our station small vessels (<30') that operate on Lake Superior, personnel needs to fully accomplish work activities identified, and projections for M/V Baird operation.  Ashland NFWCO has 3 vessels dedicated to Lake Superior fishery assessment.  They include the R/V Chub, a 29.5’ gill net vessel, the Northern Shoveler, a 26’ vessel capable of conducting bottom and mid-water trawling, and the 20’ vessel, Shiny, outfitted for trawling in embayments and estuaries of the Great Lakes.  Combined, these vessels can be on the water for up to 110 days a year.  With a minimum of a two person crew that amounts to at least 220 crew days during the open water season.

Lake Superior Binational Program Accomplishments
Ashland Fishery Resources Office personnel continue to work with the Lake Superior Binational Program, serving on the Lake Superior Task Force and Work Group, as U.S. Co-Chair of the Aquatics Community Committee and member of the Terrestrial Wildlife Community Committee.  Significant accomplishments so far in FY 2007 include:  

• Attendance of Lake Superior Task Force, Work Group, Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife Community Committee (TWCC) meetings and conference calls. 
• Attended and participated in the SOLEC conference held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in November of 2006.  Provided ACC materials and comments to draft the presentation prepared for the Lake Superior breakout session.  Provided material for the Ecosystem Goals presentation of the SOLEC Lake Superior breakout session. 
• In collaboration with our counterparts, submitted the three top priority TWCC and ACC accomplishments of 2006 for inclusion in the Lake Superior Annual Report. 
• Continued support of the Lake Superior Pathfinders Leadership School as well as the Connecting the Coast project. 
• Provided information and ecosystem review of the Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) Updater. 
• Provided input and edits to the revision of the Ecosystem Goals.  Attended multiple conference calls about and provided material for the ecosystem goals revision. 
• In conjunction with the winter Lake Superior Technical Committee (LSTC) meeting, solicited presentations on fisheries issues for the October SOL Conference, developed topics for discussion and action by the ACC including progress made on the 2004-06 work plan, and development of work plan priorities for 2007-09. 
• Presented status updates on lake sturgeon and coaster brook trout rehabilitation at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Lake Committee meeting in March.
• Coordination of the TWCC involvement in the implementation of the herptile project by tracking project progress and organizing conference calls to receive updates and provide TWCC input to the principle investigators. 

Attended two Hog Island planning meetings to offer input into restoration and protection activities proposed for the site.  Opportunities were explored for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be a partner on future wildlife habitat restoration projects at the site.

Scholarships for Deserving Students
At the request of the Washburn High School, Washburn, WI., Frank Stone participated in the review and scoring of 26 senior high school scholarships.  A total of 16 scholarships amounting to $9,000 were awarded to students from the 2007 graduating class.  Ranking criteria included academic achievement, development of leadership skills, community and school participation, financial need and prior work experience.

Ashland NFWCO’s Web Page Receives 114,000 Internet Hits for the Month of April!
The Fish & Wildlife Service’s Internet tracking system has shown that the Ashland NFWCO received 114,545 hits for the month of April, 2007.  If we were to equate this demand to phone calls during a normal 20-day work month, the office would have received 5,727 phone calls per day.  Naturally this is an overstatement of what would have actually occurred.  However, what is not exaggerated is the enhanced level of technical support and general information that is now being accessed by the public.  One has to just wonder what dividends will develop from this level of public interest.

 
Some of the highlights collected from this survey include:
 

• Average hits per day:    3,949
• Average Page Views per Day:  600
• Most Visited Pages:  Home page, Midwest Tribal Aquaculture Network (MTAN), Accomplishment Reports for 2004 ~ 2006, Aquatic Invasive Species and Ruffe Control.
• Most Downloaded Files:  Ruffe Surveillance Reports, Wisconsin Brook Trout Management Plan, Aquatic Invasive Species and Restoring Coaster Brook Trout.
• Most Active Countries:  United States, Canada, China and United Kingdom.
• Total Number of Countries Visiting Site:  50

Spreading the Words - Aquatic Habitat
Ashland NFWCO and partner agencies working to establish a National Fish Habitat Action Plan for Lake Superior continue their efforts through the Lake Superior Habitat Partnership.  Formed in spring 2006, the Lake Superior Habitat Partnership currently has 23 partner organizations and agencies working cooperatively to “restore and protect watershed habitat to increase the abundance of coldwater species (like trout and salmon) and to enhance the health and stability of the aquatic community.”   Many of the agencies and organizations are currently involved with projects to protect and restore stream habitat.
 
Ashland NFWCO biologist, Henry Quinlan, delivered a presentation to the Lake Superior LaMP Superior Work Group at their meeting in Thunder Bay, Ontario on the Lake Superior Habitat Partnership and invited agencies to participate on the effort.  The Superior Work Group has representatives from 27 agencies/offices working to protect and restore the Lake Superior environment.  Henry also provided the presentation in electronic format for the subsequent Lake Superior Task Force call.  The Task Force is comprised of upper level managers from 16 agencies working in the Lake Superior watershed.  The presentation can be saved or viewed by click on the link under the National Fish Habitat Initiative www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/Aquatic_Hab_Conservation.html 
 

The Partnership has developed a Guiding Document which identifies goals and objectives developed by consensus and identified 29 priority watersheds in the states of WI, MI, and MN.  The Service continues to provide leadership for the Partnership committing personnel and financial resources to the effort.  Over the past few years, the Service has provided over $230,000 to projects in Wisconsin’s priority watersheds, $21,000 to projects in Michigan’s priority watersheds, and $11,000 to projects in Minnesota priority watersheds.

Focus on Fish & Wildlife Newsletter
The Ashland NFWCO publishes a quarterly newsletter called Focus on Fish & Wildlife.  The newsletter is intended to be a “quick read” platform that provide highlights and images of specific high profile activities.  Networking with our cooperators and the public to inform and share our accomplishments can take place in many fashions.  The Ashland NFWCO’s newsletter and extensive web pages are just two tools we use to communicate our responsibilities and staff accomplishments. 

This quarter’s Fish & Wildlife highlights included:

• White River Lake Sturgeon Study Continues
• New Digs for Hatchery Raised Coasters
• Soo Locks Sampled for Ruffe and Other AIS
• Spring Walleye Surveys
• Re-Vegetation Project for Wildlife Corridor

The July 2007 issue of Focus on Fish & Wildlife is now on the web!  To review this or previous issues, point your Internet browser to:  http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/news.html.

Ducks On A Stick - Big Hit at Ashland Primary School
Kindergarten and First Grade classes at Ashland Primary School got a special treat in the closing days of the 2007 School year.  While not very tasty because the feathers are still in the way, they all loved the Ducks On A Stick presentation given by Ted Koehler from the Ashland Fishery Resources Office.  Questions were asked from the minute the birds were brought through the door, and the whole time could have been spent just answering their eager stream of inquiries.  However, there was time to squeeze in the presentations and children got to hold a duck and parade it for the class while the others tried to guess the species and then learn a little bit about the bird and its habits.

Ducks On A Stick are literally ducks attached to a stick so people can handle and identify these taxidermy mounted specimens.  They were provided by Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge and were a big hit at the school as well as the Chequamegon Bay Birding and Nature Festival.  Species commonly found on Lake Superior and it’s wetlands around Ashland such as American black ducks, lesser scaup and mallards were part of the show.  For the first time, many of the kids got to see, touch and learn about species such as American black ducks, mallards and lesser scaup.  Now, the next time they stand at Prentice Park overlooking Lake Superior coastal wetlands, they can impress mom and dad with their knowledge of the blue-winged teal that may swim by.

Electrofishing Demonstration for YCC Staff
At the request of the staff from the Whittlesey Creek NWR, Frank Stone presented a backpack electrofishing demonstration to six YCC employees.  The activity began with a discussion on why and how this gear type is used.  Once the safety issues were discussed the group followed Frank through a section of lower Whittlesey Creek.  Each person had an opportunity to “carry” the bucket and feel first hand how to walk over the sand, rocks and logs while attempting to collect fish in a fast running stream.  During the demonstration, about 20 rainbow trout were collected and then safely returned into Whittlesey Creek.  The group had several questions for Frank on how survey data is ultimately used to formulate management decisions and expressed their appreciation for the field experience.  Because of the close proximity of the Ashland NFWCO and the Whittlesey Creek NWR, training opportunities such as this are easy to arrange and add yet another level of experience for Service employees.