by Richard Uhlhorn
Townhall meeting:
There will be a Lake Chelan AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) meeting on Wednesday, March 27 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Chelan Fire Hall.
If you are interested in maintaning Lake Chelan’s quality, please mark the above date and attend.
Biomass event:
It was revealed at the March 13 Watershed Planning Unit meeting that the Lake Chelan ecosystem has undergone an unexpected biomass change with an algae bloom never seen before.
Lake Chelan Research Institute’s director Phil Long stated that this biomass event is an order of magnitude more than the 1987 event. “This is the largest biomass density we have ever seen” reported Long.
It is thought that there are a number of factors contributing to this event which include the following:
- The Lake level has not been lowered to previous levels due to the low snowpack this year.
- The lake level hasn’t changed much over a two week period.
- Lake temperatures are a few degrees higher than normal.
- There has been very few wind events.
- There appears to be nutrient sources adjacent to the dense biomass areas.
This biomass requires a rock substrate to grow. It does not adhere or grow on sand. According to Long it extends from Crystal View Estates to Old Mill Bay, but is also present on the South Shore.
“We hope this doesn’t persist,” Long said. He added that Lake Tahoe’s water is still clear but a similar biomass covers the bottom.
Sub-bottom investigation:
The Institute is preparing to update the Underwater Remote Operated Vehicle to dive deeper for more underwater investigations. “We are excited about doing a lot of (ROV) things,” said Long. “We will prioritize our undewater work looking at landslides.”
Long also reported that the U.S. Geological Survey continues to conduct analysis of its bathymetry and core sample work. “Once they are finished with their preliminary work, they will release the data.”
Restore the Shore II:
This year’s beach cleanup will take place on Saturday, April 13. People interested in participating can go online and pick an area where they would like to work. Go to the Keep It Blue website to sign up here –Event Link . This event will take place from 9:30 to 12:30 p.m.
Townhall meeting:
There will be a Lake Chelan AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) meeting on Wednesday, March 27 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Chelan Fire Hall. This meeting will be an effort to educate people on the threat of invasive species like mussels being introduced to Lake Chelan. It will also introduce a new “Citizen Science Early Detection and Monitoring Program.”
Keep It Blue is inviting the public to participate in this Town Hall to learn about how we can prevent the introduction of AIS through watercraft inspections and how citizens can help reduce the risk by participating in an early detection and monitoring program to identify invasive mussels in their early ‘treatable’ stages and together we can protect the pristine waters that characterize Lake Chelan.
The County is in the process of hiring four to five individuals as AIS Watercraft Inspectors who will rotate through five marinas each weekend from May to September. To apply visit: www.co.chelan.wa.us/humanresources/jobs.
“It’s one of those opportunities where we can have more eyes on the lake,” said Lisa Dowling.
Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP)
With 29,000 acres of agriculture land and another 40,000 acres of range land in Chelan County, the VSP program is initiative based approach to protecting critical areas and maintaining agriculture sustainability. The Farm to Table Community is a part of this initiative. Funding, albeit small, is available to help farmers maintain their viability.
The Chelan VSP Work Group is seeking new members to attend quarterly meetings with an occasional special meeting thrown in. This is an opportunity to help Chelan County promote agricultural viability.
If Interested in joining this important group, contact Stephen Lesky at 509-670-8094 or by email at: Stephen.lesky@co.chelan.wa.us.
Questions:
Rod Anderson, Lake Chelan Reclamation District, asked if anyone has looked at Manson’s three lakes. “There is a lot of plant growth in those lakes,” Anderson said. “Whatever is in those lakes goes into Lake Chelan.”
“That could be a connection with the Periphyton biomass event,” added Phil Long.
All Things Lake Chelan 