May 31 field trip introduces new water sampling program

By John Peterka

Several refuge staff members joined with new and returning volunteers for a May 31 field trip, where they introduced the refuge’s newly initiated water sampling program. The field trip was part of a spring volunteer training session.

Photo by Denis Mudderman

The group met at the outlet of Lost Lake (a good name, as the route is a long, long, winding trail), where Lowell Deede, refuge biologist, demonstrated use of a sampler that will be employed to determine water clarity at refuge river sites.

The program also will include collecting monthly water samples in June-September from North Tamarack, Pine, and Blackbird lakes, and from various sites in the Egg, Ottertail and Buffalo rivers to provide baseline information on plant nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus in river sites and phosphorus in lakes). Weekly measurements of water clarity are planned for river and lake sites.

It was pointed out that, typical of lakes within the refuge, the three lakes selected for sampling are shallow and prone to winterkill of fishes. They are naturally fertile because winds stir up bottom sediment, causing higher than expected phosphorus concentrations than would be expected in deeper lakes. In fact, the higher nutrient concentrations are beneficial to waterfowl by providing needed invertebrates and plants.

The sampling program should provide interesting results and interpretations as lakes within the refuge are undeveloped, providing research environments no longer available on lakes that receive heavier public use. The MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) will prepare reports of data collected. The water sampling program is scheduled for a 10-year period.

For more information on the water sampling program see: www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/reports/wq-lar3-08.pdf .
This site provides results of a 2005 study conducted by the MPCA on North and South Tamarack and Pine lakes, and serves as a basis for the program now being started at the refuge, and see: www.pca.state.mn.us/water/pubs/lar-03-0195.pdf .
This site provides results of the 1993-1994 study to assess any effects of water from the refuge on Height-of-Land water quality.

Photo by Denis Mudderman

The field trip ended with another off-trail route to a stand of 100-year-old red pine trees. Barbara Boyle, refuge manager, explained that these trees apparently were too young to be harvested during the area’s logging era. She also briefly discussed general problems of regeneration of pines in the southern part of the refuge. Another stop was at North Chippewa Lake where Lowell discussed problems controlling the take-over by cattails.

Also participating were staff members Janice Bengston and Kelly Blackledge. The ticks were few, and Kelly managed to come up with a gray tree frog which is able to change colors from green to gray to match background colors.