what are our goals? - uwsp · how does ph & d.o. affect loon reproduction, we found that:...
TRANSCRIPT
What are our Goals?
*Study the Common Loon*Increase chick production*Find possible causes for failure of nests:
-Shoreline development-Predation-Lack of quality nesting sites-Lake traffic and disturbances
*Present results and gather more information*What makes a good loon lake?*How does pH and dissolved oxygen affect loons?*How do aqueous invertebrates indicate a healthy lake?
Iron County Loon Project
• Fox
• Deer
• Pardee
• Upson
• Grand Portage
• Gile Flowage
April/ May – Place Platforms, WQ Study,
Watershed & Land Use
June – Check Nest for Eggs, WQ Study,
Shoreline Buffer Transect
July – Check for Young & Behavior, WQ
Study, Littoral Zone
August – Check Lakes for Young,
Remove Platforms
• Watershed, Land Use,
% Development
• Chemical Sampling
• Aquatic Invertebrate
Sampling
• Maps-
watersheds
• Aerial photo-
# homes
% developed
• Enviroscape-
Impacts / BMPs
• Sampling Technique
• 100ft. inland
• Hula Hoop Survey
• Every 10ft; random
• % groundcover
• % shrub layer
• % canopy cover
Water Quality Measurements
2010
Averaged water quality measurements
Lake D.O.
(PPM)
pH Secchi (ft)
Owl 7.75 7.56 8.7
Pardee 9.36 8.61 10.0
Grand
Portage8.74 8.30 11.3
Deer 7.9 5.78 5.1
Fox 8.0 8.26 4.8
• WQ was sampled on each lake in April, June, & July/August.
• Samples were collected near shore.
• Lake clarity ranged from 4-15ft., DO ranged 6.8-9 & pH ranged 6.3-7.5
Water Quality Measurements
2010
Deer Lake Assessment 2010
6.36
8.7
5.6
5.5
7.1
5.4
5
4
7.9
8
0
2
4
6
8
10
DO Secchi PH
Methods
PP
M a
nd
FT
4/26/2010
5/25/2010
8/31/2010
Water Quality Measurements
2010
Grand Portage Lake Assessment
8.5
11
9.7
9
8.4
2
15
8.4
5
888
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
DO Secchi PH
Methods
PP
M a
nd
FT
.
4/26/2010
5/25/2010
8/31/2010
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Average pH
Gile
Flowage
Pardee Upson Grand
Portage
Fox Deer
Lakes
Average pH
How does pH affect loon reproduction?
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Dissolved
Oxygen in Parts
per Million
Pardee Upson Gile
Flowage
Deer Fox Grand
Portage
Lakes
Average Dissolved Oxygen
How does D.O. affect loon reproduction?
Grand Portage Late Summer Secci Disk Reading
2002-2010
9 9
1311
10 109 9
8
0
24
68
1012
14
7/21
/2002
7/21
/2003
7/26
/2004
7/25
/2005
7/10
/2006
7/9/
2007
8/19
/2008
8/5/
2009
8/31
/2010
Date
Feet
Water Clarity 05’-10’
Grand Portage - Late Summer
Water Clarity 02’-10’
Deer Lake- Late Summer
Deer Lake Late Summer Secci Disk Reading 2002-2010
66.5
8
6.5
8
6 65.5
4
0123456789
7/1/
2002
7/21
/200
3
7/26
/200
4
7/25
/200
5
7/10
/200
6
7/15
/200
7
8/19
/200
8
8/10
/200
9
8/31
/201
0
Date
Fe
et
Chick Production- Platforms
• 5 platforms, loons utilized 4 in 2010
• 4 chicks; end total of 3 (one predated)
• One natural nest, ended up failing
Chick Production 2010
2010 Loon Chick Production (Platform)
0 0 0
2
1
00
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Crystal Deer Fox Grand
Portage
Pardee Gile
Flowage
Lakes
Nu
mb
er
of
Ch
icks
Chick Production 2010Lake Name Nesting (y/n) # Chicks;
hatched
# chicks;
survived
Pardee Y, platform 2 1
Fox Y, platform 0 0
Grand
Portage
Y, platform 2 2
Deer Y, natural &
platform
0 0
Owl Y, natural 0 0
Total 5 4 3
Chick Production 1999-2010
6
7
12
7
0 00
2
4
6
8
10
12
# O
F C
HIC
KS
Deer Fox Grand
Portage
Pardee Gile
Flowage
Owl
LAKES
Loon Chick Production (with platforms) 1999-2010
Chick Production- Natural Nest
Chick Production 1999-2010
Loon Chick Production (without platforms) 1999-2010
0 0 0 0 0
3
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Crystal Deer Fox Grand
Portage
Pardee Gile
Flowage
Lakes
# o
f C
hic
ks
In Summary: • Platforms 10x more successful than natural nests
• Grand Portage is our most developed study lake,
yet it has produced the most chicks!
• To address our research ?: How does pH & D.O.
affect loon reproduction, we found that:
• Lakes with high water clarity, basic pH, & higher
D.O. = chicks.
• Lakes with low pH and low clarity =little, or no,
chick production.
• Our study lakes have shown that using artificial
platforms can help increase loon reproduction.
Gregory Nelson