Pelican Lake Drawdown Update

[lanyard]

If I am not mistaken there is a low rise dam (keeps it up 2' higher) on Pelican @ Ashby, and why the water does not flow out of Christiana like it used to. The homeowners want a fishing type of lake that used to be more of a large duck slough/lake.

You're mistaken, partially.

Currently interest in the lake is to maximize it for waterfowl. Why the dam was put in wayyyyy back when, I don't know.

On an outflow basis the damn height/width is not congruent to the lake area. So, it can only let out so much water, regardless of what's in the lake. Think of filling a funnel too fast.

Downstream, the dam has MORE value in not fluctuating Pelican Lake's levels. The watershed for Christina is significantly larger than Pelican. By damming Christina (a portion of Pomme de Terre headwaters) it's easier to control DOWNSTREAM water levels by backing up the Christina chain (Christina, Ina, Anka). There is also a dam at the Pelican Lake Outlet, into Pelican River.

As I understand it, walleyes were introduced at some point to control minnow populations and a decent fishery developed in late '70's/early '80s, but this was an outcome, not a purpose of lake management. Like Pelican by Monticello,lots of people get mad you take their fishing hole slough away in a land of 10,000 lakes.... (I have a local story on this, but it requires beer). Somehow catching easy fish for 5 years wipes away. 100's years of history.

Heron Lake on the other hand (down by Worthington) is kept artificially high to allow ease of access according to riparian land agreements drawn up 100 years ago that provided legal definition of access and ownership to a center-point in the lake. Think of a Homeowners Association, but with a REALLY big slough as the property.

Except at heron lake it hardly matters. The first weekend can be ok but after that it stinks. My dad has a buddy in a club on heron lake and he does not even hunt it anymore. He still is member but spends in time in canada hunting. I guess he has gone maybe a few times in the last five years but not much. He has alot of money so I guess he still pays but says the hunting is poor.

Correct. The hunting sucks ass at Heron Lake because the surrounding propeety owners won't let the DNR lower it.

Used to work construction and meet Area Wildlife people from Windom at the dam, damn near 20 years ago. It was weird, man. There seems to be enough political.pressure and local interest in the lake being high than managing it for waterfowl . I guess paying bokoo $ for dead swamp you can drive your boat on is better than challenges in access but shooting birds.

It's been awhile since I looked at the Heron Lake info, will see if I can dredge any of it up.

[Fish Felon]

All you have to do to understand the issue facing it, is go to Heron in the summertime. There's a [relatively] large contingent of locals that spend weekends at the Sandy Point county park. Families in campers, kids buzzing around on four wheelers, teenagers climbing up the tower to get stoned at the top, etc.

Honestly I don't see Heron ever being managed at the right level conducive to attracting the scores of ducks it once did as long as so many locals enjoy watching the sunset over her waters while sitting around a campfire as they pretend they're in Minnesota lake country instead of Minnesota farm country.

There are just so many lakes like Heron in the Southern and Southwest part of the state that are currently absolutely worthless....besides being able to look out and have lakeshore view, which I agree does inherently have some sense of value. From an outdoors sporting perspective? They're the worst of both for either hunting or fishing. A lake that is too deep to support emergent and submerged vegetation that will attract migratory waterfowl and provide for quality hunting, and too shallow to not winterkill and bloom over with algae sludge each summer to provide quality fishing and boating opportunities.

I think it's time we accept that something should be done one way or the other. Flip a coin or something and determine whether or not these particular lakes get drawn down in a manner that's able to occur semi-regularly on a permanent basis, or dredge the thing out of it can't; and/or it's more desirable for it to be a lake suited for fishing and boating.

Some of the famed waterfowl lakes aren't ever coming back---with Heron on the top of that list, South Heron to be clear. Someone should strike a deal with the locals where North Heron gets managed to make it resemble the duck magnet of old it once was in exchange for dredging out South Heron, putting in a couple nice boat landings, stocking it full of perch and walleyes, and have a world class prairie lake fishery. Walleyes would grow ridiculously fast in that thing if it had a little more water.

I've never fished Pelican in Wright County but think we [duck hunters] might have gotten away with one there.....pulling a fast one on destroying a fabulous fishery by the sounds of it. Pelican, Christina, Mud, Marsh, etc., we have quite a few wins we can tally.

Let's add North Heron to that list in exchange for giving up South Heron, which I used to hunt as a kid and have the pics with some heavy game straps to prove it....

....but it's time to let those memories go and make it something that people can create new memories on doing something different. I see that as being more respectful to the resource than what the present state represents.

[maplelakeduckslayer]

Pelican still is a good fishery...I will be interested to see if they are ever truly successful killing it off or if it's just another of those projects that is never fully executed, leaving it not as good a fishery it once was and not as good as a duck Mecca as intended. I'll keep fishing it until I stop catching. It's a strong lake. That year it "froze out" was half truths and pixie dust

[Bailey]

All you have to do to understand the issue facing it, is go to Heron in the summertime. There's a [relatively] large contingent of locals that spend weekends at the Sandy Point county park. Families in campers, kids buzzing around on four wheelers, teenagers climbing up the tower to get stoned at the top, etc.

Honestly I don't see Heron ever being managed at the right level conducive to attracting the scores of ducks it once did as long as so many locals enjoy watching the sunset over her waters while sitting around a campfire as they pretend they're in Minnesota lake country instead of Minnesota farm country.

There are just so many lakes like Heron in the Southern and Southwest part of the state that are currently absolutely worthless....besides being able to look out and have lakeshore view, which I agree does inherently have some sense of value. From an outdoors sporting perspective? They're the worst of both for either hunting or fishing. A lake that is too deep to support emergent and submerged vegetation that will attract migratory waterfowl and provide for quality hunting, and too shallow to not winterkill and bloom over with algae sludge each summer to provide quality fishing and boating opportunities.

I think it's time we accept that something should be done one way or the other. Flip a coin or something and determine whether or not these particular lakes get drawn down in a manner that's able to occur semi-regularly on a permanent basis, or dredge the thing out of it can't; and/or it's more desirable for it to be a lake suited for fishing and boating.

Some of the famed waterfowl lakes aren't ever coming back---with Heron on the top of that list, South Heron to be clear. Someone should strike a deal with the locals where North Heron gets managed to make it resemble the duck magnet of old it once was in exchange for dredging out South Heron, putting in a couple nice boat landings, stocking it full of perch and walleyes, and have a world class prairie lake fishery. Walleyes would grow ridiculously fast in that thing if it had a little more water.

I've never fished Pelican in Wright County but think we [duck hunters] might have gotten away with one there.....pulling a fast one on destroying a fabulous fishery by the sounds of it. Pelican, Christina, Mud, Marsh, etc., we have quite a few wins we can tally.

Let's add North Heron to that list in exchange for giving up South Heron, which I used to hunt as a kid and have the pics with some heavy game straps to prove it....

....but it's time to let those memories go and make it something that people can create new memories on doing something different. I see that as being more respectful to the resource than what the present state represents.

Sounds like you at least got them on heron a few times. I actually hunted some fields off of heron late season about 10 to 15 years ago. There was a ton of mallards that came off the lake and i got some. The dnr guy told me they had 40 k using it but used to get 150k some years before. Now i guess they dont hardly get any from what I am told. I guess all we will ever have is stories from 100 years ago.

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

[h2ofwlr]

If I am not mistaken there is a low rise dam (keeps it up 2' higher) on Pelican @ Ashby, and why the water does not flow out of Christiana like it used to. The homeowners want a fishing type of lake that used to be more of a large duck slough/lake.

You're mistaken, partially.

Currently interest in the lake is to maximize it for waterfowl. Why the dam was put in wayyyyy back when, I don't know..

Actually you are mistaken. The low rise damn is on Pelicans outlet and why it was keeping Christina at higher water levels for years.. It something like only 1' of drop between the 2 lakes. The residents wanted to keep Pelican at current levels for fishing/pleasure reasons. And yes Christina is managed for Waterfowl - but it was pretty hard to do when the freaking cabin owners would not budge on lowering Pelican levels. Thus why the pipe line and pump was build to lower Christina, to by pass the residents concerns of lowering Pelican. It makes me wonder if they put a control structure between the 2 so that the water from Pelican did not flow back into Christina, as I have not been up there is over 5 yrs,.

[lanyard]

There are 3 damns in the system:

Nicklemoe Slough into Christina at Christina's north end allows for water control on Nicklemoe and has fish wire gate.

Christina into Pelican: this was where my comment was placed on the "wayyyy back when" reasons. I don't know if it was to keep Christina full, like they do at Heron Lake, to manage water fluctuations better at Pelican since the watershed area for Christina is so huge, or both..... Whatever it is, high water on Christina kills duck hunting for the whole area. This dam is located off Cty Rd 82 by the public access and controls the flow between Christina/Pelican. This dam also is where the pumps are housed to lower Christina by pushing water into Pelican. There is also a fish barrier here.

Pelican Lake Outlet into Pelican Creek: This is at Highway 78 south of Ashby. This one is designed to keep water in Pelican. It currently does not keep water high on Christina as the damn at the Christina outlet to Pelican does that work. Additionally, I don't know if the elevation on this one would be sufficient to back water up into Christina. There's not a lot of drop between Christina and Pelican, 1' or 2', but the watershed would indicate it would find a way South before it finds its way North.

Cabin and resort owners on Pelican, as an association, prefer that Pelican Lake stays at a controlled elevation. They also, in some cases, prefer the algae blooms and lower secchi disc readings because if the water is too clear then the fish patterns change (their go to spots aren't good anymore), and small crustacean populations apparently grow exponentially (leaving beach waters littered with little shells that hurt feet).

The pumps were installed to encourage winter kill and plant growth. Yanking dams is still tough to do and the interest in controlling effluent flows downstream is strong throughout the watershed. This includes the Pomme de Terre down to it's confluence with the MInnesota. The pumps also can work more quickly/controlled to achieve goals. The goals of the lake management plan: 1) encourage growth of chara and other "pond weeds" that are critical to waterfowl; 2) decrease the fish population through winter kill. Whereby the 2nd goal directly impacts success of the first goal.

Risks to the system's success: there is a connection from Anka Lake to Lake Christina that will allow fish to pass during high water. Anka is deeper than Christina and can harbor fish longer. High water down stream: if the water is too high for the watershed to take it they cannot pump.

Signs of success: the statistical measurements of success are in coverage per acre of chara and other duck food. This is used since, unlike ducks, weeds don't migrate. Observationally: for duck counts on the lake it depends on water level and weather. A couple years ago there was a good mix of water levels throughout the summer that encouraged weed growth and relatively calm, high pressure systems. The shooting sucked, but I also had never seen waterfowl in those numbers at any one time in my life. I could sit out after pick-up and watch thousands of ducks pouring into the lake.

Then there are years like this year that the water level was too high most of the year to encourage significant, healthy vegetation growth. They turned the pumps on at end of August and managed to lower the lake between 1.5' and 2'. This exposed the vegetation, and I found a new spot that was incredibly successful. But the birds were only ever in for a day or two and talking with a trusted source there was more mid-week migration. Not saying the ducks know it's easier to fly on Tuesdays, just how it worked out, and they were only sticking around a couple days.

Other Observations: since the pump installation you see more swans than pelicans on Christina. There are more geese being shot at Christina, success goes up as the water level goes down, particularly if some mud flats get exposed. The variety of species has increased: our group shot something like 10 different species: mallards, rings, cans, reds, bluebills, spoonbills, buffies, widgeon, pintail, gadwall..... we let ruddies go, but set a record on hooded mergs.... they were THICK!

If you're interested in learning more I recommend John Schneider the local DU biologist. Additionally, the public access is a very nice paved ramp and at current water levels was accessible until freeze up. It's a shallow body and freezes early. If you need accomodations, the Ashby Motel is across the street from the public access. If you use an outboard, and it's not in shallow drive or being cleared every once in awhile, the water is too deep for the lake. Ashby is the closest town with services, about 3 miles away. Melby has a bar and stray dogs. There is also top notch fishing in the area if you like October fish.

Vegetation and winter kill go hand in hand: due to anaerobic respiration, the more decaying veg in the body of water the better the winter kill.

[Bailey]

There are 3 damns in the system:

Nicklemoe Slough into Christina at Christina's north end allows for water control on Nicklemoe and has fish wire gate.

Christina into Pelican: this was where my comment was placed on the "wayyyy back when" reasons. I don't know if it was to keep Christina full, like they do at Heron Lake, to manage water fluctuations better at Pelican since the watershed area for Christina is so huge, or both..... Whatever it is, high water on Christina kills duck hunting for the whole area. This dam is located off Cty Rd 82 by the public access and controls the flow between Christina/Pelican. This dam also is where the pumps are housed to lower Christina by pushing water into Pelican. There is also a fish barrier here.

Pelican Lake Outlet into Pelican Creek: This is at Highway 78 south of Ashby. This one is designed to keep water in Pelican. It currently does not keep water high on Christina as the damn at the Christina outlet to Pelican does that work. Additionally, I don't know if the elevation on this one would be sufficient to back water up into Christina. There's not a lot of drop between Christina and Pelican, 1' or 2', but the watershed would indicate it would find a way South before it finds its way North.

Cabin and resort owners on Pelican, as an association, prefer that Pelican Lake stays at a controlled elevation. They also, in some cases, prefer the algae blooms and lower secchi disc readings because if the water is too clear then the fish patterns change (their go to spots aren't good anymore), and small crustacean populations apparently grow exponentially (leaving beach waters littered with little shells that hurt feet).

The pumps were installed to encourage winter kill and plant growth. Yanking dams is still tough to do and the interest in controlling effluent flows downstream is strong throughout the watershed. This includes the Pomme de Terre down to it's confluence with the MInnesota. The pumps also can work more quickly/controlled to achieve goals. The goals of the lake management plan: 1) encourage growth of chara and other "pond weeds" that are critical to waterfowl; 2) decrease the fish population through winter kill. Whereby the 2nd goal directly impacts success of the first goal.

Risks to the system's success: there is a connection from Anka Lake to Lake Christina that will allow fish to pass during high water. Anka is deeper than Christina and can harbor fish longer. High water down stream: if the water is too high for the watershed to take it they cannot pump.

Signs of success: the statistical measurements of success are in coverage per acre of chara and other duck food. This is used since, unlike ducks, weeds don't migrate. Observationally: for duck counts on the lake it depends on water level and weather. A couple years ago there was a good mix of water levels throughout the summer that encouraged weed growth and relatively calm, high pressure systems. The shooting sucked, but I also had never seen waterfowl in those numbers at any one time in my life. I could sit out after pick-up and watch thousands of ducks pouring into the lake.

Then there are years like this year that the water level was too high most of the year to encourage significant, healthy vegetation growth. They turned the pumps on at end of August and managed to lower the lake between 1.5' and 2'. This exposed the vegetation, and I found a new spot that was incredibly successful. But the birds were only ever in for a day or two and talking with a trusted source there was more mid-week migration. Not saying the ducks know it's easier to fly on Tuesdays, just how it worked out, and they were only sticking around a couple days.

Other Observations: since the pump installation you see more swans than pelicans on Christina. There are more geese being shot at Christina, success goes up as the water level goes down, particularly if some mud flats get exposed. The variety of species has increased: our group shot something like 10 different species: mallards, rings, cans, reds, bluebills, spoonbills, buffies, widgeon, pintail, gadwall..... we let ruddies go, but set a record on hooded mergs.... they were THICK!

If you're interested in learning more I recommend John Schneider the local DU biologist. Additionally, the public access is a very nice paved ramp and at current water levels was accessible until freeze up. It's a shallow body and freezes early. If you need accomodations, the Ashby Motel is across the street from the public access. If you use an outboard, and it's not in shallow drive or being cleared every once in awhile, the water is too deep for the lake. Ashby is the closest town with services, about 3 miles away. Melby has a bar and stray dogs. There is also top notch fishing in the area if you like October fish.

Vegetation and winter kill go hand in hand: due to anaerobic respiration, the more decaying veg in the body of water the better the winter kill.

So have the cans come back at all ? Other than your reports I have not heard dork on the vaunted Christina since this whole thing started. Oh and the big money guys at the 3M duck camp all giddy in a newspaper article. As far as ducks sticking around only a day or two I think that is pretty common in Minnesota unless they have a refuge. Simply too many hunters who will find them quickly and blast them out of here imo.

[Bailey]

There are 3 damns in the system:

Nicklemoe Slough into Christina at Christina's north end allows for water control on Nicklemoe and has fish wire gate.

Christina into Pelican: this was where my comment was placed on the "wayyyy back when" reasons. I don't know if it was to keep Christina full, like they do at Heron Lake, to manage water fluctuations better at Pelican since the watershed area for Christina is so huge, or both..... Whatever it is, high water on Christina kills duck hunting for the whole area. This dam is located off Cty Rd 82 by the public access and controls the flow between Christina/Pelican. This dam also is where the pumps are housed to lower Christina by pushing water into Pelican. There is also a fish barrier here.

Pelican Lake Outlet into Pelican Creek: This is at Highway 78 south of Ashby. This one is designed to keep water in Pelican. It currently does not keep water high on Christina as the damn at the Christina outlet to Pelican does that work. Additionally, I don't know if the elevation on this one would be sufficient to back water up into Christina. There's not a lot of drop between Christina and Pelican, 1' or 2', but the watershed would indicate it would find a way South before it finds its way North.

Cabin and resort owners on Pelican, as an association, prefer that Pelican Lake stays at a controlled elevation. They also, in some cases, prefer the algae blooms and lower secchi disc readings because if the water is too clear then the fish patterns change (their go to spots aren't good anymore), and small crustacean populations apparently grow exponentially (leaving beach waters littered with little shells that hurt feet).

The pumps were installed to encourage winter kill and plant growth. Yanking dams is still tough to do and the interest in controlling effluent flows downstream is strong throughout the watershed. This includes the Pomme de Terre down to it's confluence with the MInnesota. The pumps also can work more quickly/controlled to achieve goals. The goals of the lake management plan: 1) encourage growth of chara and other "pond weeds" that are critical to waterfowl; 2) decrease the fish population through winter kill. Whereby the 2nd goal directly impacts success of the first goal.

Risks to the system's success: there is a connection from Anka Lake to Lake Christina that will allow fish to pass during high water. Anka is deeper than Christina and can harbor fish longer. High water down stream: if the water is too high for the watershed to take it they cannot pump.

Signs of success: the statistical measurements of success are in coverage per acre of chara and other duck food. This is used since, unlike ducks, weeds don't migrate. Observationally: for duck counts on the lake it depends on water level and weather. A couple years ago there was a good mix of water levels throughout the summer that encouraged weed growth and relatively calm, high pressure systems. The shooting sucked, but I also had never seen waterfowl in those numbers at any one time in my life. I could sit out after pick-up and watch thousands of ducks pouring into the lake.

Then there are years like this year that the water level was too high most of the year to encourage significant, healthy vegetation growth. They turned the pumps on at end of August and managed to lower the lake between 1.5' and 2'. This exposed the vegetation, and I found a new spot that was incredibly successful. But the birds were only ever in for a day or two and talking with a trusted source there was more mid-week migration. Not saying the ducks know it's easier to fly on Tuesdays, just how it worked out, and they were only sticking around a couple days.

Other Observations: since the pump installation you see more swans than pelicans on Christina. There are more geese being shot at Christina, success goes up as the water level goes down, particularly if some mud flats get exposed. The variety of species has increased: our group shot something like 10 different species: mallards, rings, cans, reds, bluebills, spoonbills, buffies, widgeon, pintail, gadwall..... we let ruddies go, but set a record on hooded mergs.... they were THICK!

If you're interested in learning more I recommend John Schneider the local DU biologist. Additionally, the public access is a very nice paved ramp and at current water levels was accessible until freeze up. It's a shallow body and freezes early. If you need accomodations, the Ashby Motel is across the street from the public access. If you use an outboard, and it's not in shallow drive or being cleared every once in awhile, the water is too deep for the lake. Ashby is the closest town with services, about 3 miles away. Melby has a bar and stray dogs. There is also top notch fishing in the area if you like October fish.

Vegetation and winter kill go hand in hand: due to anaerobic respiration, the more decaying veg in the body of water the better the winter kill.

When did it freeze this year? First week of November?

[gimpfinger]

There are 3 damns in the system:

Nicklemoe Slough into Christina at Christina's north end allows for water control on Nicklemoe and has fish wire gate.

Christina into Pelican: this was where my comment was placed on the "wayyyy back when" reasons. I don't know if it was to keep Christina full, like they do at Heron Lake, to manage water fluctuations better at Pelican since the watershed area for Christina is so huge, or both..... Whatever it is, high water on Christina kills duck hunting for the whole area. This dam is located off Cty Rd 82 by the public access and controls the flow between Christina/Pelican. This dam also is where the pumps are housed to lower Christina by pushing water into Pelican. There is also a fish barrier here.

Pelican Lake Outlet into Pelican Creek: This is at Highway 78 south of Ashby. This one is designed to keep water in Pelican. It currently does not keep water high on Christina as the damn at the Christina outlet to Pelican does that work. Additionally, I don't know if the elevation on this one would be sufficient to back water up into Christina. There's not a lot of drop between Christina and Pelican, 1' or 2', but the watershed would indicate it would find a way South before it finds its way North.

Cabin and resort owners on Pelican, as an association, prefer that Pelican Lake stays at a controlled elevation. They also, in some cases, prefer the algae blooms and lower secchi disc readings because if the water is too clear then the fish patterns change (their go to spots aren't good anymore), and small crustacean populations apparently grow exponentially (leaving beach waters littered with little shells that hurt feet).

The pumps were installed to encourage winter kill and plant growth. Yanking dams is still tough to do and the interest in controlling effluent flows downstream is strong throughout the watershed. This includes the Pomme de Terre down to it's confluence with the MInnesota. The pumps also can work more quickly/controlled to achieve goals. The goals of the lake management plan: 1) encourage growth of chara and other "pond weeds" that are critical to waterfowl; 2) decrease the fish population through winter kill. Whereby the 2nd goal directly impacts success of the first goal.

Risks to the system's success: there is a connection from Anka Lake to Lake Christina that will allow fish to pass during high water. Anka is deeper than Christina and can harbor fish longer. High water down stream: if the water is too high for the watershed to take it they cannot pump.

Signs of success: the statistical measurements of success are in coverage per acre of chara and other duck food. This is used since, unlike ducks, weeds don't migrate. Observationally: for duck counts on the lake it depends on water level and weather. A couple years ago there was a good mix of water levels throughout the summer that encouraged weed growth and relatively calm, high pressure systems. The shooting sucked, but I also had never seen waterfowl in those numbers at any one time in my life. I could sit out after pick-up and watch thousands of ducks pouring into the lake.

Then there are years like this year that the water level was too high most of the year to encourage significant, healthy vegetation growth. They turned the pumps on at end of August and managed to lower the lake between 1.5' and 2'. This exposed the vegetation, and I found a new spot that was incredibly successful. But the birds were only ever in for a day or two and talking with a trusted source there was more mid-week migration. Not saying the ducks know it's easier to fly on Tuesdays, just how it worked out, and they were only sticking around a couple days.

Other Observations: since the pump installation you see more swans than pelicans on Christina. There are more geese being shot at Christina, success goes up as the water level goes down, particularly if some mud flats get exposed. The variety of species has increased: our group shot something like 10 different species: mallards, rings, cans, reds, bluebills, spoonbills, buffies, widgeon, pintail, gadwall..... we let ruddies go, but set a record on hooded mergs.... they were THICK!

If you're interested in learning more I recommend John Schneider the local DU biologist. Additionally, the public access is a very nice paved ramp and at current water levels was accessible until freeze up. It's a shallow body and freezes early. If you need accomodations, the Ashby Motel is across the street from the public access. If you use an outboard, and it's not in shallow drive or being cleared every once in awhile, the water is too deep for the lake. Ashby is the closest town with services, about 3 miles away. Melby has a bar and stray dogs. There is also top notch fishing in the area if you like October fish.

Vegetation and winter kill go hand in hand: due to anaerobic respiration, the more decaying veg in the body of water the better the winter kill.

Don't they manage Christina for bluegills? Though I read where they stocked them for fathead control.

sent from deez nutz lay'n on yo chin

[gimpfinger]

[quote="lanyard"]There are 3 damns in the system:

Nicklemoe Slough into Christina at Christina's north end allows for water control on Nicklemoe and has fish wire gate.

Christina into Pelican: this was where my comment was placed on the "wayyyy back when" reasons. I don't know if it was to keep Christina full, like they do at Heron Lake, to manage water fluctuations better at Pelican since the watershed area for Christina is so huge, or both..... Whatever it is, high water on Christina kills duck hunting for the whole area. This dam is located off Cty Rd 82 by the public access and controls the flow between Christina/Pelican. This dam also is where the pumps are housed to lower Christina by pushing water into Pelican. There is also a fish barrier here.

Pelican Lake Outlet into Pelican Creek: This is at Highway 78 south of Ashby. This one is designed to keep water in Pelican. It currently does not keep water high on Christina as the damn at the Christina outlet to Pelican does that work. Additionally, I don't know if the elevation on this one would be sufficient to back water up into Christina. There's not a lot of drop between Christina and Pelican, 1' or 2', but the watershed would indicate it would find a way South before it finds its way North.

Cabin and resort owners on Pelican, as an association, prefer that Pelican Lake stays at a controlled elevation. They also, in some cases, prefer the algae blooms and lower secchi disc readings because if the water is too clear then the fish patterns change (their go to spots aren't good anymore), and small crustacean populations apparently grow exponentially (leaving beach waters littered with little shells that hurt feet).

The pumps were installed to encourage winter kill and plant growth. Yanking dams is still tough to do and the interest in controlling effluent flows downstream is strong throughout the watershed. This includes the Pomme de Terre down to it's confluence with the MInnesota. The pumps also can work more quickly/controlled to achieve goals. The goals of the lake management plan: 1) encourage growth of chara and other "pond weeds" that are critical to waterfowl; 2) decrease the fish population through winter kill. Whereby the 2nd goal directly impacts success of the first goal.

Risks to the system's success: there is a connection from Anka Lake to Lake Christina that will allow fish to pass during high water. Anka is deeper than Christina and can harbor fish longer. High water down stream: if the water is too high for the watershed to take it they cannot pump.

Signs of success: the statistical measurements of success are in coverage per acre of chara and other duck food. This is used since, unlike ducks, weeds don't migrate. Observationally: for duck counts on the lake it depends on water level and weather. A couple years ago there was a good mix of water levels throughout the summer that encouraged weed growth and relatively calm, high pressure systems. The shooting sucked, but I also had never seen waterfowl in those numbers at any one time in my life. I could sit out after pick-up and watch thousands of ducks pouring into the lake.

Then there are years like this year that the water level was too high most of the year to encourage significant, healthy vegetation growth. They turned the pumps on at end of August and managed to lower the lake between 1.5' and 2'. This exposed the vegetation, and I found a new spot that was incredibly successful. But the birds were only ever in for a day or two and talking with a trusted source there was more mid-week migration. Not saying the ducks know it's easier to fly on Tuesdays, just how it worked out, and they were only sticking around a couple days.

Other Observations: since the pump installation you see more swans than pelicans on Christina. There are more geese being shot at Christina, success goes up as the water level goes down, particularly if some mud flats get exposed. The variety of species has increased: our group shot something like 10 different species: mallards, rings, cans, reds, bluebills, spoonbills, buffies, widgeon, pintail, gadwall..... we let ruddies go, but set a record on hooded mergs.... they were THICK!

If you're interested in learning more I recommend John Schneider the local DU biologist. Additionally, the public access is a very nice paved ramp and at current water levels was accessible until freeze up. It's a shallow body and freezes early. If you need accomodations, the Ashby Motel is across the street from the public access. If you use an outboard, and it's not in shallow drive or being cleared every once in awhile, the water is too deep for the lake. Ashby is the closest town with services, about 3 miles away. Melby has a bar and stray dogs. There is also top notch fishing in the area if you like October fish.

Vegetation and winter kill go hand in hand: due to anaerobic respiration, the more decaying veg in the body of water the better the winter kill.

So have the cans come back at all ? Other than your reports I have not heard dork on the vaunted Christina since this whole thing started. Oh and the big money guys at the 3M duck camp all giddy in a newspaper article. As far as ducks sticking around only a day or two I think that is pretty common in Minnesota unless they have a refuge. Simply too many hunters who will find them quickly and blast them out of here imo.[/quote]Not true with hunters making ducks leave. At least down here. There isn't decent habitat to hold birds. They only stop for rest and drink. I've watched birds in my area for years now that land, drink, sit for an hour and leave without any shots fired.

sent from deez nutz lay'n on yo chin