02-27-2017 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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management project has emerged and is providing all partners an opportunity to leverage resources and skills to improve water quality and ecological integrity in the subwatershed. The Hennepin County Natural Resource Opportunity Grant has been identified as a potential fund source. Hennepin County Natural Resources Opportunity Grant Proposal This grant request would allow this multi -agency and resident partnership to begin their work towards improving water quality and ecological integrity in the Long Lake Creek Subwatershed. Carp are known to degrade water quality by stirring up bottom sediment and uprooting aquatic vegetation, which exacerbates internal loading issues and causes ecological damage. Anecdotal information suggests carp are abundant and an issue in this subwatershed, but their exact level of impact is unknown. Understanding the impact carp are having, coupled with years of water quality data the MCWD has been collecting, can lead to a very informed implementation strategy to improve water quality in this subwatershed. The University of Minnesota has led the science on how to manage carp, and what to expect once carp are managed. Several key pieces of data are needed to sustainably manage carp, and the focus of this proposal is to gather this data which includes: 1.) determining the abundance of adults in each lake, 2.) understanding their movement patterns across the subwatershed and 3.) Identifying areas where they spawn, which is most critical as it is the source of new carp in the system. A number of monitoring activities are performed to develop a solid understanding of carp in the system that can properly inform a sustainable carp management strategy. Once this data is collected as outlined above, the partnership can begin implementation through pilot removals of carp biomass. We anticipate implementation of additional projects as a result of the initial data collection described above which may include barrier installation, carp nursery habitat modification, predator stocking, additional biomass reduction, and education and outreach. The timeline for the proposed project is 3 years. Hennepin County grant funding will get this partnership moving forward, provide the data to develop a carp management plan, and allow the partnership to implement pilot biomass removals. We can then leverage other grant sources to fund the restoration activities described in the management plan which will be guided by the initial data collection and biomass removal activities. These additional activities will be implemented to improve water quality and habitat. Current Proposed Project Budget $204,978 Requested Grant Funding from Hennepin County $100,000