By Richard D. Gainar, CEBS – Lake Management Committee

Canada Geese are a valuable natural resource that provides recreation and enjoyment to bird watchers, hunters, and the public. The sight of the distinctive V-formation of a flock of Canada geese always brings a special thrill. Their calls herald the changing seasons. But in recent years, flocks of local-nesting or “resident” geese have become year-round inhabitants of our recreational areas, waterways, and residential areas, where they can cause significant problems.

Canada Geese deposit their feces anywhere the urge hits them. They too often like the same areas we do – swimming beaches, lawns, docks, and boat launches. During the day, a goose drops one pound of dung. In addition to contributing to E. coli levels in the lake, geese are also major contributors of phosphorus and nitrogen in lakes and waterways that encourage algae and weeds to grow rapidly.

In January and February migratory geese are moving through our area with some of the breeding age geese breaking away from the flocks in early preparation of the nesting season. These geese begin to pair up and separate themselves from the migratory flock. By March geese are paired and begin to set up nesting territories laying their eggs in early April and incubating the eggs late in the month. Goose eggs begin to hatch in May. In June adult geese begin their molting and, like their goslings, are unable to fly.

Flight feathers grow and mature on both adult and young geese enabling them to fly in mid-July. July is an important time of the year for us marking the beginning of our annual ‘Goosebusters’ campaign to harass the geese encouraging them to make their home elsewhere. Some geese find our lake too comfortable and safe and will, unfortunately, become “resident” geese forming flocks in August and September to stay for the season. Migratory geese move out of our area in October through December.

Your Lake Management Committee thanks you for your efforts last year reporting nesting sites and harassing geese to move them along. You’ve made a noticeable contribution to benefit our lake community.

Love our lake and be lake responsible.

By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

You may have heard a lot of discussion lately on ‘developing a Lake Management Plan’. But just what is it? According to the North American Lake Management Society, “A lake and/or watershed management plan is a dynamic document that identifies goals and action items for the purpose of creating, protecting and/or maintaining desired conditions in a lake and its watershed for a given period of time.” No two plans are the same. In general they address some or all of the following issues – management of aquatic species, fishery, recreational activities and watersheds as well as protection of shorelines, and water quality. Many of these activities have actually been on-going since the creation of Lake Roaming Rock. You can read about some of those activities from Carolyn Tharp’s excellent history available on the RRA web site. These range from control of shoreline erosion by retaining wall requirements early in the life of the lake to the on-going dredging operations conducted by Dan Mullins and his team. There have also been a number of water quality studies done by several agencies over the years. This body of information allows us to understand many aspects of our lake from vegetation to sediment deposition to water quality.

So, where are we in this process? As in the past, the LMC continues to coordinate testing of the lake for bacteria and toxins. At the same time, the LMC, along with the Environmental Advocacy Club, are working with our consultants and other experts to investigate options to be considered for this plan, with the primary objective of a positive impact on the lake.

A management plan is not necessarily fast. When one is dealing with nearly 54 years of environmental and human impacts on the lake, it is not surprising that it will not be reversed in a few weeks or months. Also, every option has advantages and disadvantages and it is the balance that has the best chance for success. Just remember, we are talking about 2.5 billion gallons of water. With everyone working together, and understanding the importance of the process, we can move forward to ensuring that our lake is something to be enjoyed for years to come.

BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE

By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

A frozen lake is just one more sign that winter has come to Roaming Shores. It presents a frozen snapshot of the beauty of the lake that has an almost alien quality to it. A lake’s “winter” season is not usually associated with December 21^st to March 21^st, but is often based on the dates that the lake becomes fully ice covered. Once the surface of the lake is frozen, the entire ecosystem under the ice changes to cope with the colder temperatures.

The microscopic animals (zooplankton) and photosynthetic organisms (phytoplankton) produce thick-walled resistant cells, which allows them to survive until spring. Some species of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) can survive at the cold temperatures by become cannibals and consuming other algae species for food they will not get from the sun. It is unlikely that they will form blooms since the conditions are not ideal, although it is not impossible.

If the algae do not completely become dormant, they may actually produce oxygen, which would be beneficial to the fish, who also share this space under the ice. If not, fish normally seek the warmer waters under the ice and can survive as long as the oxygen levels in the water are adequate. They likely migrate to the sections in the lake that are the deepest, to have the best chances for survival. Since they are not warm blooded, their metabolism slows and their activity level decreases, requiring less energy to survive. This continues until the ice melts and the water starts to warm up again.

Aquatic plants can actually handle the winter better than their terrestrial cousins if they are protected under the water. The main body of the plant dies, but the roots can survive. Some will form nodules, which can store energy while they wait for the sun to reappear. However, if they are exposed to the cold air, they may dry out and even the roots can then freeze. Lakes who perform a winter drawdown use this behavior as a method to reduce nuisance plants.

The most important aspect of the lake in winter is ice thickness. Remember, it may look solid, but with 450 acres of surface area, conditions may differ from one location to another. Some residents may use “ice cutters”, resulting in open water even if the rest of the lake is frozen. If you do venture out on the ice, use extreme caution and don’t do it alone.

(Some information presented in this article was extracted from Lakeline Vol 34, #4 (2014))

BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE And HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON

By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

The Cleveland MetroParks Aquatic Invasive Species Program involves an assessment of around 200 bodies of water in Ohio’s Lake Erie basin. Our lake was selected as one of those locations. We have received the final report titled “2019 Aquatic Invasive Plant Survey at Lake Roaming Rock”. The intent of this report was to review the results of a survey completed on June 17, 2019 that involved identifying the plant species detected at 15 sampling locations throughout our lake. To get a perspective on this, in 2010, EnviroScience did an aquatic vegetation study which involved 190 locations. The MetroParks study focused primarily on the marina and Plum Creek Cove to the north and several locations south of Fisherman’s Cove. The purpose was to identify the spread of invasive aquatic plants throughout the Lake Erie basin.

On an average, 4.5 different plant species were detected at each location on our lake, the most found at the marina. Those plants present with the highest frequency were Eurasian water-milfoil [EWM] and coontail, both present at 93% of the locations. These same species were detected in the 2010 study, but the EWM was present at only a low percentage (<5%). Eighteen different species of aquatic plants were detected overall, showing greater diversity than seen in 2010 (ten species). Of those detected in the current study, three are considered invasive (including EWM). Hydrilla, the most difficult invasive species to remove from a lake, was not detected. Very good news!

The report does include several aquatic vegetation management options. They include the use of grass carp, continuation of the use of the weed harvester, and chemical control. It was clearly stated that the MetroParks program is not intended to advise as to a recommended course of action.

The last part of the report discussed prevention of further invasive species becoming an issue at our lake. They mentioned the Ohio Clean Marina Program with a Clean Boater Pledge. These programs are intended to reduce the chance for “hitchhikers” from entering our lake from other locations. They also mention that some local aquatic plant nurseries have been found to be contaminated with invasive species that are then used in decorative water gardens or rain gardens. So, due diligence is highly recommended should you use your boat at other bodies of water or plan on intentionally planting aquatic plants around your property. More will be coming with regard to this important issue.

While not a comprehensive study, the report gives us some valuable information. If you wish to read the full report, it can be found here.

[If you have any questions on this study or other issues for the Lake Management Committee, we now have a dedicated email address. Send your questions to romerocklmc@gmail.com. We will get back with you with an answer.]