By Richard D. Gainar, CEBS – Lake Management Committee

The Canada Goose goslings began hatching out around May 1^st.  We did a pretty good job neutralizing the goose nests that were located earlier thanks to your support and reports we received from concerned residents.  Now and through June is the time to be vigilant in watching for goslings and begin harassing them the day they show up.

According to Geoffery Westerfield of the ODNR, harassing the goslings is very important for limiting the number of resident geese on our lake during the rest of the year.  Separating the goslings from their parents even for a short time is an effective form of harassment.  Geoffery advises that whenever you can, try to separate goslings from the adult geese by stepping between them shooing the goslings away from the adults by waving your arms and making loud noises (do not make contact).  “Don’t stop anywhere short of the geese leaving your property”, says Geoffery.  Keep up the consistent and persistent harassment. Your goal is to send the message to the adult geese that your property is not a safe place to raise their young and to the goslings that Lake Roaming Rock can be a scary place.

June 1^st is an important date.  Geese will begin to molt (i.e. lose their flight feathers) around June 1^st.  If you don’t harass them off the property by that date, it becomes very difficult to remove them and you will likely be stuck with the geese till mid-July.

Geese excrement is a contributor to the E. coli levels in our lake.  In addition, it provides excess nutrients that feed the algae and weeds.  We love our geese, but a few less wouldn’t hurt either. 

Thanks for being lake responsible!

Dave Ernes – Lake Management Committee

A Fish Survey was conducted on Lake Roaming Rock on September 12-13, 2022 by Jones Fish. Briefly, boats equipped with electrofishing apparatus travel throughout the lake. At each location sampled, the fish are stunned, collected, and assessed by measuring the length and weight. The fish are then returned to the lake unharmed. This process is done in as many areas as is feasible but is not intended to determine the population throughout the entire lake, especially one the size of our lake. This snapshot will give us an unbiased assessment of the current condition of the fishery. It should be noted that the survey was conducted two days after the Bass Tournament and the effect on the survey was expected to be minimal.

Based on the report, Jones Fish believes the overall condition of the fishery is very good. The largemouth bass (bass), the most often sought species, were found to be healthy. The overall food web including both predator and prey species is said to be diverse. The only issue identified is a low number of bass in the 5–9-inch range, representing fish 2-3 years old. The fish representing year-one were found to be good. This gap was not noted for the other species identified in the lake. The cause of this gap has not been fully defined but was speculated to be related to weather conditions during the spring spawning seasons. A link to the full report can be found at the end of this report.

            In addition to the specialists from Jones Fish, a member of the Lake Management Committee was also present for the survey. Their input, as well as follow-up questions submitted to the author, were used to evaluate the results.

            The health of the bass is measured by a Relative Weight Index. This compares the weight of each fish greater than ten inches in length to one that is considered normal. A value of 100% indicates that the bass are of normal size. The average for our lake was 97.5, which indicates that the bass are of average size with no indications of malnutrition. Another measurement of the bass population is Proportional Stock Density, which is a ratio of the number of “quality” fish versus “stock” fish. This was not presented in the report but was calculated by the author from the data submitted. For bass, a PSD of 40-70 is considered well-balanced, with our lake showed a value of 65.

            One other parameter discussed was the distribution of the various fish species throughout the lake. In general, a more significant distribution of fish was observed in the two major coves (Plum, Sugar), and in some of the small coves north of Sugar Creek and along the eastern shoreline. There appeared to be an inverse correlation with the number of fish caught and the density of the vegetation. For example, fewer fish were collected in the southern areas where the weeds tend to be thicker and those that were collected were considered non-prime species (i.e. suckers, catfish).

            One area that the report discusses is the level of “structure”, representing features such as submerged logs, that the fish will use for spawning and to avoid predators. They felt the level of structure in the shallow areas was good, but that the deeper areas may benefit with additional structure. (Please note that anyone who considers adding structure on their own would be violating the rules of the Association and can incur fines starting at $1000.)

            The LMC and the Board will continue to monitor the fishery as we move forwards and will evaluate adding structures and stocking suggestions as time and budget considerations warrant.

Be Lake Responsible

This past week, we informed you about a recommendation by AquaDoc and EnviroScience for a second treatment of the algaecide. While the conditions on the lake showed no algae, the satellite data did indicate that a potential algal bloom may be forming. This was the basis of the recommendation.

This week, AquaDoc again reviewed the lake, and still found no evidence for the Harmful Algal Bloom suggested from the satellite data. Therefore, it is the current opinion that we delay a second treatment until conditions on the lake warrant the expenditure. The lake will be evaluated on an ongoing basis and a decision will be made based on the conditions on the lake as we go forwards. We will keep you updated if conditions change.

This past week, both AquaDoc and EnviroScience were on the lake evaluating the conditions related to Cyanobacterial blooms. Based on their assessment, and the approaching Labor Day weekend, they have recommended that a second whole-lake treatment be scheduled as follows.

• The Southern half of the lake will be treated during the week of August 8^th.
• The Northern half of the lake will be treated during the week of August 22^nd.

Stay alert for further announcement as we approach the week of August 8^th. We will evaluate the lake level to determine if additional lake lowering is necessary, as well as fix the exact dates for the application. The same restrictions for boating and swimming will be in effect and will be repeated with subsequent notifications.

By Richard D. Gainar, CEBS – Lake Management Committee

 The Canada Goose is one of the most beautiful animals in the world.  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.

When you feed geese, you convince them that Roaming Shores has a year-round supply of free, easily-accessible food – too nice a place to leave.  Thus some of these migratory birds have literally stopped migrating.  Winter food shortages used to induce their yearly flight south, but free food handouts from naive citizens and their guests–who think they’re doing the geese a favor–can short-circuit millions of years of evolutionary instinct compelling the geese to stay put.

In actuality, you aren’t doing the geese any favors when you feed them (or any other wildlife).  Bread and popcorn are incredibly harmful to both individual animals and entire populations.  Filled up on junk food, the birds won’t seek out the natural, protein-rich staples of their usual diet, leading to widespread malnutrition and wing deformity in goslings.  Further, biologically unsustainable population spikes lead to the quick spread of Enteritis, Aspergillus, and Avian Botulism, diseases that have killed scores of birds across North America.

Hand-feeding doesn’t just hurt birds.  Unwieldy bird populations are also potentially harmful to humans: goose feces contain E.coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Cryptosporidium.  Exposure to contaminated droppings can also cause Swimmer’s Itch and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.  Feeding (and pooping) usually occurs in the most accessible areas, making a mess of heavily used walkways, lawns, boat ramps, docks and parking areas.  In the Shores, goose poop is everywhere. 

The long-term answer is acting responsibly when we interact with our environment – do not ever, under any circumstances, feed a Canada Goose.  And if you see someone doing it, politely inform them that despite their good intentions, they are actually harming the animals by malnutrition, increasing disease vectors, and preventing them from migrating.  Be Lake Responsible.

By G. Dixon – Lake Management Committee

“No Wake Zones” help keep our lake safe and provide lower impact to the enriched sediment.  It is important to understand the consequences for not maintaining a minimum steerage and the impact this has on increase costs to correct the algae blooms as well as the costs to maintain a healthy lake.  Watercraft all have a means of moving the vessel through the water.  Whether it is a jet, propeller, oar, or paddle,  they all rely on some means to push the vehicle forward, or in reverse. This action creates a wake which moves the water down as well as horizontally away from the vessel.  In our lake, the nutrients that are suspended in sediment particles are stirred up into the water by this wake, bringing nitrogen and phosphorus to the warm surface and feeding algae blooms.  Picture a snow globe: shake the globe and snow is resuspended in the water, let it settle and the snow returns to the bottom.  So, it is the same with our lake, especially in the shallow areas like the south end of our lake when a boat is traveling through the water.

Traveling at idling speed in “No Wake Zones” is the best prevention.  Rule of thumb is to look behind your boat; If you are unable to see any disturbance of the water, you are traveling at a speed with low water movement.  Some think that maintaining a certain speed like our roadways is important, but it is truly up to the pilot of the vessel to determine the minimum speed of their boat for safe travel.  While we state a maximum speed limit, the faster one goes, the greater the wake and the greater the damage. And in those areas so designated, you must maintain “No Wake” limits. And remember, this includes within 75 feet of the shoreline.   If your boat is designed to create a wake then it probably would be prudent to avoid the “No Wake Zones” with your boat.  If your boat is traveling faster than necessary in the “No Wake Zone”, or any where on the lake for that matter, there is an equal amount of water traveling in the other direction, causing shoreline erosion, stirring up the nutrients and thus contributing to the algae blooms.  Please use good judgement and Save Our Lake!

Be Lake Responsible

The 2nd half of algae treatments is planned for Monday, June 27th.

• Due to the current lake level, it should not be necessary to open the dam’s valve.
• We are asking that there be no boat or jet ski traffic on the lake on Monday, June 27th and Tuesday, June 28th. Boat turbulence will risk the effectiveness of the treatment.
• The boat ramp will be closed during application on Monday and Tuesday.
• Boat traffic may resume on Wednesday the 29th.
• Please turn off all fountains and any equipment that moves water both on top and under the water surface.
• Although deemed safe for human contact, we request that there is no swimming in the lake until Thursday, June 30th.
• Do not water your property with lake water until Thursday, June 30th.

Our first round of treatments showed noticeable improvement. Thank you all for your cooperation and for giving these treatments the best opportunity for success.

RomeRock Association Board of Directors