Weirs Closed

[Capt.B]

Originally Posted by Smalls

Some people just can't read. I've said in 3 or 4 posts ON THIS THREAD that I have been behind the weirs, in the last 2 years. In fact, I've been back there each of the last 3 years on multiple occasions at different times of the year. Spent 3 weeks out there in the middle of the summer 2 years ago.

Well welcome to the club....I just don't see what your point is....It was so fresh back there I lost all wigeon grass because of the green scum (due to no tide flow) not to mention stagnant water that stunk like methane....Lillies and cat tails were so thick ponds and trails were choked out.....and you need some saltwater to have wigeon grass...85% of the folks I talked to on the lease were displeased with the management back there.

["W"]

Originally Posted by Capt.B

Well welcome to the club....I just don't see what your point is....It was so fresh back there I lost all wigeon grass because of the green scum (due to no tide flow) not to mention stagnant water that stunk like methane....Lillies and cat tails were so thick ponds and trails were choked out.....and you need some saltwater to have wigeon grass...85% of the folks I talked to on the lease were displeased with the management back there.

Can't have cat tails the marsh is dying and about to be just pond of wate



95% of people who go behind the weirs never go out of eye site of the weirs

[Capt.B]

Originally Posted by "W"

Can't have cat tails the marsh is dying and about to be just pond of wate



95% of people who go behind the weirs never go out of eye site of the weirs

95% never leave the levee canal or they would be lost or hung up....jus sayn

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by Capt.B

Well welcome to the club....I just don't see what your point is....It was so fresh back there I lost all wigeon grass because of the green scum (due to no tide flow) not to mention stagnant water that stunk like methane....Lillies and cat tails were so thick ponds and trails were choked out.....and you need some saltwater to have wigeon grass...85% of the folks I talked to on the lease were displeased with the management back there.

Weir management definitely needs to be improved to optimize the purpose while reducing the negative effects like those you mention and the negative effects on the fishery.

"Lilies and cattails" may or may not be a good thing, depending on the species, the location, the level of dominance, and the specific goals for the salinity and vegetation at a given location. You should take pictures of things you suspect are negative vegetation or conditions, noting the date and GPS coordinates to provide precise and accurate information to biologists who frequently deal with inaccurate plant identifications from the public. Scientific usefulness means specifying what, when, and where. There is a lot of space back there and a wide range of species and vegetation. Take high quality pictures to enable biologists to identify species of vegetation.

Keep in mind that the goal is not to manage the weirs to optimize the hunting or the fishing in the short term, but to support a mix of vegetation that best resists erosion and loss of the marsh.

Think stuff with deep roots that will hold on to the dirt and help it all resist washing away in a tidal surge = good.

Bare dirt and shallow rooted stuff that give way easily = bad.

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by Capt.B

Well welcome to the club....I just don't see what your point is....It was so fresh back there I lost all wigeon grass because of the green scum (due to no tide flow) not to mention stagnant water that stunk like methane....Lillies and cat tails were so thick ponds and trails were choked out.....and you need some saltwater to have wigeon grass...85% of the folks I talked to on the lease were displeased with the management back there.

Where are you at behind the weirs? I've seen areas that didn't have a cattail or Lilly in sight, and this was not near the weirs. Most everywhere I've been back there is wiregrass.

[Capt.B]

Originally Posted by Smalls

Where are you at behind the weirs? I've seen areas that didn't have a cattail or Lilly in sight, and this was not near the weirs. Most everywhere I've been back there is wiregrass.

Mosquito lake and Blind lake area

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by Capt.B

Mosquito lake and Blind lake area

I have not studied the detailed hydrology, but I'd think this area would be more impacted by the salinity of the ICWW (a few hundred yards) than by the weirs (5-6 miles away). If you open the weirs enough that any significant salt is making it back to Mosquito lake and Blind lake, you'd be exposing the marsh closer the weirs to much higher salt levels.

Salinity in the ICWW is controlled with the Calcasieu Lock and needs to be kept low in that area so as not to dump too much salt into the upper Mermentau system.

If you want more flow at that point, you just gotta pray for rain. If you want more salt, you'd better think about increasing the connection to the ICWW. But the USACE might not like that, because they work pretty hard to keep the salinity up there below 5 ppt (waaaaaay below). The USACE has a number of salinity monitoring sides along the ICWW. There are three south of the ICWW and many more just N of the ICWW. The two closes to your points of interest are labeled Sweet Lake and Willow Lake on the linked map. You can peruse the interactive map and see the salinity readings.

http://www2.mvn.usace.army.mil/ops/sms/Calc.asp