Right down here around Oshkosh -- there's a place called Rush Lake, supposedly the best duck hunting in the whole midwest once upon a time, but there's so much lead shot and its so shallow (most of it is only 1'-1.5' deep, but some places it might get 5') and there was a huge waterfowl die-off a few years ago, over 2000 died from ingesting lead shot one Summer. And the cattails have moved in and taken over so bad, so they're working on a project to restore it.
http://www.northern-env.com/rushlake/Ann%20&%20Events/Ann%20&%20Events%202001-presentation.html And I've also seen some recent stuff about a similar DNR project down at Horicon Marsh about 30-40 miles south of here. I think they'd be very receptive to a harvesting plan, in fact the DNR was asking for volunteer help at Horicon. The problem with all of these places (also the whole Fox & Wolf Rivers/Winnebago chain of lakes) is caused by dams. At Rush Lake, the damn doesn't make it that deep, but it stops water level fluctuation, which is what allows the cattails to become dominate, and also created a "floating bog" rather than an anchored one. In the big lake, Winnebago and the upstream lakes, they caused a major eco catastrophe when they put in the dam in the '60's. The increased water level lifted the bogs free of the bottom, they all floated downstream and then died, so now there's a major problem with algae in the water -- it looks literally like pea soup in Summer. You can't see even two feet underwater at times. If you (or anyone else) had a serious interest in trying to harvest the cattails, I'd be quite happy to work with you on it. Money is the problem, I'm dead broke, and although WI has a good bioremediation grant program, we also have right now a 1.1 billion budget deficit, and it doesn't look like any grant money will be available this year. On Wed, May 22, 2002 at 07:36:22PM -0000, motie_d wrote: > --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Harmon Seaver <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Not for oil, but cattails for ethanol certainly fits that bill. > In fact, > > locally I'm currently half-heartedly investigating a couple of > different cattail > > control programs -- really big areas, hundreds, maybe thousands of > acres, that > > the DNR and other people are looking at to restore to a more diverse > > habitat. Their plan is to drain the areas and try to burn the > cattails. I'd > > think if they drain it enough, going in with big 4WD tractors > w/double tires > > pulling a potato digger it might both serve their purposes and > create a > > fantastic harvest of ethanol feedstock, plus biomass (the tops) for > > gasification. > > I say half-heartedly only because I'm just in no position > financially to do > > anything with it, although with the new ethanol plant being built > within a few > > miles of one huge cattail marsh they want to clear, it would seem > an easy > > market. > > > > > > -- > > Harmon Seaver > > CyberShamanix > > http://www.cybershamanix.com > > > Harmon, > You got my attention! Where is this potential resource located? > > Motie > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > -- Harmon Seaver CyberShamanix http://www.cybershamanix.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Stock for $4 and no minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/orkH0C/n97DAA/Ey.GAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
