Happy Lakes Appreciation Week! This year the Kosciusko County Commissioners officially proclaimed June 26-July 5 as Lakes Appreciation Week, and many of us have been and will continue to enjoy our lakes with family and friends as we celebrate the Fourth of July holiday this weekend. The second annual Northern Indiana Lakes Festival, which kicked off the appreciation week on Saturday, June 26, was a great success with over 1,000 children and adult visitors, 30 booths representing non-profit/educational organizations and water-oriented businesses , and broad community support from 55 different organizations. To see more Lake Festival highlights, click here or visit the KLAS website.

Thank you to all those who made the Lakes Festival happen!

Festival Coordinators:  Kosciusko Lakes and Streams and Tippecanoe Watershed Foundation

Lakes Visionary Sponsors ($3,000+): Indiana-American Water and Northern Indiana Lakes Magazine

Lakes Friend Sponsors ($250+): Aquatic Control, Biomet, City of Warsaw, Goshen Health Systems, GraceCollege, Indiana Lakes Management Society, JFNew, JL Hurt, Kosciusko Community Hospital, Kosciusko County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kosciusko County Soil & Water Conservation District, Kosciusko REMC Operation Round-up, Lake City Animal Clinic, Lake Tippecanoe Property Owners Association, Medtronic, Redwood IT, Warsaw Community Development Corporation, Warsaw Community Public Library, Warsaw Parks & Recreation Department, Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, Windows Doors & More, Winona Lake Preservation Association, WRSW/Willie 103.5, Zimmer

Many area lakes are celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with fireworks displays. For a schedule of local lake fireworks displays, check the calendar on the Kosciusko Lakes and Streams website.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has released their 2010 Fishing Guide in electronic format. You can view the 2010 DNR Fishing Guide in full or in a compact 6-page brochure at http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2347.htm.

The DNR has also released information on research being done on several of our local lakes. Recently DNR Dept of Fish & Wildlife biologist Jed Pearson captured white bass during a routine fishery survey of Waubee Lake. He suspects an angler caught it elsewhere and released it into the lake without a permit, which, according to state law (IC 14-22-9-8), is a Class C misdemeanor.

White Bass, a popular sport fish, are not native to Waubee Lake and Pearson said he thinks these populations originated from fish taken from lakes that naturally contain them. “We understand why anglers may want to stock white bass, but they need to realize white bass can harm fishing,” he said. “An even bigger problem would result if fishermen now think these lakes need gizzard shad to feed the white bass.”

The Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife may also seek changes in largemouth bass fishing regulations at two Noble County lakes in hopes of culling high numbers of the popular sportfish to increase their growth and size.  Based on sampling conducted last year, DFW biologists say Big and Crane lakes contain three times the normal number of bass found in northern Indiana natural lakes. As a result, bass grow slowly and few bass large enough to be taken home by anglers are present.

According to Pearson, changes in bass fishing regulations may be worth considering at Big and Crane lakes to encourage anglers to catch and keep small bass. The theory is that once many of the small bass are removed, those that remain should then grow larger. Once balance in the bass populations is restored, the 14-inch limit could then be re-instated.

Any changes in bass fishing rules must first be approved by the Natural Resources Commission. That involves an extensive process to assure any change will achieve the desired results and to include public hearing, so no changes are likely to be made this year, but the DFW is considering three options. All three rely on what Pearson called a “reverse slot limit.” “Instead of a 14-inch minimum size limit, anglers may be allowed to keep only 10- to 14-inch bass,” Pearson said. “We could also relax the daily catch limit of five for bass that size. Or we could allow some combination of 10- to 14-inch bass and bass over 14 inches.”

The Secchi Dip-In is a three week event in June and July that demonstrates that volunteers can collect quality data for an international research program. The Dip-In is a network of volunteer programs and volunteers that, working together, can gather and provide continent-wide (and world-wide) information on water quality.

North American volunteers have now submitted 5 or more years of data on over 1,900 waterbodies. Five years or more of submissions is critical because it takes at least that long in order to make reliable statements about trends. If you monitor water clarity on your lake using a Secchi Disk, consider submitting your data to the Dip-In this year!  The Dip-In goes from June 26-July 18.  To get involved, check out http://dipin.kent.edu/

Don’t Feed Weeds & Algae - Take the Pledge & Get on the Map!
Visit www.ClearChoicesCleanWater.org and take the pledge for clean lakes by using phosphorus-free “zero in the middle” fertilizer (or no fertilizer at all on your lawn). Join a Clean Water Team – and invite your friends to do the same! Keeping phosphorus off ¼ acre of lawn prevents 1000 pounds of algae in our lakes! It’s fast, easy, and free – you can make a difference!

FREE Hoosier Riverwatch Volunteer Water Monitoring Training
Hoosier Riverwatch has two opportunities coming to you in July! Isn’t it time for you to learn more about water quality in your lakes and streams? The Hoosier Riverwatch program has trained thousands of citizens just like you to get involved; have fun; and make a difference!

• July 8 (8:30am – 4:30pm) – North Webster Community Center - To register, contact Darci Zolman at the Kosciusko Soil & Water Conservation District at Darci.zolman@in.nacdnet.net or 574/267-7293 x3.
• July 27 & 28 (5:30 – 9pm Both Nights Required for Certification) – Columbia City – To register; call Jane Loomis at 260/779-4422.

North Webster Community Center Youth Camp “Bugs, Algae, Fish & the Dixie”

July 26 – 30 (9 – 10:30am)
Students in grades K-5 can join us at the North Webster Community Center for some hands-on fun and learning about our lakes. We’ll go to the lake each day and sample for bugs, algae, and fish. The ends with a boat ride on the historic Dixie Sternwheeler on Webster Lake. $20 fee. Contact Tracy May at tracy-nwcc@earthlink.net or 834-1600 x0.

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