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FISH AND WILDLIFE MITIGATION REQUIRED AT LAKE RUSSELL Unavoidable and significant loss of wildlife and fisheries resources occurred due to the construction of the dams along the Savannah River. Terrestrial habitats of wildlife were converted to open water and fish habitat was converted from streams to open water. The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958 required the Corps to mitigate for the loss of habitat due to the construction of Russell Dam. Lands purchased to mitigate for the loss of habitat at Russell are specifically managed for wildlife. They consist of 20,590 acres around Russell Lake (300-foot buffer lands), 6,858 acres at Thurmond, and 21,788 acres of “separable” land located away from the lake and managed by Georgia and South Carolina Departments of Natural Resources (DNR). The total area of mitigation land is 49,236 acres, which compensates for the loss of 26,650 acres of fish and wildlife habitat. In addition, specific fisheries mitigation measures include habitat structures, tree shelters, and fish stocking. Thurmond and Hartwell have active wildlife management programs; however, they were not required to purchase and manage additional mitigation land to compensate for habitat loss since these projects were authorized and construction initiated before passage of the Fish and Wildlife coordination Act of 1958. The Russell Project Environmental Impact Statement identified significant potential impacts to wildlife habitat and populations due to project construction. The Savannah District funded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake an extensive survey to determine the need for and the extent of mitigation required. Using the most advanced state-of-the-art habitat evaluation procedure, an interagency team of biologists from the Corps, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Georgia and South Carolina wildlife agencies evaluated the project area and proposed mitigation sites. The wildlife management program centers on approximately 20,500 acres of public lands surrounding the lake. This acreage represents a significant portion of the mitigation lands associated with project construction and is intensely managed for both game and non-game wildlife species. In addition to the mitigation lands surrounding Russell Lake, the staff also has financial and administrative responsibilities for the separate mitigation lands in Georgia and South Carolina, totaling an additional 28,646 acres. Wildlife management activities are outlined in the operational management plan and mini-management plans. These unique mini-management plans are individual documents that focus on the large tracts of land and describe detailed management goals and objectives for them. Each management area contains 200 to 500 acres. Portions of Corps land around the lake is planted in food plots in the spring and fall to enhance wildlife habitat by providing valuable sources of food and cover for deer, duck, turkey, dove, quail, and a variety of songbirds. Thousands of ducks use the impoundment, adjacent ponds, and wetlands as staging areas for feeding and resting as they migrate south for the winter. Small impoundments, designed and managed specifically for waterfowl are located at Lake Russell. Nesting boxes are provided for the resident wood ducks. Appropriate management techniques are used to protect and improve rare plant and animal communities. Biologists and park rangers conduct surveys to evaluate populations and nesting success of both eagle and osprey. During planning and construction, providing excellent fish habitat was a high priority. Some forested areas were left standing to be inundated while other areas with trees were topped 13 feet below normal full pool to provide cover to optimize fish habitat. By taking advantage of the relatively stable water levels, normally fluctuating no more than 5 feet, more cover could be left in the lake than in most impoundments its size. Although the lake is not managed exclusively for fishing, it is an important part of the multi-use management program of the project. Russell Lake has gone through the classic new lake cycle and has settled into a quality fishery, dominated by anglers fishing for largemouth bass and crappie. Fisheries management at Lake Russell blends programs carried out by both the Georgia and South Carolina DNR in concert with the Corps. The states regulate fishermen and stock fish, while the Corps operates the dams and manages the surrounding federal land affecting fishermen, fish and their habitat. Overall, the fisheries management program objectives are: maintain lake conditions favorable to fish spawning and survival, coordinate and assist state agency personnel with population surveys and other activities, and encourage and accommodate public use and appreciation of the fisheries resource. Fishing Related Links
The forest management plan for Russell Lake includes intensive site-specific management details as well as general, project-wide management guidelines. Forest management follows traditional, time-proven methods using a project compartment system approach where one compartment is examined yearly for management needs. The pine ecosystem is managed for species diversity, wildlife, aesthetics, and other benefits. Harvesting or “thinning” the pine stand is important to allow enough sunlight to reach the forest floor to produce plants desirable for wildlife food and cover. Pine thinning improves the growth and health of the remaining trees, making the trees more resistant to insects. Along with thinning, prescribed burning helps to manage the forest – many plants require fire to germinate. In contrast, hardwood forests are not harvested but are maintained to provide diversity and produce valuable wildlife foods such as acorns. The goals are to maintain healthy forests to provide ground-cover protection for water quality, aesthetic value enhancement for the visiting public and to improve wildlife habitat. By maintaining healthy forests, the overall ecosystem is enhanced. Not only is water quality improved, growing plants improve air quality by removing carbon dioxide and pollutants from the atmosphere in the growth process and return clean oxygen.
AQUATIC PLANT MANAGEMENT
- at Richard B. Russell,
Hartwell and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes
It is the goal of the aquatic plant management program to minimize impacts to authorized project purposes caused by nuisance levels of aquatic vegetation. However, all programs must compete for limited funding. Therefore, the Army Corps of Engineers will not be able to treat all areas where aquatic vegetation reaches nuisance levels. Furthermore, as stewards of taxpayer money, it is understood that the benefits derived from treatment should exceed the cost of treatment. It is imperative that strong partnerships with state agencies, county governments, and private concessionaires be formed in order to meet public use demands.
For more information on aquatic plants visit the following web sites:
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP |
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Natural Resource Links
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Richard B. Russell
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