Directorate Meeting photo: was taken by James Boase of Service personnel lifting a 5 foot lake sturgeon from the Detroit River on May 10 2007.

Directorate Meeting photo 2: Was taken by James Boase, from left to right; Charlie Wooly, Bruce Manny, Aime Bourdon, John Hartig, Jim McFee, Steve Dushane, and John Kauffeld, holding up a lake sturgeon captured in the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge on May 10 2007.

On May 10^th Fishery Biologists James Boase and Jim McFee from Alpena Fishery Resources Office had the opportunity to demonstrate some of their work in the Huron-Erie Corridor to members of the Regional Directorate Team.  Meeting on the Detroit River that day were Deputy Regional Director Charlie Wooley and Director of Great Lakes Refuges John Kauffeld from the regional office, along with Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Manager John Hartig and his staff including Steve Dushane and Stephanie Millsap.  John Hartig arranged the meeting to get Charlie Wooley and John Kauffeld out on the Detroit River to tour some of the new properties managed by the refuge and to see some of the ongoing fishery research taking place within the refuge.  BASF Corporation provided use of their corporate boat to shuttle the group to locations on the river and provided lunch at the Fighting Island Lodge located on Fighting Island.

Alpena FRO biologists have been conducting fisheries assessments within the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWR) on the Detroit River and western Lake Erie since 2005.  Research efforts have involved collaboration with USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.  Alpena staff have worked closely with John Hartig when he was River Navigator and now as Refuge Manager to identify issues affecting aquatic resources within the DRIWR.

Alpena’s current efforts have been focusing on an area at the northeast corner of Fighting Island where Canadian funds from Environment Canada and U.S. funds from the Fish and Wildlife Service Challenge Cost Share Program have funded phase one (pre-construction assessment) of a three phase project to build a lake sturgeon spawning reef.  News of the joint US/Canadian project within the DRIWR was simultaneously released by Congressman John Dingell and Canadian Member of Parliament Jeff Watson, http://www.dwfonline.com/PDF%20Files/Fighting%20Island%20Sturgeon%20Reef.pdf

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/DetroitRiver/documents/IslandSturgeonReefWatson.pdf and has since been picked up by the Detroit News, http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070530/METRO/705300384/1050/rss19.