7A - Wilderness Resort Vegetation Management Plan

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P�0 OF WIN 5~ Or9 N Minnesota Department of Natural Resources tu Brainerd Area Fisheries Headquarters p'�F ° 1601 Minnesota Drive Brainerd, Minnesota 56401 tiroF NATUF- Telephone (218) 828-2550 Fax (218) 828-6022 December 16, 2008 Dawn Bittner Zoning Administrator City of Pequot Lakes 4638 County Road 11 Pequot Lakes, MN 56472 Re: Docking and Lake Use Plan, Wilderness Resort Dear Dawn: This is to provide comments to you relative to the anticipated potential for fisheries impacts as a result the docking and lake use proposal, as planned by Jeff Miller, LS., Widseth Smith Nolting&Associates Inc. My comments are based on knowledge of fish habitat requirements and are pertinent only to aspects of fisheries management, not any other discipline of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Therefore this comment letter is strictly about protecting the fishery and is not an official endorsement for the proposed dock plan. I met Jeff Miller at Wilderness Resort at 0735 on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, as well as Tom Steffens and Dave Busch. We discussed their plan and toured the site, paying particular attention to the proposed placement of the mooring facilities as they relate physically to the emergent aquatic plant stands. I understand that Joe Oschwald, Area Hydrologist, MN DNR, has reviewed the plans relative to the shoreland ordinance. I visited the site with Mr. Oschwald earlier in the year to get familiarized with the proposal. Joe referred Mr. Miller to me for my comments relative to any fishery impacts anticipated, should the plan for the dock proposal be approved. I found that the three proposed mooring facilities would not involve the removal of emergent aquatic plants. The main dock that would lead to the boat slips on the west side of the resort and the boat slips themselves, would be appropriately placed at the proposed former and previously disturbed site. The main docks at the two mooring facilities on the east side of the property would bisect the bulrushes, however, as stated by Mr. Miller, there would be no plant removal at these two facilities. The boat slips would be situated lakeward beyond the outer limits of the bulrush stands at both east side sites. The benefits to the lake and its fishery by having undisturbed emergent aquatic vegetation, especially hardstem bulrush, is critical for black crappie, largemouth bass and bluegill sunfish spawning, egg incubation, brooding cover for young fish, food production, nutrient assimilation, shoreline protection from wave erosion and habitat for DNR Information: 651-296-6157 • 1-888-646-6367 • TTY: 651-296-5484 • 1-800-657-3929 An Equal Opportunity Employer 4$W Printed on Recycled Paper Containing a Who Values Diversity 1P Minimum of 20%Post-Consumer Waste