Burt Lake Watershed planning project: biological management plan

Abstract

The Burt Lake Preservation Association wants a management plan to control some of the biological aspects in the Burt Lake watershed. Specifically, the BLPA would like a sustainable sturgeon population, a healthy crayfish population, less invasive plant species, and to understand the signficance of algae growing in Burt Lake. The research team conducted an assessment from June 2016 to August 2016. The assessment encompased a habitat survey for Lake Sturgeon, setting crayfish traps, a plant survey focused on invasive species, and the identification of algae in visible masses. From the assessment it was concluded that the Sturgeon River is the most likely to provide suitable spawing habitat to benefit a sustainable sturgeon pouplation. There is a helathy population of crayfish in Burt Lake, even though the invasive rusty crayfish is present. Curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil were the only two invasive aquatic plant species found. None of the algae that were identified are invasive or occurring in damaging quantities. Part of the managment plant invluded a list of potential management solutions in order to bring Burt Lake up to the standards of the BLPA.