Re: NANFA-- Give Me A Home Where The Buffalo Roam

SHasloue_at_kdhe.state.ks.us
Tue, 19 Sep 2000 09:13:01 -0500

----- Forwarded by Steve Haslouer/Kdhe on 09/19/00 09:10 AM -----

Bob Angelo
To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
09/15/00 cc: Steve Haslouer/Kdhe_at_Kdhe
09:34 PM Subject: Re: NANFA-- Give Me A Home Where The
Buffalo Roam

Mr. McClurg:

I've perused your earlier comments on this subject and would be curious to
know why you believe the Kansas River was a "muddy" stream prior to the
settlement of this region by Anglo-Europeans. Meriwether Lewis reported
(1804-06) that the water of the Kansas River was transparent in summer and
autumn. In 1819, Major S. H. Long observed that the Kansas River was less
turbid than the Missouri except at times of high flood. In 1833, Count
Maxmillion recorded that the "clear green water [of the Kansas River] was
distinguished by a well defined, undulating line from the muddy stream of
the Missouri." In 1853, Lt. Joseph L. Tidball surveyed the river from Fort
Riley to its confluence with the Missouri. He noted that the river bottom
was comprised predominantly of an "easily yielding quicksand", with beds of
gravel and coarser materials occurring in some reaches.

Apparently, you've also accepted the notion that man-made reservoirs in the
basin ultimately offset the increase in stream siltation which followed the
conversion of native grassland to cropland. According to David Pimental et
al., Cornell University, the plowing of native grassland increases the rate
of soil loss some 250- to 750-fold. Even though 85% of the Kansas River
drainage is now situated upstream of at least one major reservoir, it may
well be that the remaining 15% contributes more silt to the Kansas River
than did the entire drainage before settlement. Reservoirs also have
reduced the downstream replacement of sand and gravel in the river, leading
to further changes in the composition of the stream bed. The Kansas River
and its tributaries once supported species of fish and other wildlife which
would not have survived in the presence of continuously elevated turbidity
levels or heavily silted stream bottoms. Examples included the hickorynut
mussel, Obovaria olivaria, the black sandshell mussel, Ligumia recta, and
the gill-breathing snails Campeloma crassulum and Pleurocera acuta. These
species no longer occur anywhere in the basin, and some (e.g., O. olivaria)
were extirpated prior to 1900. By 1926, officials with the Kansas Fish and
Game Commission were publicly lamenting the destruction of "nearly all the
natural spawning beds for fish in Kansas streams [including the Kansas
River and its tributaries] due to cultivation and stream pollution."

Finally, I'm troubled by your characterization of certain individuals as
"misinformed extremists." Are you confident you understand the views held
by these individuals? Given your affiliation with an institution of higher
learning, one would have hoped for a more open-minded evaluation of the
opinions of others and a willingness to refrain from name calling.

Robert T. Angelo, Ph.D.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Division of Environment
Forbes Field, Building 283
Topeka, Kansas 66620
785-296-8027 (tel)
785-291-3266 (fax)
bangelo_at_kdhe.state.ks.us

----- Forwarded by Bob Angelo/Kdhe on 09/15/2000 05:33 PM -----

Steve
Haslouer To: Bob Angelo/Kdhe_at_Kdhe, Steve
Cringan/Kdhe_at_Kdhe
09/15/2000 cc:
11:20 AM Subject: Re: NANFA-- Give Me A Home Where The
Buffalo Roam

----- Forwarded by Steve Haslouer/Kdhe on 09/15/00 11:18 AM -----

mcclurg luke
e To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
<mcclurgl_at_was cc:
hburn.edu> Subject: Re: NANFA-- Give Me A Home Where The
Sent by: Buffalo Roam
owner-nanfa_at_a
quaria.net


09/15/00
11:17 AM
Please
respond to
nanfa


I don't disagree with you Steve. My point is that those days are
gone. What we need to do now is EDUCATE people as to how we can first
stop the downward slide and THEN begin to try to reverse some of the
damage. Getting people to understand that a river is not necessarily to
be judged by how "clear" or "muddy" it is would be a big start. You get
your drinking water from the Kaw like everyone else around here, and I'm
sure you know it's problems (probably a LOT better than I do). Do you
want to let people continue to misunderstand it's problems based on false
perceptions? I doubt you do. On the other hand...do you want
misinformed extremists who come in and tell us now that the EPA has
to regulate every single body of water in the state including a farmers
stock pond used for watering cattle to meet safe drinking standards for
that water? You and I both probably know that is not only a ludicrous,
but also unenforcable law and it's already caused a severe
anti-environmental backlash. And it's going to get even uglier, and a lot
of valuable dollars will be wasted before all the smoke clears. All
because some extremists had an "all or nothing- our way or the
highway" approach to the issue.

Luke

On Fri, 15 Sep 2000 SHasloue_at_kdhe.state.ks.us wrote:

>
> I've spent the last 25 years getting paid for working in streams and
rivers
> in Kansas, doing fish community sampling above and below point sources
and
> non-point sources.
>
> If I had my druthers, I'd just as soon go back to the days when roving
> herds of bison were "the" major impact on water quality. At least they
> "moved on" when they had overstayed their welcome!
>
>
>
>
>
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/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
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Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page,
http://www.nanfa.org

/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org