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WEST ERIE COUNTY, DWCO Randy Leighton, WCO Tolbert Tolbert Conditions: It's no secret that old man winter has settled in on the Erie area with night time temperatures in the teens and the days struggling to reach the freezing mark, not to mention we have had plenty of snow. Area tribs have significant ice cover with open areas left only in faster moving sections. Although some open water areas remain, they are seemingly on the way to full freeze. Those hearty anglers in relentless pursuit of soft water are best suit to mid day when the infrequent sunshine provides some burn off. The open water on the tribs is flowing well and is quite clear for the most part making light presentations a must. Light line fishing in the wintry ice and slush conditions can be a challenge for most and many anglers have hung up their poles in anticipation of the winter ice fishing season or a partial melting. Presque Isle Bay has begun to freeze over with a combination of thin ice and slush as of Tuesday afternoon. Area ice conditions are in no way safe yet, but temperatures over the next week look cold enough that ice over should continue. Lake Erie water temperatures as of this writing are 33 degrees off Toledo, 36 degrees off Cleveland and 38 degrees off Erie. Area tribs were mostly ice covered with some open water as of Tuesday afternoon. Meeting Reminder: The PA Steelhead Association will have its monthly meeting beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 14, 2005. Note the new location - meetings will be held at the American Legion Post 773 on 4109 West 12th Street, Erie, PA. 16505. The public is welcome. Regional Collaboration: Making the Great Lakes Greater The Great Lakes are a unique and extraordinary natural resource — a national treasure for both the United States and Canada. Together, the lakes make up one-fifth of the fresh water on the earth’s surface. They provide drinking water, food, recreation and transportation to more than 35 million Americans. But the Great Lakes have faced many serious environmental challenges. Since 1970, much has been done in attempts to restore and protect the lakes. EPA and nine other federal agencies administer some 140 programs that fund and implement environmental programs in the Great Lakes basin. Although there has been significant progress, the work of cleaning up the lakes and preventing further problems has not always been coordinated. That prompted President Bush, in May 2004, to create a cabinet-level interagency task force and to call for a “regional collaboration of national significance.” After extensive discussions, the federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, the Council of Great Lakes Governors, the Great Lakes Cities Initiative, Great Lakes tribes and the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force moved to convene a group now known as the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (GLRC). The Collaboration includes the EPA-led federal agency task force, the Great Lakes states, local communities, tribes, non-governmental organizations and other interests in the Great Lakes region. The Collaboration created a strategy which was release on December 12, 2005. Highlights of the GLRC Process About 400 regional leaders and stakeholders attended the Conveners Meeting. Commitment to the Collaboration is expressed in the Great Lakes Declaration while the Framework for the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration defines the process for developing a Great Lakes restoration and protection strategy. Collaboration partners rallied around a shared vision of a restored, sustainable Great Lakes ecosystem. This has generated optimism and a spirit of cooperation. While the Collaboration is a U.S. effort, its members will do everything possible to make sure the final plan synchronizes our efforts with those of our Canadian partners. Issue area strategy teams Aquatic invasive species Habitat conservation and species management Near-shore waters and coastal areas Areas of concern Non-point sources Toxic pollutants Sound information base and representative indicators Sustainability The teams were made up of subject-matter experts from many diverse backgrounds. There were more than 1,500 people from all levels of government, and nongovernmental organizations, working on the specific issues identified as crucial to the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. They were the working bodies responsible for drafting specific action items and recommendations to address the eight issues. Human health impacts and priorities Tribal interests and perspectives Research and monitoring Draft Report Issued Five public meetings were held during a 60 day comment period to gain even more input on the July draft report. The final strategy can be viewed at http://www.glrc.us/documents/GLRC_Strategy.pdf This is in a pdf format and takes a moment to download. It is worthwhile reading for those interested in the future of the Great Lakes eco system Getting Ready for Ice Season: The following list of ice fishing gear has been compiled over the past few years and each year we receive a few suggestion and additions that have made the list rather lengthy, but hey, can you every have too much "stuff"? Ice fishing can be as simple as a five gallon bucket, a rod and warm clothes to the latest in high tech fishing gear and living room comfortable huts. This list is by no means everything you need but instead an annual inventory to choose from to make your hard water fishing outing more productive and enjoyable. Local Weather: Wednesday Night Cloudy. A chance of snow in the evening...Then a chance of snow or freezing rain after midnight. Lows in the lower 20s. Brisk southeast winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent. Thursday Occasional freezing rain or snow. Highs in the lower 30s. Brisk southeast winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent. Thursday Night Occasional snow or freezing rain in the evening... Then snow showers likely after midnight. Lows in the mid 20s. South winds 15 to 25 mph...Becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation 80 percent. Friday...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Highs in the lower 30s. Friday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow showers. Lows in the lower 20s. Saturday Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow showers. Highs in the upper 20s. Saturday Night Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow showers. Lows in the lower 20s. Sunday Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow showers. Highs in the upper 20s. Sunday Night Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Lows in the mid 20s. Monday Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Highs in the lower 30s. Monday Night Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Lows in the lower 20s. Tuesday Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow showers. Highs in the upper 20s. Questions, suggestions, or comments can be email to DWCO Leighton at rglerie@msn.com or WCO Tolbert at wco14@msn.com
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