Lake Institute

Red River Valley Association Meeting Laura-Ashley Overdyke www.CaddoLakeInstitute.Org

No governmental authority over the lake The communities around the lake take a large role. CLI: How we  Partnerships, Liaison, Engage the Public protect  Define and work toward collective the goals Lake  Collect Science, Create Science, Share Science.  Fill the Gaps - Bring financial resources.  Monitor and tweak  Stay Engaged Results:

Stopping Proposed Little Cypress

Stopping Proposed Daingerfield Reach Project

Creating Wildlife Management Area

Obtaining International Ramsar Designation

Converting Army Base to Wildlife Refuge (and 3rd Party)

Protecting Flows to Caddo Lake

Protecting Water Quality in Caddo Lake

The Natural Flow Regime Daily Average Streamflow in at USGS Gage 07346000

60000

50000

40000

30000

Discharge (cfs) Discharge

20000

10000

0

8/1/1924 8/1/1927 8/1/1930 8/1/1933 8/1/1936 8/1/1939 8/1/1942 8/1/1945 8/1/1948 8/1/1951 8/1/1954 8/1/1957 8/1/1960 8/1/1963 8/1/1966 8/1/1969 8/1/1972 8/1/1975 8/1/1978 8/1/1981 8/1/1984 8/1/1987 8/1/1990 8/1/1993 8/1/1996 8/1/1999 8/1/2002 Environmental Flow Project

Started in 2004 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Nature Conservancy and others To bring scientist and stakeholders together to discuss what might be needed and possible to restore some of the historic functions of Big Cypress (and protect those functions for other rivers in the watershed.) Major Participating Organizations (Over 100 participating organizations since 2004)

Federal Agencies Universities U.S. Army Corps of Engineers East Baptist University U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service LSU Shreveport USGS Texas Water Center Stephen F. Austin University TX A&M University USGS Nat. Resource Center Lafayette, LA Other Organizations American Electric Power State Agencies Ducks Unlimited LA Dept.. of Environmental Quality TX Greater Caddo Lake Association LA Dept.. of Wildlife & Fisheries Nature Conservancy TX Comm. on Environmental Quality Red River Valley Association TX Parks & Wildlife Dept.. TXU/Luminant Time Table for Major Activities

2004: Orientation Meeting (~60 scientists and stakeholders). 2005: Texas A&M Report - Summarizing the past research. 2005: First Project Workshop (~90 scientists and stakeholders). 2005 Began new research & field work to filling data gaps. 2006: Science Planning Meetings - to guide research. 2006: Second Project Workshop (~80 scientists and stakeholders). 2007: Science Planning Meetings – to guide research. 2008: Third Project Workshop (~ 75 scientist and stakeholders). 2009-11: Science Planning Meetings - to guide research. 2011: Fourth Project Workshop – (~ 75 scientist and stakeholders 2012-15: Science Planning Meetings –to guide research. 2014-16: Experimental reintroduction of paddlefish with transmitters 2016: Fifth Project Workshop December.

Black Cypress – SH49 Black Cypress – SH49 January 18, 2007 October 29, 2007 4,830 cfs 0 cfs

Mean flow – 578 cfs; Median flow – 239 cfs Minimum flow – 0 cfs Maximum flow – 4,830 cfs Current Status  Reach Consensus Recommendations: Reached in December 2011 Flows Workshop.

 Corps, TNC and CLI in agreement, 2016

 Change in LOP Operating Plan: Five year experiment set up in 2011. Permanent change 2018?

 State Recognition of Flow Regimes: Included in the Texas State Water Plan.

 Adaptive Management: Ongoing Summary

• 14 years of work for an on going experiment, • $5,000,000 in research, experiments, and the process, • 100 organizations, 200 participants working and learning together • Corps of Engineers fully cooperating • Potentially avoiding future fights over endangered species. American Paddlefish

 Older than dinosaurs  Grows to 7 feet long  Weighs up to 200 pounds  Lives for 30 years  Filter feeder eating plankton  Shark-like skin  Skeleton of cartilage  Spawns on gravel bars

www.caddolakedata.us Water Quality Impairments

1. Mercury in fish tissue 2. Dissolved oxygen 3. Nutrients 4. pH 5. Bacteria www.CaddoLakeInstitute.Org www.CaddoLakeData.Us [email protected] Caddo Lake

State listed as threatened in texas, not in – up to 150/200 lbs, fish w/ epiglottis