After listening to the latest Lakes Department intern, Sim Barrow, describe his work for the POA, members of the Fly Tyers seemed to feel they had gotten their money's worth. The Fly Tyers is a club that not only volunteers their time around Bella Vista lakes, they also donate funds for specific projects.
For the last three years, funding an intern for Fisheries Manager Darrel Bowman has been a Fly Tyers project.
Since he started in 2007, Bowman has been managing the lakes and the fisheries on a scientific basis, he explained. He was hired when the POA board realized the need for a science professional in house. Before 2007, the POA would occasionally go to the state Department of Game and Fish with questions about the lakes. Now, he can usually answer those questions.
But the scientific method means collecting and analyzing lots of data. With seven lakes to manage and a very small staff, Bowman was falling behind. So the Fly Tyers stepped in to pay for about three months of an intern's wage. Bowman found another three month's worth of salary in his budget, so for the last three years, interns have actually worked part time for about six months, he explained.
Barrow described several ways he helped collect the data, including an unsuccessful attempt to count Black Crappie by gill netting and a more successful electrofishing expedition. Barrow also helped collect and then process water samples for water quality studies and he helped chose the locations for new fish habitat.
Fish habitat is an ongoing project. Because the bottom of the man-made lakes tend to be smooth and empty, the Fly Tyers help gather and sink objects in the lakes that become habitat for the fish. Barrow said he used maps that showed the underwater topography to find the best locations for habitat.
But while Barrow described his outdoors work as "super fun," he believes he made his biggest contribution inside helping with data processing. With his help, the department caught up on two years worth of data that was waiting to be entered.
Barrow will continue working with the data on a part-time basis, Bowman said.
So far the data isn't accessible to the public, Bowman said.
"What we've been trying to do is get to where we've got some sort of an annual summary of what we've learned about any given lake. We want it to be web-based," he explained. But even with the extra help from interns, putting all the data into a readable format on the web page is a big job. So far, he hasn't been able to complete it.
Barrow told the Fly Tyers he has a master's degree in entomology.
"I've always loved insects," he said. His master's thesis was about controlling fire ants with a natural enemy, tiny phorid flies.
But now with experience in fisheries management, Barrow believes he has become that much more employable.
Meanwhile, Bowman is waiting to hear if the Fly Tyers will help him pay an intern next summer. He's looking for an upperclassman or recent graduate with an interest in environmental science.
"I try to have the position filled in the busy season," he said which typically starts in April, "Although really I'm busy year round."
He wanted to thank the Fly Tyers on behalf the entire POA.
"The Fly Tyers are the best group going," Bowman said. "They are volunteerism at it's finest."
General News on 02/25/2015