Recent News
For Immediate Release
Lake County Farm Bureau Awards Nutrient Stewardship Grant to Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes for Biochar Program to Reduce Phosphorus in the Lakes
Group to Host Field Day on July 19 for Area Farmers to Learn More About the Project
ANTIOCH, ILLINOIS (March 31, 2022) – The Lake County Farm Bureau has awarded Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes, a 501(c)(3) non-profit group focused on improving the water quality in two of Illinois’ northernmost lakes, a $11,000 grant under the Illinois Farm Bureau Nutrient Stewardship Grant Program. This grant will fund a biochar project to reduce phosphorus in the lakes.
“The Lake County Farm Bureau is proud to partner with Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes on this exciting project,” says Gregory Koeppen Lake County Farm Bureau Executive Director. “Farmers are the original stewards of the land, and we are committed to helping keep our waterways and lakes in Lake County healthy and thriving.”
Biochar is a highly adsorbent, specially produced charcoal created by heating wood or other plant material (biomass) with little to no oxygen. It is a key component in a carbon-negative strategy to resolve several critical current ecological challenges.
Biochar is loaded in porous bags and placed in a nutrient polluted lake, natural currents will flow the water through the bag and biochar. Solids are physically filtered due to the jagged exterior of biochar. The physical removal of algae blooms (turbidity) and clay (solids) by biochar is very effective. Once toxic substances are attracted and bonded to the biochar walls, they are encapsulated and will not leave on their own. Thus, biochar attracts and traps suspended solids in the water column. Those pollutants are removed with the biochar at the end of its useful life.
Through this grant, Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes will introduce biochar in 70 acres of the lakes, focusing on key inlets, tributaries and storm drains that carry phosphorus and other nutrients into the lakes from farmlands and surrounding communities. The organization will also engage stakeholders across both lakes to install biochar on their waterfronts (private docks) enabling the biochar to filter water around the perimeters of both lakes.
“We are squarely focused on improving the water quality in Lake Catherine and Channel Lake, and we are incredibly thankful to partner with the Lake County Farm Bureau,” said Amy Littleton, president of Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes. “This biochar program will help us to take pollutants out of the lakes and reduce harmful algae blooms.”
In partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes has monitored water quality in both lakes on a monthly basis for multiple seasons. The group will continue to monitor the water quality in both lakes, measuring and reporting on phosphorus reduction, and will report on trends in clarity, dissolved oxygen (DO) and total suspended solids (TSS).
On July 19, 2022, the Lake County Farm Bureau in partnership with Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes will host a “Field Day” event along the shores of Lake Catherine in Antioch, Illinois. The goals of this event are to educate area farmers about the biochar project and to make connections among this important group. More details about this event will be made available in the coming months.
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About The Illinois Farm Bureau
The Illinois Farm Bureau is a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers. Founded in 1916, IFB is a non-profit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. IFB has a total membership of more than 372,326 and a voting membership of 77,462. IFB represents three out of four Illinois farmers.
About Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes
Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes’ mission is to maintain the sanctity of Lake Catherine and Channel Lakes, to continuously improve and maintain the lakes’ ecosystem, and to establish and implement value-enriched programs to enhance the overall quality of lake life.
Our goal is to return Lake Catherine and Channel Lake to pristine condition by eradicating invasive plant species, reducing pollution and increasing awareness about how to care for the lakes. We are doing this through the implementation of a detailed Lake Management Plan.
For more information, visit us at https://catherineandchannellakes.org/.
Media Contacts:
Amy Littleton, 773.569.0469, amylitt@msn.com
DeAnne Bloomberg, 309.557.3162, dbloomberg@ilfb.org
For Immediate Release
Welcome New Board Members
February, 3, 2021
They say, “You get what you work for, not what you wish for”. We are working for better water quality in Lake Catherine and Channel Lake. We want clean, crystal clear water full of native plants and abundant in fish. But we aren’t wishing for it, we are working for it.
Introducing two new Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes board members who were elected in January to join the team working hard for the lakes.
David Perkins
While David grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, he is originally from rural western Pennsylvania and has always loved outdoor activities. What better life than lake life? Five years ago, David’s family found a house on Channel Lake, which has now become his permanent home. David was lucky enough to have neighbors he knew through his job who are local to Antioch and have helped his family settle in and become a part of the community. David learned of Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes and wanted to get actively involved to help improve lake conditions for his family and for future generations. He is also looking forward to getting to know more of his neighbors through the effort.
Scott Brinker
Scott lives on Channel Lake with his wife and four kids ages 3 to 11. Scott has lived in Lake County since 1999 and on Channel Lake since 2018. He has been an avid fisherman and outdoorsman all his life, and has been fishing the Chain since he was a young boy. Scott also enjoys swimming, boating, golfing, hiking and spending time his family. He is always working on projects around the house, and is currently building an office in his attic. Scott hopes to focus on improving the natural environment in both lakes so that our fish populations can flourish.
Other continuing board members include John Vrchota, Bob Mazzeffi and Amy Littleton.
Welcome to David and Scott! With your hard work, and a lot of support from our friends and neighbors, we will turn our wishes for pristine lakes into reality.
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FRIENDS OF CATHERINE AND CHANNEL LAKES SECURES APPROVAL TO IMPLEMENT HARVESTING PROGRAM
Permit allows for invasive plant species to be removed from the lakes in the spring and summer,
thus reducing internal phosphorus loading from decaying plants
ANTIOCH, ILLINOIS (April 27, 2020) – Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes, a 501(c)(3) non-profit group focused on improving the water quality in two of Illinois’ northernmost lakes, today announced that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has approved the group’s request to implement a mechanical harvesting program in 2020 to help manage and control Eurasian Water Milfoil and Coontail, two invasive plant populations currently found in the lakes.
This permit allows Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes to hire and manage a mechanical harvesting contractor to harvest up to 70 acres of the lakes once in the spring and once in the summer from 3-12 feet depths of water. The permit requires that the organization prioritize the densest growth areas first.
Among other things, the permit requires that Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes:
- Measure and report to the IDNR on all harvesting activities on an ongoing basis
- Educate constituents around the lakes about caring for the lakes
- Measure fish populations on a biennial basis
- Enhance native aquatic vegetation in certain areas
“The primary goal of Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes is to return these two beautiful lakes to pristine conditions. One way we can do this is by reducing the invasive plant species in the lakes,” said Amy Littleton, president of Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes. “We are grateful for the IDNR’s support in this effort, and we look forward to creating a sustainable program that improves the overall quality of lake life for residents and visitors as well as aquatic flora and fauna.”
Specifically, the permit states:
The stated and apparent purpose of this proposed action is to manage EWM and Coontail populations in Lake Catherine and Channel Lake by mechanically harvesting the species and disposing of materials to reduce nutrient inputs into the lakes in Antioch Township, Lake County. Annual observations determining the densest growths of the non-native invasive EWM and the aggressive Coontail will be documented on a map and used to prioritize harvest areas. Harvesting shall be performed mechanically by a qualified, licensed contractor or by FCCL [Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes] if at some time during this agreement FCCL has the requisite license(s), equipment, and liability insurance. Harvesting shall occur in spring and summer seasons based on the peak growth of EWM and Coontail to achieve maximum effectiveness in reducing the densest cover during lake usage season. The harvester will be launched in and out of the lake at any number of boat launches located nearest the targeted harvesting areas. The machine will be removed and stored out of the water between workdays or securely moored in a commercial boat slip at one of the marinas on Lake Catherine or Channel Lake. Harvested materials will be sufficiently dewatered and hauled offsite by trucks to be disposed of in upland farm fields with owner permission; disposed of at an appropriate composting, waste disposal, or landfill facility; or may be sold for use as a natural fertilizer and a means to fund the proposed aquatic vegetation management practices. The weights of harvested materials and the areas covered by the harvester shall be recorded in a database to ensure no more than 70 acres in the spring season and 70 acres in the summer season shall be harvested in any given year. FCCL will work with the Department’s Fisheries Biologist and local lake residents to prevent aquatic herbicides or other chemicals from being applied to areas scheduled for harvesting. No herbicide application will occur from May 1 through July 31 of each year to maintain vegetation for fish spawning and refugia. Proposed aquatic vegetation removal activities may result in the crushing of mature, juvenile, fry, and/or eggs of; and/or noise and vibration disturbance to the Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Starhead Topminnow.
Total estimated area of invasive aquatic vegetation growth and potential impact due to mechanical harvesting within species habitat is 200 acres, aquatic vegetation removal shall not exceed 70 acres in the spring season and 70 acres in the summer season, annually. The Department concurs that the take of Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Starhead Topminnow that could result from the proposed project is not the purpose of FCCL’s activities but is incidental to the carrying out of an otherwise lawful activity.
More information about the harvesting program can be found on the Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes website, https://catherineandchannellakes.org/. The Department of Natural Resources Incidental Take Authorizations can be found here: https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/conservation/NaturalHeritage/Pages/Incidental-Take-Authorizations.aspx (#199).
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About Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes
Friends of Catherine and Channel Lakes’ mission is to maintain the sanctity of Lake Catherine and Channel Lakes, to continuously improve and maintain the lakes’ ecosystem, and to establish and implement value-enriched programs to enhance the overall quality of lake life.
Our goal is to return Lake Catherine and Channel Lake to pristine condition by eradicating invasive plant species, reducing pollution and increasing awareness about how to care for the lakes. We are doing this through the implementation of a detailed Lake Management Plan.
Media Contact:
Amy Littleton, amylitt@msn.com, 773.569.0469