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2023 Annual Business Meeting
November 3, 2023 @ 8:00 am - November 5, 2023 @ 5:00 pm CDT
The Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership (RFHP) held its 13th Annual Meeting in Morristown, Tennessee. Thanks to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for hosting!
The complete briefing book, business meeting minutes, and meeting photos and videos are available if you are logged in and have access to that membership level.
November 4
November 5
Upgrading Existing KDWP Habitat Barges With Hydraulic Dump Decks
Abstract: The ageing of Kansas impoundments and resulting habitat deterioration necessitates habitat improvement projects to maintain quality fishing opportunities. Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks (KDWP) fisheries biologists often partner with other agency divisions, sportsman groups, and volunteer groups to complete projects. These partnerships have provided access to heavy equipment that is not currently included in the KDWP Fisheries Division’s inventory. Skid steer loaders with tree saws and grapple buckets greatly increased output of habitat projects involving placement of tree and brush piles. The increased efficiency in tree cutting and loading of habitat barges quicky exposed the next bottleneck. Heavy equipment allowed larger trees to be utilized for habitat, but these larger structures were difficult to safely deploy from the barges. Commercially produced dump barges were explored and skyrocketing boat prices prevented timely acquisition of new equipment. Upgrading of existing habitat barges with hydraulic dump decks was the best option to meet the goals of increased safety, increased capacity, and increased efficiency of habitat structure deployment while operating within current budget allowances. Two KDWP barges have been upgraded in SE Kansas with slightly different designs.
Download the complete agenda here: Meeting-Agenda_2023
Schedule at a Glance
- Thursday – November 2, 2023
- arrive at hotel
- limited transportation arrangements can be made via TWRA personnel – car pooling from airport
- dinner on your own
- Friday – November 3, 2023
- workshop – TVA
- lunch (provided by RFHP)
- field trip and/or habitat build
- dinner on your own
- Saturday – November 4, 2023
- business meeting AM
- lunch (provided by RFHP)
- technical sessions PM
- banquet
- Sunday – November 5, 2023
- technical sessions AM
- noon – adjourn – lunch on your own
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will be hosting a workshop consisting of their experts in the fields of:
- River and reservoir operations – operation of dams and water with multiple stakeholders interests in mind.
- 26 a permitting – requirements and how to of applying for permits, allowing fish habitat to be placed in aquatic environments.
- Shoreline stabilization – methods and techniques for shoreline stabilization across different types of waterbodies.
- Aquatic plants – identification, treatment, and solutions for dealing with common non-native, native, and invasive aquatic plants.
Each presenter will be giving information pertaining to their areas of expertise with time for questions and discussion.
A networking event will occur Friday, November 3 after the workshop. Please indicate your interest during your registration, and we will accommodate as many as possible.
Please ensure you have your fishing license for Tennessee. TWRA offers a 3-day license (as well as others) which can include trout if desired. Purchase your license here: https://gooutdoorstennessee.com/ViewPackage.aspx?pid=17&lrtid=2&annual=0