All citizens can help by practicing land use which minimizes erosion and soil or chemical runoff. Lake shore owners can also play a big role in maintaining good fisheries habitat. To find out what you can do, contact the Ortonville office to obtain a free brochure with tips for helping fish and wildlife on your lakeshore property. A few lakes in the Ortonville Area have good fish habitat, but are susceptible to winterkill. Winterkill is a condition where oxygen becomes depleted in a lake due to a combination of factors.
Shallow lakes tend to winterkill more frequently than deeper ones.
In some cases, installation of lake aeration systems can prevent winterkill. Several local sportsmen s groups operate aeration systems in Artichoke Lake, East Toqua Lake, Long Tom Lake, and Hendricks Lake to help prevent winterkill and maintain good fish habitat. Area Habitat Projects Area staff spend several weeks in the spring and fall working on an experimental method of lake shoreline stabilization called willow staking. The willow stakes are jetted into the sediment along the shoreline, and once established help to buffer eroding areas from further wave action. This eventually allows stabilization of the bank.