lake news

Lake Murray is sometimes referred to as the "Crown Jewel of the Midlands". But wildlife officials believe that this national treasure could turn in to an "urban pond" if more attention is not given to protecting the lake's natural shoreline. Natural shorelines provide scenic beauty, public recreational opportunities, ensures an abundance of fish and wildlife, protects water quality, and is why people come from miles around "to get away from it all." But more and more project lands are being taken over by development interest, and wildlife officials believe we are approaching a "do or die" situation.

Ron Ahle , an Environmental Project Coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources believes that in spite of all the development pressures, the lake is worth fighting for. Ahle serves as DNR's point man for Lake Murray environmental issues. The agency has a statutory responsibility to protect the natural resources on this public waterway. Wildlife officials are fighting to save some of the last large contiguous tracts in the heavily developed lower and mid-lake. These tracts are fringelands that according to Federal regulations, should not be sold unless it is determined that they are not needed for the project. Development could reach over 95% between the dam and the 391 bridges if the current plan is not re-balanced. Most of the 8400 acres of land set aside for forest and game management are swamplands that lie in the upper tributaries.

Ahle is an aquatic biologist with an undergraduate degree in geology and forestry and a master's degree is aquatic biology from Stephen F Austin State University. He did his master thesis in stream ecology with a special interest in fish communities. He has made a career in resource management previously working for the U.S. Forestry Service, Texas Water Commission, and East Texas Environmental Services. Aside from his work, he enjoys fishing, hiking, fossil and mineral collecting, is an accomplished photographer and enjoys travel. He recently vacationed at Glacier National Park.

At SC DNR, Ahle reviews and provides comments on a number of state and federal permits including wetlands permits, state navigable waters permits, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission(FERC) relicencing, and mining permits. He has been instrumental in the development of various resource documents, including the U.S. Army Corps mitigation SOP and mitigation bank guidance. He is currently conducting stream surveys in the Piedmont eco-region in an effort to develop an Index of Biotic Integrity based on fish community data.

He is also working on the Lake Murray Land Use and Shoreline Management Plan and was instrumental in getting new federal requirements that better protect the lake's resources. These new requirements include stricter buffer zones, public access to buffers, a management plan for environmentally sensitive areas(ESA) (which prohibits docks), lake-wide identification, mapping and protection of ESA's, and vegetative buffers around perennial streams. Alhe also pushed for re-balancing the project's land use plan to protect important wildlife areas. The FERC is requiring re-balancing of land use classifications in the upcoming re-licensing.

Lake Murray stakeholders recently met with Mr. Ahle to review the shoreline plan and discuss re-licensing. The group thanked Ahle for his contribution to the lake community. Michael Mayfield, environmental coordinator for Lake Watch, noted that Ahle is a ?seasoned veteran who has been in the trenches, and his experience will be vital in developing a better land use plan during the re-licensing process. Further support came from Angela Viney, Executive Director of the S.C. Wildlife Federation said " We are particularly grateful for Mr. Ahle's selfless commitment to protecting wildlife habitat by pushing through new federal requirements to identify, map, and protect the environmentally sensitive areas from development"

Ahle says he enjoys working with SCE&G's professional staff even though they are frequently at odds on issues. He says he understands that the Company, as a business, must look at things in a different light.

Managing the state's natural resources is a big job, and recent budget cuts haven't made it any easier. Wildlife officials could abandon Lake Murray and work on other projects that aren't so controversial. But officials like Ahle believe that the lake is still worth fighting for and as long there's public support, there is hope that Lake Murray will continue to be the "Crown Jewel of the Midlands".

Let SC DNR know you support them. Email John Frampton, Director at framptonj@dnr.sc,gov