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Published: 09 September 2013

By LOUIE STOUT

Kiss it goodbye.

The Michigan DNR has thrown in the towel on its attempt to purchase the former Dock Property between Eagle Lake and the Juno Chain and create a facility for public use.

“Without support from Ontwa Township, the Department of Natural Resources has decided not to move forward with the acquisition of the Dock parcel on Eagle Lake,” said DNR official Paul Yauk, who has spearheaded the acquisition and development since early spring.

And who can blame the agency? The well-organized lake associations on both bodies of water have fought the DNR vehemently. The DNR said from beginning that it wanted community and local governmental support before it wrote the $600,000 check to 1st Source Bank, who owns the foreclosed property.

It didn’t get that support.

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Published: 06 August 2013

By Louie Stout

St. Joseph River bass to be studied, tagged.A major study of St. Joseph River bass kicks off this week and the Indiana DNR needs your help.

Biologists will be sampling bass from Bristol, Ind. to the Michigan state line and some 150 will be tagged with small metal clips to their jaws.

Anglers who catch those tagged bass can earn Bass Pro Shops gift cards valued from $5 to $25. The gift cards were purchased from contributions made by several fishing and conservation clubs. Locally, the St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers were a contributor.

The study is part of a state-wide assessment of river bass populations in which the DNR will tag 500 fish on the West Fork White River (Madison, Hamilton and Marion counties), Eel River (Wabash, Miami and Cass counties), and St. Joseph River (St. Joseph and Elkhart counties) throughout this summer and fall.

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