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The objective of this project is to establish native aquatic vegetation along three miles of shoreline at Banner Creek Reservoir using a greenhouse structure to produce two production cycles of propagated plants each year from 2024 through 2026.
This project is not realistic without the support and effort of volunteers during many parts of the project thus a secondary objective is to work cooperatively with local fishing clubs, high schools, boy scouts, businesses and non-governmental organizations to collect parent plant material, propagate, rear, and transplant native aquatic vegetation.

• Excessive nutrients
• Algae blooms
• Limited littoral structure

• Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Smallmouth Bass, Redear Sunfish, Walleye, Sauger, White Crappie, Black Crappie, and Channel Catfish

This project involves construction of a greenhouse structure for the purpose of double cropping propagated native aquatic vegetation for transplantation in Banner Creek Reservoir.
Native aquatic vegetation provides numerous benefits for impoundments, fish, wildlife, and the recreationalists that enjoy it all. These benefits also counteract many of the reservoir impairments identified by the 2013 Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership’s nationwide assessment. Native aquatic plants uptake nutrients, limiting those available to unsightly, difficult to fish, and potentially hazardous algal blooms (both filamentous green-algae and blue-green cyanobacteria). Aquatic vegetation limits the impacts of wind and waves on shoreline and shallow lake area erosion. James and Barko (1994) found that the amount of wind required to resuspend sediments was 3-6 miles per higher in vegetated impoundments compared to non-vegetated impoundments. That difference resulted in non-vegetated impoundments having sediment resuspended, thus increasing turbidity, 25% more often than when vegetated. While solidifying the shallow sediments, aquatic vegetation also provides littoral structure for fish species such as Largemouth Bass and Bluegill. This littoral structure provides refuge for young fish, a source of food for grazing zooplankton and aquatic insects which, in turn, are prey items for littoral fish species. Additionally, aquatic vegetation can provide food and nesting structure for aquatic reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and waterfowl.
Currently, Banner Creek Reservoir’s nearly eight miles of shoreline are mostly devoid of aquatic vegetation with the exception of sparse pockets of water willow and patches of American lotus in in the shallow areas of western third of the reservoir. As such, much of the lake’s shorelines are left exposed to erosion caused by wind and waves. The absence of aquatic vegetation may also be a reason for lower-than-desired population metrics for Largemouth Bass.
Catch rates of nearly all Largemouth Bass length categories sampled at Banner Creek Reservoir (with limited aquatic vegetation) are consistently lower than those observed at Pony Creek Lake (Sabetha, Kansas) which has abundant aquatic vegetation.
The establishment of aquatic vegetation at Banner Creek Reservoir would likely improve the impoundment and fishery by securing shorelines and shallow areas, limiting nutrient availability to harmful algal blooms, and providing refuge and foraging grounds for popular sport fish species. This project aims to establish aquatic plants by transplanting plants that have been propagated from materials from other nearby impoundments and reared in a greenhouse structure that will allow for plant propagation to occur at an earlier date resulting in an earlier transplant date and a longer period to become established before winter dormancy. An earlier propagation and transplant date also allows for the greenhouse to be used to produce a second crop of aquatic vegetation, doubling the number of plants that would be transplanted in the reservoir allowing for more of the reservoir to be colonized in a shorter time frame. The greenhouse will be constructed at Perry State Park (Ozawkie, Kansas), the closest office of a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Fisheries Biologist to Banner Creek Reservoir. This location will also allow for the greenhouse to produce plants for other impoundments throughout Northeast Kansas using KDWP funds at the conclusion of the original grant project.

Plants will be propagated, reared, and transplanted following information provided by the US Army Corps of Engineeers' Propagation and Establishment of Native Aquatic Plants for Vegetative Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems (Dick et al. 2013).
Aquatic plant stems, roots, rhizomes, or tubers will be collected from local, established populations and propagated in the controlled setting of a greenhouse. A list of possible native aquatic plants is available and can be sent upon request. Within the greenhouse there will be seven tanks of differing depths to accommodate a variety of plant species. Two 4’x8’x8” trays will be set up for rearing emergent aquatic plants, and three 3’x8’x2’ tanks and two 3’x18’x3’ raceways will hold submerged and floating leaf aquatic plants. Altogether, this combination can produce up to 1484 total plants each production cycle or nearly 3000 plants per year.
Plants will be transplanted into Banner Creek Reservoir during June and August of each year through the duration of the project. Plants will be planted in shallow (<3’) areas of the impoundment. Due to the quantity of plants produced and attempts to keep budget manageable, not all will be transplanted into herbivore exclosures however, it is assumed that the number of plants transplanted will be more than will be preyed upon. If survivability of plants is drastically different between exclosures and those planted outside, additional exclosures will be constructed for the remaining plantings. Exclosures will be constructed from PVC vinyl coated welded wire fencing and set in tandems of two 10’x10’ squares and one 6’ diameter circle. Total area of exclosure tandems is 231.7 ft2. The project budget includes funds to purchase materials to construct ten exclosure tandems. All remaining plants will be planted in 5’x100’ swaths at suitable depths. These plantings would begin in 2024 and continue through 2025 and 2026. Due to a delayed start in 2024, only one cycle of plants will be produced resulting in 960 ft of shoreline and 5,817 ft2 of lake bottom vegetated. In both 2025 and 2026, those numbers will be 2,400 ft of shoreline or 12,000 ft2 of lake bottom vegetated. At the conclusion of the project (September 2026) we will have planted aquatic plants along 5,760 ft of shorelines and covered 29,817 ft2 of lake bottom. Vegetation establishment projects in other states have observed vegetation spread anywhere from 2x-750x of the initial planted area after about five years. It is hoped to observe a threefold expansion of vegetation at Banner Creek in a similar timeframe. This would equate to 89,451 ft2 of vegetated area or 17,280 ft of shoreline with submerged or emergent plant presence equaling over a third of the impoundment’s shoreline vegetated.
Goals and intended outcomes of this project are to produce 2,484 aquatic plants and 2,260 ft of vegetated shoreline each year resulting in 6,780 feet of shoreline vegetated by the end of the project. While at the mercy of nature, we are hoping to observe a threefold expansion of aquatic vegetation after a period of five years which would equate to half of Banner Creek Reservoir’s shoreline. Any benefits or population increases would likely occur over a longer period.
Monitoring of these goals will begin in 2023 with a thorough assessment of aquatic vegetation in the impoundment by conducting a visual inspection of the water surface, shoreline, and observable lake bottom while operating a boat along the shoreline of the impoundment. If water clarity limits observation of the lake bottom, a two-sided rake will be dragged along the bottom from the shoreline ten yards toward the center of the impoundment every 300’ along the shoreline. When vegetation is observed, location will be recorded along with species composition and current area. This will form a basis for evaluating spread of future plantings while also providing a chance to scout for areas that can be used for transplant establishment.
While transplanting aquatic plants each year, GPS coordinates of the transplant areas will be taken to record the initial planted area. Species planted in each area will also be recorded. In September of each year, each site will be revisited, and snorkel surveys will be conducted to assess species survival and determine the edges of aquatic vegetation which will again be marked with GPS coordinates and later uploaded into QGIS to evaluate growth or shrinkage of established plant colonies. Any species that have poor survivability will not be produced or planted in subsequent transplants. This monitoring will continue until 2031 (five years after last planting) to quantify spread of plant colonies.
Fish communities have been monitored annually using statewide or nationwide standard methods since at least 2010. These methods will continue to be used to evaluate if fish populations exhibit any differences with the establishment of aquatic vegetation.

Goals and intended outcomes of this project are to produce 2,484 aquatic plants and 2,260 ft of vegetated shoreline each year resulting in 6,780 feet of shoreline vegetated by the end of the project. While at the mercy of nature, we are hoping to observe a threefold expansion of aquatic vegetation after a period of five years which would equate to half of Banner Creek Reservoir’s shoreline. Any benefits or population increases would likely occur over a longer period.
Monitoring of these goals will begin in 2023 with a thorough assessment of aquatic vegetation in the impoundment by conducting a visual inspection of the water surface, shoreline, and observable lake bottom while operating a boat along the shoreline of the impoundment. If water clarity limits observation of the lake bottom, a two-sided rake will be dragged along the bottom from the shoreline ten yards toward the center of the impoundment every 300’ along the shoreline. When vegetation is observed, location will be recorded along with species composition and current area. This will form a basis for evaluating spread of future plantings while also providing a chance to scout for areas that can be used for transplant establishment.
While transplanting aquatic plants each year, GPS coordinates of the transplant areas will be taken to record the initial planted area. Species planted in each area will also be recorded. In September of each year, each site will be revisited, and snorkel surveys will be conducted to assess species survival and determine the edges of aquatic vegetation which will again be marked with GPS coordinates and later uploaded into QGIS to evaluate growth or shrinkage of established plant colonies. Any species that have poor survivability will not be produced or planted in subsequent transplants. This monitoring will continue until 2031 (five years after last planting) to quantify spread of plant colonies.
Fish communities have been monitored annually using statewide or nationwide standard methods since at least 2010. These methods will continue to be used to evaluate if fish populations exhibit any differences with the establishment of aquatic vegetation.

In preparation of this grant proposal, numerous outdoor clubs, angler groups, and student organizations were contacted to solicit support. Those that replied were enthusiastic about the opportunity to help and were eager to volunteer. This project offers numerous opportunities for public involvement in the project:
• Construction of greenhouse (Spring 2024)
o Dirtwork/preparation of the site
o Trenching water line from main to site
o Trenching of electrical line to building site
o Pouring of concrete pad
o Erection of greenhouse
o Installation of electrical service
• Identification and collection of source plants (2023 and beyond)
o Identify sources of parent plant materials
o Aide in field collection of parent plant material
• Propagation (2024 and beyond)
o Mixing and preparation of soil mixture
o Planting of parent cuttings, rooted plants, rhizomes, or tubers in prepared nursery pots
• Preparation (2024)
o Cutting welded wire fencing and rebar to construct exclosures
o Transportation of exclosure materials to impoundment
o Construction of plant enclosures at transplant sites
• Transplantation (2024 and beyond)
o Loading of transplants on trailers for transport
o Assistance with transporting plants to impoundment
o Planting of transplants

Those areas for public involvement will not only make the project possible but also instill a sense of ownership in each of the participants. However, there are more users of Banner Creek Reservoir than we have volunteer opportunities for so education and outreach activities will also be conducted. These will include submitting articles to the local newspaper, interviews on local radio, speaking with high school classes at the three nearby schools, and speaking at meetings of local organizations and clubs. In all these outreach venues much of the same information that has been provided in this proposal will be included but weighing more heavily on the roles and benefits of native aquatic vegetation in an impoundment. Additionally, photographs of aquatic plant species will be collected and a digital guide to aquatic plant management in Kansas will be developed and published on the agency’s website (www.ksoutdoors.com). Once established, educational signage will be developed and posted in an area where an established plant colony can be seen from the shore.
This project will also provide the opportunity to refine plant propagation, rearing, and transplant techniques specific to Kansas. Using the knowledge gained from these refinements, presentations and informational material could be made for KDWP staff and partner agencies such as USDA NRCS, Kansas State University Extension, and Ducks Unlimited as well as local high schools wishing to utilize school greenhouses for similar projects. Along those lines, this project offers research opportunities to evaluate survival of different plant species when transplanted, survival between those planted within and outside of exclosures, benefits to fish populations, and improvements in water quality. These findings could then be included in programs and materials and presented at regional and national conferences and published in scientific literature.

• This project will be capable of producing 1484 native aquatic plants each production cycle or nearly 3000 plants per year. These plants would begin being transplanted in 2024 and continue through 2025 and 2026. Due to a delayed start in 2024, only one cycle of plants will be produced resulting in 960 ft of shoreline and 5,817 ft2 of lake bottom vegetated. In both 2025 and 2026, those numbers will be 2,400 ft of shoreline or 12,000 ft2 of lake bottom vegetated. At the conclusion of the project (September 2026) we will have planted aquatic plants along 5,760 ft of shorelines and covered 29,817 ft2 of lake bottom. Vegetation establishment projects in other states have observed vegetation spread anywhere from 2x-750x of the initial planted area after about five years. It is hoped to observe a threefold expansion of vegetation at Banner Creek in a similar timeframe. This would equate to 89,451 ft2 of vegetated area or 17,280 ft of shoreline with submerged or emergent plant presence equaling over a third of the impoundment’s shoreline vegetated.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will be the project leader. The greenhouse will be constructed at the office location of a KDWP biologist who will oversee the propagation, rearing, and transplanting of plants as well as the solicitation and supervising of volunteers during those efforts.
There are management reports that note the decline or consistently low Largemouth Bass populations but none specifically state that conditions would improve with establishment of native aquatic vegetation.

• Friends-of-Reservoirs-Application.pdf
• Kansas-Aquatic-Plant-Greenhouse-Support-Letters.pdf

While preparing this grant application, we solicited numerous groups for their support of this proposal. Those that we heard from were overwhelmingly supportive however most simply mentioned, noted, or inferred that they would be willing to help by donating either labor, materials, or equipment without offering any specific quantities that we could list in a budget table as partners. Those that provided letters of support, or expressed a willingness to help include Banner Creek Reservoir, Great Blue Heron, Inc., Kansas Bass Nation, Ned and Pat Kehde, Jim Farrow, Holton High School and FFA, Paul Finn, Kansas Native Plant Society, the Kansas Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and one angler who did not provide their name in email but instead simply asked "where do I send money to?"
The budget is broken down into supplies, equipment, and construction materials. The supplies make up $4,000 of the project total and includes pots and trays for rearing the plants, shade cloth to control temperature of the greenhouse during summer months, and materials to construct herbivore exclosures. The equipment items ($60,000 total) include the greenhouse itself ($35,000), tanks ($20,000), pumps, filters, and plumbing necessary to hold aquatic plants. The construction materials include any costs associated with concrete, plumbing and electrical contract work during the initial construction of the greenhouse and are estimated to total $20,000.
We are still awaiting responses from local businesses about their willingness to donate time and labor associated with the concrete, plumbing, and electrical work and will continue to reach out to those businesses and others regarding a partnership on this project. There are numerous opportunities for volunteer labor in this project. An optimistic estimate of the amount of in-kind labor for the transplantation events alone is $22,832 (20 volunteers transplanting plants for 8 hours 5 times over the course of the project; in-kind labor rate was noted at $28.54).