By Jolene FarleyBarley straw appears to be helping the algae problem at the Hills Rez, according to Beaver Creek Sportsmen’s Club President Arlen Gehrke."The water clarity has definitely improved," he said. The project, a joint effort between the Beaver Creek Sportsmen’s Club, the Lion’s Club and the City of Hills, included breaking the barley straw bales apart, loosely placing it in netting and floating it in the water. Over time, ongoing treatments prohibit the growth of new algae. Club members plan to repeat the process for two more years.The use of barley straw for non-chemical algae control has increased in recent years. When the club first investigated using barley straw, treatments were commonly used for smaller, backyard ponds. But after talking with Department of Natural Resource officials the group decided to try the treatment on a larger scale. "A pond the size of the Rez, if we put enough in there we could see results," Gehrke said. One treatment, 25 bales of barley straw, was placed in the Rez in May and another in July, according Gehrke. The second treatment was recently removed from the water. "The treatment phase was done," Gehrke said. "The barley was decomposed to the point were it wasn’t doing any good."Public use of the Rez appears to be picking up and the group hopes improving swimming conditions will help even more, according to Gehrke. "I think the Rez is becoming more of a recreational activity," he said. Great fishing and the addition of a Frisbee golf course attracts more people to the pond, he said.The Rez supports a sizeable population of sunfish, bluegill, crappies, walleye, bass and northern pike. The fish, though small, are plentiful. "The nice thing about it is you can take your child there and you don’t have to sit for hours to get a bite," said Gehrke.
