Area residents who helped pitch thousands of dead fish out of Patterson Lake last month could find themselves pitching those fish onto their lawns or gardens this fall.
Originally planned to be disposed of in the city landfill, the fish have instead been incorporated into the city’s compost program.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service recognized the city for the move with its Cooperative Conservation Award at Monday’s City Commission meeting held at City Hall.
“Anytime that you can work with another organization, or entity, or individual to do what Mother Nature intended us to do then it’s a good thing,” NRCS coordinator Jared Andrist said. “We’re going to get those fish back into the soil instead of into the ground.”
Patterson Lake suffered a near-total winterkill following a severe winter and tens of thousands of dead fish floated to the surface and lined the shores. More than 400 area residents cleaned up the fish in late April.
Aaron Praus, head operator at the Dickinson landfill, said the city doesn’t deserve all the credit for the award because several hundred residents from Dickinson and the surrounding area helped with the cleanup.
“It’s a great honor, but there’s a lot of thanks that go out with it,” Praus said. “Most of it comes down to the volunteers that collect the fish. Without them we would have never received this award.”
The city compost program has been active for several years, and Praus said the majority of the waste is leaves, grass and wood chips that are left by residents at the baler building in east Dickinson. Praus said they are always looking for more grass and leaves for composting, rather than having them thrown away.
Andrist said soil food-web analyses shows the city’s compost is in great shape, but is low on fungal activity, which the fish will help with.
“If you do it properly you’re going to end up with a great product,” Andrist said.
The waste is placed in windrows and once the internal temperature reaches a certain level city employees turn it, Praus said.
The process takes anywhere from two months to a year depending on how much attention it gets.
“If we have the manpower where I can keep on it, it won’t take long, but when we’re lacking manpower that’s when you don’t get to tend to it like you want to,” Praus said.
The final product, which Praus describes as “a really moist dirt” is then sold by the city at $15 a ton, which Andrist said is a good deal.
“Oh my gosh, that’s a steal. That’s absolutely a steal,” Andrist said. “Go to a discount store and buy a 40-pound bag of composted manure.
“First of all, it’s most of the time not a very good quality and second of all you’re paying a couple bucks for 40 pounds.”
John Odermann , The Dickinson Press
Published: 05/20/2009
Subject: Winterkill won''t go to waste. 
Thu May 21, 2009 8:14 am
