Proposed solution for Airport noise

Glow-in-the Dark Walleyes in Lake Nokomis?
April 1, 2007

	A shining example of the Lake Nokomis luminous walleye. Photo courtesy of the Nokomis Sportsmen Club
	Lake Nokomis as seen from the southeast in 1942. Note the barrage (observation) balloon over Cedar Avenue. Photo courtesy of the National Military Archives.
	Neocaridina denticulata fluorisis, "Glowlight." This aquarium-raised specimen is approximately 1.5" in length. The Glowlight shrimp was also the reason that Iowa's freshwater pearls became such a fashion rage among the flappers during the Roaring 20's. The filter-feeding pearl mussels would ingest newly hatched shrimp larvae and in turn develop pearls with glow-in-the-dark properties. Image by Wernher Krutein / Photovault.com
	When not used for training, observation balloons were stabled on the baseball diamonds between West Nokomis Parkway and Cedar Ave. Postcard from 1943.
	The first test of the B-1 Class Twofer submarine on Lake Nokomis, in June 1942. Photo courtesy of the Veterans of Interior Wars.

Dwayne, from the Wenonah neighborhood, asks:  “I was running around Lake Nokomis one night when I saw patches of luminous water east of the Cedar Ave bridge. And, in that patch were what I can only describe as glowing eyes watching me. An old timer fishing off the observation platform tried to convince me that Nokomis walleyes glow in the dark, especially during a full moon. I almost hate to ask, but was he pulling my leg?”

This was a new one to us. But NENA researchers hit the archives and discovered much. Technically, the Lake Nokomis walleyes don't light up by themselves. But, then again, they do glow in the dark. Read on...

Start With Muscatine:
In 1887, a German button maker, John Frederick Boepple, arrived in the Mississippi River town of Muscatine, Iowa. There he opened a mother-of-pearl button factory supplied by the abundance of American pearl mussels from nearby rivers and streams. Business boomed, but the work was difficult. To make it easier for his freshwater divers to find the mussels in the murky water, Boepple introduced a small effofluorescent freshwater shrimp into his backwater mussel "farms." This schooling shrimp, Neocaridina denticulata fluorisis, "Glowlight," has the unique ability to emit a bluish-white light when agitated or mating. It was a brilliant move. Freshwater pearl divers would simply sweep their hands in circles near the bottom to light up the shrimp and help illuminate the mussel beds.

Add a Dose of Fear and Panic:
Jump ahead to February 1942: Dozens of amazed people witnessed the crew of a small German submarine, U-235, frantically running fore and aft trying to “rock” the sub off a mud bar in the Mississippi River north of Baton Rouge. The U-boat escaped, but the incident set off a wave of panic during the opening months of World War II. The War Department, fearing deep penetration into our coastal waterways, ordered the US Coast Guard to develop a plan to discover and capture this menace.

Toss in a Ford:
At the same time, the US Navy was developing their own 2-person submarine. Ford Motor Company was building the B-1 Class subs at its St. Paul Highland Plant along the river’s edge. The first example, nicknamed the "Twofer," was nearly finished and a launch was planned for May. However, the Mississippi exceeded flood stage that month. Leery of the treacherous currents, the first test unit, T1, was trucked across the river, under wraps, to the closest “still” body of water, Lake Nokomis, for its "seaworthiness" test in June, 1942.

And You Get Four Eyes:
On July 4, the Coast Guard and the Marine Air Reserve commenced Operation Four Eyes, a classified mission where a series of manned barrage balloons were positioned at intervals along the Mississippi River. Training for observers and crews was held at Lake Nokomis, chosen because of its proximity to the Marine's Air Reserve squadron at Wold-Chamberlain Field and of course, the available Twofer. It soon became apparent that night observation was nearly impossible, so the Coast Guard tried several methods to highlight renegade submersibles -- such as flotillas of floating oil lamps or submarine nets attached to bell buoys. All provided impractical at best. It was then that a young Marine reservist named Boepple from Muscatine stepped forward with an idea.

All Quiet On the Northern Front:
The war ended and the military left, but the freshwater shrimp stayed. They did well, multiplying rapidly because of the nutrients in the lake, especially the phosphates, a mineral that the shrimp use to produce their fluorescing pigments. Area seniors might remember when returning GI’s would take their sweethearts to Lake Nokomis’ northern hillside at night and enjoy the view, marveling at the mysterious bluish light in the water.

Enter the Walleye:
Beginning in the late 70's, the State DNR stocked Lake Nokomis with thousands of walleye fingerlings. The fish quickly developed a taste for the glowing shrimp, an easy catch for the famous night predator. The walleye (Sander vitreus vitreushas) has relatively large eyes that, like a cat's, reflect light. This is the result of a specialized light-gathering layer in the eyes called the tapetum lucidum which allows the fish to see well in low-light conditions. This has the effect of concentrating and reflecting the shrimp light--and moonlight--back towards the viewer. During a full moon, the shrimp will congregate near the surface in a glowing mating ritual which attracts the walleyes and other game fish. But, only the walleye's large eye's reflect the additional light, making them easy to see.

Another interesting side effect is that newly hatched shrimp, unable to swim for themselves, attach themselves to the scales and soft tissues of a host fish and ride around the lake feeding on tiny particles that pass by. The juvenile shrimp are highly reflective at that age, but normally unfluoresced while passively cruising around. However, a fish with enough of the hitch-hikers will appear to glow when struggling against a fishing line or removed from the water. The effect can last for several minutes to a half hour or longer.

Postscript:
Ford went on to produce 13 of the inland submarines at their wartime foundry just below the lock and dam. That site is now a truck parking lot, visible half way down the river bank. The assembly and dry dock area to the south was cleared and returned to the City of St. Paul for Hidden Falls Park. All that remains are chunks of broken concrete and the boat launch, now a public ramp.

The T1 "Twofer" kept patrolling the lake until it capsized and sank during a gale in November 1944.

One of the two balloons assigned to Nokomis met a somewhat slower demise when an overzealous 10 year-old "soldier" shot a hole in it with his trusty Red Ryder BB gun.

After the war, pollution and the switch to zippers and plastic buttons sealed the fate of Muscatine's mother-of-pearl and cultured pearl industry. Today, only one company remains.

The remaining barage balloons were scrapped, and much of the lightweight fabric was sold to an obscure Hollywood garment manufacturer. They turned the rubberized silk into a highly successful line of specialized undergarments. That company later became Frederick's.

In 1950, the Park Board erected a modest limestone and bronze monument honoring the wartime effort on the south end of the lake. Ironically, in 1969, a Marine pilot, freshly returned from Vietnam, careened off the Parkway and launched both his new Pontiac and the monument into the lake. The car was fished out; the monument wasn't.

While the walleye have greatly reduced the shrimp population in recent years, there remains several communities at the southern and northwestern edges of the lake.

Proposed solution for Airport noise

* Note: Any resemblance in the above story to actual fact may be coincidental and could be disregarded, depending on your mood. April Fools!

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