StructureSpot

Rehabbed Habitat Hosts Tournament

For a winter that’s been unusually warm, it was no surprise when 2,000 people showed up at a frozen lake near Ladysmith, Wis., for a fishing tournament.

A young angler won the first-place prize of $1,000 after catching a 30-inch pike. (Photo By: John Thiel, Dairyland Power Cooperative)A young angler won the first-place prize of $1,000 after catching a 30-inch pike. (Photo By: John Thiel, Dairyland Power Cooperative)

The Ladysmith Lions Club organized the city’s first annual Ice Fishing Tournament, which followed a major fish habitat enhancement project on Lake Flambeau.

“Since we utilize natural resources for our business, we are strongly committed to giving back to the environment through high-impact stewardship activities, such as the fish habitat project,” said Katie Thomson, senior communications specialist for Dairyland Power Cooperative.

The Feb. 26 tournament raised $25,000. Profits from the event will be distributed to local food pantries, lake-habitat projects and Lions Club programs.

Enhancing the reservoir’s fish habitat was no easy task. Led by the Rusk County Wildlife Restoration Association and supported by the La Crosse-based G&T, the multiphase project began in 2007.

The phases included rehabbing the deep-water area, improving shoreline, and closing the lake for six months. A 30-foot drawdown was set up to drain the lake, which took seven weeks to refill once the repairs were complete.

During construction workers placed more than 150 deepwater fish structures, made of rock, logs and brush, on the lakebed. Seventy-five more fish structures were built and placed along the shoreline.

Numerous pine trees were cut and anchored to the lakebed and placed on the shoreline. This winter, whole pine trees were weighted at the base and sunk vertically in deep water areas.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

Fishermen stocked the fish board with pike, walleye, crappie, perch and bluegill after a day of fishing. (Photo By: John Thiel, Dairyland Power Cooperative)Fishermen stocked the fish board with pike, walleye, crappie, perch and bluegill after a day of fishing. (Photo By: John Thiel, Dairyland Power Cooperative)

“Restoration really benefitted the lake’s health, which will in turn benefit sports enthusiasts,” said John Thiel, senior environmental biologist for Dairyland.

“The panfish species are becoming more abundant and thriving and the lake’s ready to be fished,” he said. “We provided some real quality recreational activities with the hydro reservoir.”

In addition to the major fish habitat project, Dairyland has established and owns five parks around the 2,000-acre Lake Flambeau. Three of the parks have boat landings and one is equipped with a handicap-accessible fishing pier. The parks are maintained by Rusk County.By Marcia Gaysue | ECT Staff Writer

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B.A.S.S. Summit Awards Fishiding Artificial Fish Habitat

Conservation Summit Emphasizes Fisheries Management  

SHREVEPORT, La. — B.A.S.S. will renew an old tradition at this year’s Bassmaster Classic, when it plays host to a 2 ½-day Conservation Summit.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection. This something that I promised to do when I came back to B.A.S.S. last year,” said National Conservation Director Noreen Clough, who added that she is “very excited to bring back an historic event unique to B.A.S.S. Conservation.”
Federation Nation conservation directors, state fisheries managers, academics, “and other notables in fisheries and aquatic resource conservation” will attend.
An inaugural Fisheries Management Workshop on Saturday will be one of the summit’s highlights, as will a keynote address by Jim Martin, Berkley Conservation Institute director, at Saturday night’s awards banquet. Martin also will give closing comments on Sunday.
“Jim is a great partner with B.A.S.S. and an awesome motivational speaker in the conservation world,” Clough said.
Saturday’s workshop will feature Dr. Mike Allen from the University of Florida, Dr. David Philipp from the University of Illinois, and Gene Gilliland from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, three of the nation’s foremost experts on fisheries management.
“We’ve been able to bring together fisheries scientists from universities and states around the country to share with us the latest in black bass management,” said Clough.
Among other topics, Philipp will provide “the Northern perspective” on fishing for nesting bass, and Allen will offer the Southern perspective. Gilliland will talk about tournament mortality issues, catch-and-release impacts on growth, and advances in techniques and tools, including the Alabama Rig.
Conservation directors also will learn about trends in fish culture and stocking, illegal stocking, and spatial patterns in bass habitat use and angling. They then will move to breakout sessions to discuss management and science/outreach needs for bass fisheries.
Following a welcome from B.A.S.S. co-owner Jim Copeland, Friday’s agenda will feature mentoring sessions, legislative updates, and news from the conservation directors. The latter will include the latest on ReBaits, the popular program initiated by Florida’s Eamon Bolten to encourage anglers to recycle or properly dispose of their used plastic baits.
Gordon Robertson, vice-president of the American Sportfishing Association, and Chris Horton, mid-states coordinator for the Assembly of State Caucuses, will discuss federal and state legislation related to fisheries, as well as offer insights about working with legislators and getting involved politically.
Allen and Dr. Mike Netherland from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will discuss aquatic vegetation management and related issues, including the likelihood that herbicide application changes the behavior of fish.

Sunday’s half-day program will offer insights on how to partner with state agencies from a panel of fisheries chief, a look at the process behind fisheries management from Gilliland, and federal updates on the 75th anniversary of the Sport Fish Restoration Program (Wallop-Breaux) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fisheries program.

Maintenance work to close one of Aurora’s main reservoirs

 

Homestake DamCourtesy Aurora Water

Homestake Dam

SARA CASTELLANOS Aurora Sentinel

Homestake Dam and Reservoir, one of the city’s primary resources for water, will be drained for maintenance work that will last for about three years, and be closed to the public beginning September.

The reservoir, which straddles Eagle and Pitkin counties, will be closed to hikers, fishers, hunters, campers, backpackers and snowmobilers below the East Fork Trailhead prior to the dam access road on Homestake Road, the city’s water officials announced Wednesday.

“Terrain around Homestake is very steep, and we don’t want anybody on trails around it,” said Greg Baker, spokesman for Aurora Water. “Also, with all the construction equipment, we can’t have people near the dam itself.”

The reservoir will be drained for repairs to the gate and intake structure for the Homestake Tunnel, which carries the water from the reservoir to Turquoise Lake in Lake County. Contractors will replace the asphalt facing on the dam, which is 45 years old.

“Homestake has an asphalt faced dam which is unusual here but very common in Europe,” Baker said. “It makes it a little more difficult to find qualified contractors for.”

While this work is done, the

will work on fish habitat improvements, removal of hazardous trees and campsite rehabilitation in the area. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Homestake Dam and Reservoir has never undergone major maintenance. It was taken offline during the summer of 2009 so water officials could determine what work needed to be done.

The total cost of construction of the renovations is $35.5 million, with Aurora paying $17.5 million over four years and Colorado Springs paying the second half. Money to fund the project will come out of Aurora Water’s operating budget.

Before work can start, workers must replace the bridge on Homestake Road close to Highway 24. Also, a temporary access road must be constructed on the East side of the dam for construction traffic.

Aurora will begin collecting water from the reservoir again in April 2013. Snowpack conditions and water runoff will determine how long it will take to refill the reservoir.  The area will be open again to the public in spring 2014.

While Homestake is offline, the city will continue collecting water from Prairie Waters, the drought-hardening project that came online last year.

“Now that we have Prairie Waters online, it’s about the equivalent of what we take out of Homestake,” Baker said. “We’ll watch carefully and see what happens in 2013 and 2014. If we enter a drought scenario we’d have to be careful how we utilize the water but we’re at a position with Prairie Waters where we are at a comfort level.”

The city will not be drawing more water out of the South Platte and Arkansas rivers than it is now, Baker said.

Largest man-made reef in the world protects fish habitat

Anglers have high hopes for debate over value of artificial structure

A motion made at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting last week in Mobile, Alabama, could be the first step to protecting what has been regarded as the largest man-made reef in the world – the vast forest of energy-related structures in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Bob Shipp’s request to have Council staff clarify the definition of what qualifies as artificial structure could pave the way for rigs and other vital reefs to be classified as Essential Fish Habitat.

“For anglers who have been greatly concerned about the impact of this Administration’s directive to summarily remove all non-producing energy structures, this is a very welcome development,” said Pat Murray, president of Coastal Conservation Association. “This is a chance for the Gulf Council and NOAA Fisheries to take a stand to protect that habitat, and we are grateful to Dr. Shipp for presenting this opportunity.” See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

In a misdirected response to the Gulf oil spill, the U.S. Department of Interior issued a directive in October of 2010 ordering that all non-producing rigs be plugged and any remaining structure removed within five years of the issuance of that directive. There are approximately 3,500 offshore structures in the Gulf of Mexico and the directive, known as the Idle Iron Policy, would immediately impact roughly 650 structures that have not produced oil or gas within five years of the directive issue date of Oct. 15, 2010.

“Anglers have already noted with alarm the disappearance of some rigs that have been in place for years – sometimes decades – that provided the base for flourishing ecosystems,” said Murray. “It is a completely avoidable tragedy, and we hope that the Council and NOAA Fisheries will do what it can to halt this needless destruction.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La) and Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-Ms) have filed legislation that would prevent rigs and other structures from being summarily removed from the Gulf of Mexico, but both bills face a difficult road through the current Congress. A decision by NOAA Fisheries to declare artificial structures Essential Fish Habitat would be a significant addition to legislative efforts.

In 2009, Dr. Shipp and Stephen Bortone published a paper on the importance of artificial noaa

red vsnapper

habitat on the management of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico which credits the deployment of energy structures in the mid-20th century for greatly increasing the harvest potential of red snapper.

“If the habitat limitation hypothesis is correct, and I believe it is, then it would be necessary to maintain or even increase the amount of artificial habitat in the northern Gulf of Mexico to keep pace with fishing pressure,” said Dr. Shipp. “Taking it out makes no sense whatsoever.”

To learn more about this issue, visit the Rigs to Reefs page on the CCA website, www.JoinCCA.org.

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CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. For more information visit the CCA Newsroom at www.JoinCCA.org.

DNR continues fish crib project on Cedar Lake

It’s a cold crisp Saturday morning in mid-January and the ice off the north boat landing on Cedar Lake is alive with the sounds of chain saws and Bobcats.

 image
Volunteers line up the lumber for a fish crib. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

It’s a cold crisp Saturday morning in mid-January and the ice off the north boat landing on Cedar Lake is alive with the sounds of chain saws and Bobcats.

On the horizon, shantytowns harbor diehard fishermen trying their luck through 16 inches of ice. However, the largest and loudest population on the ice this morning consists of volunteers from Star Prairie Fish & Game and the Cedar Lake Management District, along with concerned local anglers, who are working together with staff from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources constructing 45 new fish cribs.

John Bush, a volunteer from SPF&G, sits behind the wheel of a four wheeler waiting for a crew of his fellow volunteers to position one of the completed cribs on his sled. His job is to tow cribs to one of three staging areas located on the south end of the lake.

Wearing a fashionable blue hardhat and bright green safety vest, Barbara Scott with the DNR props herself up against several rods of rebar.

Surrounding her are numerous cribs in various stages of completion. They look like miniature log houses with no roofs stuffed full of brush and tree branches.

Scott explains part of the process; The logs are placed on top of each other leaving about an eight-inch gap between each layer.

“Once the logs are in place, we bend the tops of the rebar over to hold it all together,” Scott said. “Then we place branches in between the layers to create the fish habitat. After the cribs have been towed into place, we tie cinder blocks on top to prevent them from moving once they sink.”

The cribs will sit in place out on the ice until spring thaw. As the ice melts, the cribs slowly settle into place at the bottom of the lake.

Fish techs from the DNR were out on the lake in the fall determining the precise locations where the cribs would be located.

Daryl Berg, with a pipe in hand, is hard at work bending rebar. Besides being a self-appointed “log loader and brush builder,” Berg is a local fisherman who makes time to help with this project because he “cares about the fish habitat.”

Marty Engel is a biologist with the DNR’s Lower Chippewa and Central Wisconsin Fisheries Team. He operates out of the DNR office in Baldwin and this morning he’s in charge of making sure the cribs are correctly constructed and delivered to the correct locations. The plan is to sink up to 500 cribs throughout Cedar Lake over the course of the next 10 to 20 years.

“Cedar Lake is clear enough to grow weeds in the spring, but by around June 15th, the algae begins to come on strong. When the lights go out, the plants don’t grow,” Engel said. “By mid-July the weeds are starting to die back and by August they’ve all but died off. Cribs are one way to create alternate habitat in green lakes.”

Creating log cribs provides a place for fish to migrate to when the weeds die off. According to Engel, the center of the cribs provides cover for smaller fish like bluegills, perch and crappies, while the extended branches on the perimeter provide hunting areas for larger species like northern pike, walleyes and muskies.

“Once they go through the ice, fish will gravitate to them instantaneously,” he said.

The results of the project have been promising.

“There wasn’t a lot of good pan fishing on this lake 10 years ago,” Engel recalls, “But now you can tell the results just by seeing the number of ice shacks out on the lake and talking with the people.”

Ever wonder why all the shacks seem to congregate in just a few areas on the lake? Individual cribs are installed in “colonies” to mimic habitat like a weed bed.

By the end of the day, Cedar Lake will be home to numerous colonies consisting of 325 individual cribs. The fish, both predator and prey, move to where the colonies are. The fishermen follow the fish resulting in a landscape of shantytowns right on top of the cribs.

Marty reports that the DNR working in conjunction with several other volunteer groups, including students from Somerset High School, is starting crib construction initiatives on two other local lakes, Bass and Glen. In addition to the winter crib construction programs, the DNR will also be creating “near-shore” structure on Bass Lake once the water opens up by dragging 80 oak trees out into the lake so that the crowns of the trees rest in about eight feet of water.

By: By Tom Lindfors, New Richmond News

Leaser lake gets more fish habitat

Looking back on 2011, the most striking factor affecting the outdoors community in Berks County had to be the lopsided weather we had. Who remembers such a year from the past?See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Winter ice stretched almost into spring, then rain, rain rain. We were inundated in late August and September by a double-whammy – a hurricane and a tropical storm, followed by summer heat in autumn and a November deer season with days so warm you could hunt in camo t-shirts. For decades to come, weather-wise, 2011 may be the year to which we compare all others.

The saddest events were weather-related too. The flooding, Sept. 7, of Limestone Springs Trout Hatchery by Tropical Storm Lee washed thousands of trout into Upper Tulpehocken Creek which, in turn, were attacked by ill-behaving anglers who angered and frustrated landowners so much they have cut off future access to a once popular portion of the stream.

Flooding also caused an abbreviated pheasant hunting season in 2011. An estimated 35,000 pheasants died or were lost during the autumn floods at the state pheasant farms and the Pennsylvania Game Commission had to cancel late season pheasant stocking.

On the plus side, kids had much to celebrate in 2011. Fishing rodeos, youth hunts and mentored outings, the opening day of the trout fishing season and the annual Youth Field Day rank right up there as highlights.

Rick Heckman of Fleetwood was named 2011 Berks County Outdoor Sports Person of the Year for his volunteer leadership in the Berks Izaak Walton League and with the Federated Sportsman’s Club of Berks County.

The outdoors community made notable efforts to help feed the hungry in Berks last year. From canned goods collections by students to campaigns for frozen meat by Hunters Sharing the Harvest, Mohnton Fish and Game and Berks County Hunters Fighting Hunger much needed food was gathered and donated to the Greater Berks Food Bank and the Reading Salvation Army.

Finally, two area conservation and habitat improvement projects were highlights in 2011. An extraordinary riparian project along Willow Creek, north of Route 73, required many organizations working together to strengthen and repair the path of the beautiful winding stream.

And likewise, just north of the Berks County line near Kempton, the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation, working with private, public, state and national organizations have nearly completed rehabilitation of Leaser Lake, a popular Berks angler destination. The fish habitat improvements in the lake are among the most advanced in the state.

Last year at this time, anglers were fishing through the ice on area lakes during what was one of the longest ice fishing seasons in many years. Today, there is no sign of ice, an oddity which will likely make 2012’s outdoor highlight list.

Contact Roger Mallon: 610-371-5060 or sports@readingeagle.com.

Can I just toss my Christmas tree on the ice for fish habitat?

When the ice comes, the temptation to place fish attractors often comes to mind especially on a farm pond. If no ice, then a boat might be used. But just weighting down a couple of Christmas trees and dropping them in, may not achieve the best results.

DNR has this to say:  There are many ways to recycle Christmas trees, but tossing on a frozen lake as a way of creating fish habitat has certain requirements — and an uncertain outcome. Instead of waiting for an iced-over lake to thaw so a single Christmas tree can sink to the bottom, Bill James fisheries section chief has this to say.

“They need to be designed, sized and placed appropriately to attract and hold fish.”  He said,  “Large hardwood brush piles work well and last for many years.  Soft woods such as pin or spruce attract fish initially but deteriorate quickly. This is especially true if use Christmas tree are placed singly or just scattered about.”

State laws may apply, depending on the body of water.  Discarding a Christmas tree on a private pond is at the owner’s discretion, but doing so on a public freshwater lake is governed by the Lake Preservation Act. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

I have placed Christmas trees and have seen the results a couple of years later, both on farm ponds and Lakes  when the water is down.  Christmas trees tend to lay flat on the bottom and shortly become covered with sediment , offering little cover for fish.

On the other hand, a brush pile of hardwood limbs, wired together to maintain it’s shape will be there for years if weighted enough to stay in it’s location.  For further info Google “Fish Attractors” .  There are many home-made designs that work for years and do not deteriorate.

Take a look at fishiding.com. They make artificial fish habitat out of things like reclaimed pvc siding, saving landfill space and helping future generations of fish and fisherman alike.

Lake Fork sportsmen and state work together to help create fish habitat

Members of the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association partnered with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division staff in making fish habitat improvements at Lake Fork last week.

They took advantage of drought-induced low water levels that have exposed shorelines and they planted 400 buttonbush plants around the lake.

Buttonbush is a native woody shrub commonly called “buckbrush,” and it was chosen to establish woody cover for fish.

When covered by water, it helps provide great bass fishing, a TP&W press release said.

Michael Rogge, president of the Lake Fork group, said approximately 15 members of the association and 15 members of the TP&W, spent approximately three hours planting 400 of the plants in two separate locations.

Rogge said the shrubs are adapted to “wet environments” like willow trees and that they will grow to about six to eight feet and be quite “bushy.”

“They will sprout new plants as seeds drop off,” in the future, and “become pretty dense,” which in turn creates fish habitat, he said.

Rogge said 200 of the plants were introduced in Glade Creek and another 200 in Big Caney.

According to a parks and wildlife spokesman, Lake Fork has had a long history of relatively stable water levels. This has been advantageous in that it has mostly translated into stable aquatic habitat and fish production. However, during the recent drought the disadvantage of this stability became evident. The lake elevation has dropped to an all-time record low, exposing shorelines and reducing cover which provides young fish shelter from predators. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

The state said Lake Fork will likely be subject to more water level fluctuations in the future as the City of Dallas increases pumping operations on the lake, especially if the current drought persists.

In lakes where there are prolonged draw-downs, plants will grow in the newly expanded shoreline.

These include aquatic plants such as smartweed, sedges and rushes, along with a variety of other plants including shrubs and trees. Woody plants such as willows will grow rapidly along the shore, and when it rains and the lake elevation rises enough, the plants can become partially or totally covered.

The plants provide shelter for fish and for the establishment of many organisms that fish eat.

Some of the woodier plants are persistent and will survive for many years and provide benefits to the ecosystem.

The first step in this habitat enhancement plan materialized in March when the association purchased 1,000 bare-root buttonbush plants from a local tree nursery and planted them at selected locations throughout the reservoir. Survival of these small plants, most less than two feet in length, was low. At some of the planting sites they were trampled by feral hogs.

The second stage in the Lake Fork organization’s habitat project began to take shape this past summer. The opportunity to purchase larger plants presented itself when a fish farmer in Columbus, Texas, approached TP&WD looking for potential customers for 400 two-year-old buttonbush plants.

The TP&W press release said these larger plants should experience better survival. The LFSA agreed to underwrite the majority of the $1,900 purchase price, and TP&WD contributed $650. Bushes were planted at different elevations to hedge against future water-level changes.

$550,000 in grants for 25 native fish rehabilitation projects state-wide

 

NATIVE fish across the state are set to benefit from almost $550,000 worth of grants for on-ground fish rehabilitation projects, New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, announced today (Tuesday).

Ms Hodgkinson says Habitat Action Grants (HAGs) will be provided for a range of projects across NSW using funds from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts.

“Twenty-five HAGs have been allocated this year to recreational anglers, community groups, landholders and local councils to restore and rehabilitate freshwater and saltwater fish habitats,” Ms Hodgkinson says in a statement.

“The HAGs are another great example of how money raised from the recreational fishing fee is being used to support the improvement of fish populations across NSW.

“Rehabilitation of fish habitat will provide long-term sustainable benefits for native fish stocks, which will ultimately provide a substantial benefit for anglers and provide more opportunities for rural and regional communities to promote local tourism.

“Recreational angling is the backbone of many local communities, stimulating the local economy and bringing jobs and investment.

“The ultimate outcome of these projects is more fish in our waterways,” Ms Hodgkinson says.

The 25 projects to receive funding cover popular fishing spots in NSW, including:

Opening up almost 100km of habitat for fish through the remediation of three fish passage barriers in the Hunter and Central West catchments;

Enhancing in-stream habitat through river bank stabilisation and the installation of woody habitat such as the construction of snag complexes in the Macquarie Rivulet and the Hunter, Talbragar and Queanbeyan Rivers;

Restoration of fish nursery areas such as significant coastal wetlands at Tomago Wetland in the Hunter Estuary, Belmore Wetland in the Macleay catchment and Tambourine Bay Wetland on the Lane Cover River; and,

Salt marsh and mangrove rehabilitation in a number of coastal estuaries.

Further information on HAGs at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Savannah’s Thurmond Lake accepts Christmas trees for recycling

Corps' Thurmond Lake Office accepts Christmas trees for recyclingPhoto by Tracy Robillard

Park Ranger David Quebedeaux places used Christmas trees in Thurmond Lake to enhance fish habitat.

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Thurmond Project Office will accept natural Christmas trees (no artificial trees) for recycling Dec. 16 through Jan. 6.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader in science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

The recycled trees will be used as fish attractors in Thurmond Lake. Corps rangers and volunteers will submerge trees around fishing piers to improve fishing habitat. Additional trees will be staged at select ramps around the lake to be used by the public. Anyone wishing to obtain a list of locations where the trees will be available should contact the Corps’ Thurmond Lake Office after Jan. 10.

The Christmas trees can be dropped off at Riverside Middle School, located in Evans, Ga. All decorations, such as tinsel, lights and garland must be removed from the trees before dropping them off. Dumping of household trash at the site is strictly prohibited.

“Small trees and brush provide cover for fish, particularly as nursery areas for juvenile fish,” said Kenneth Boyd, Thurmond Lake conservation biologist. “In addition, they provide habitat for aquatic insects – essential food during the early stages of most fish species.”

For more information or to volunteer, contact the Thurmond Lake Project Office toll free 1-800-533-3478, or visit
http://www.sas.usace.army.mil/lakes/thurmond/index.html.

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