Poisoning to restore life

[Arndrake]

As I mentioned in my Labor Day photos thread, Diamond Lake used to be one of the premier trout lakes in Oregon. Then an ecological catastrophe hit, which has slowly been destroying the lake. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened, but the actions taken 50 years ago restored the lake. Let's hope it works again.

 

Check out Oregon Fish & Wildlife's Diamond Lake site.

 

A little history: Up until the late 40's, Diamond Lake had some of the best trout fishing in Oregon. Unfortunately, the fisherman brought something into the lake that undid that. Through the use of live bait, fishermen introduceed a small fish called the Tui Chub into the lake.

 

For anyone familiar with aquatic biology, food chains usually start with phytoplankton or 'algae.' This algae is eaten by microscopic animals called zooplankton. Zooplankton are then eaten by aquatic bugs, like dragonfly nymphs and 'scuds.' These are the main food supply of predacious fish like trout. The trout are caught and consumed by land animals who live near or on the lake, such as otters, black bears, osprey, and Bald Eagles (there are five Bald Eagles and one nest at Diamond Lake). And of course, fishermen.

 

Diamond Lake is a shallow lake, prime habitat for the chubs. The chubs grew and multiplied quickly. They interrupted the food chain by consuming almost all the zooplankton. This meant fewer bugs for the trout. Another negative effect was that, due to the reduced zooplankton, the algae could grow unabated, resulting in 'algae blooms' which sometimes were toxic to land animals, including people using the lake for recreation. Algae decay also causes increased oxygen consumption, so the trout were being suffocated as well as starved.

 

So how did they combat this? In 1954, a channel was dug at the exit creek of the lake and a type of canal gate was installed then opened, which reduced the lake's depth by 8 feet. This was to pull the chubs away from the shores where they thrive. A chemical called Rotenone was then put into the lake and all the feeder creeks. The Rotenone damages the fish's gills, so they can no longer pull oxygen from the water. It kills all fish, including trout, and insects but does not cause any damage to any other wildlife. After the lake was 'poisoned,' then refilled, it was restocked with trout. The poisoning was a major success, as was noted by the fact that Diamond Lake had the best and biggest trout of any lake in Oregon. One major law that was also enacted was that no live bait could be used in Diamond Lake any longer.

 

Sadly, in the early '90s, someone violated that law. Tui Chubs were once again reintroduced into Diamond Lake by someone using them as live bait. They have succeeded in once again almost killing the lake's ecosystem in less than ten years. So, Oregon Fish & Wildlife and the Forest Service are performing the same procedure done 50 years ago. The drain dam at the exit creek was once again cleared and opened last fall, reducing the lake's depth by 8 feet. Most of the summer, a contracted company had nets out in the middle of the lake to catch as many chubs for disposal as possible, so that there would be fewer when it was time to poison. Starting this week, the poisoning will begin and last until late October. Next year, the lake will be restocked with trout and the lake's water quality will be monitored indefinitely.

 

Having grown up here, I was amazed by the effect of the drawdown of the water depth. This is how the lake usually looks.

http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/county/images/scenic/douglas/250-1.jpghttp://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/county/images/scenic/douglas/0422-1.jpg

 

Here's some pictures I took over Labor Day Weekend, showing the significant difference in the shorelines.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/arndrake/Diamondlake06/diamondlake06092v2.jpghttp://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/arndrake/Diamondlake06/diamondlake06005v2.jpg

Normally, there is water covering up all these white rocks. The brown building is the resort's boathouse. The lake water normally reaches right up to it.

 

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/arndrake/Diamondlake06/diamondlake06095v2.jpghttp://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/arndrake/Diamondlake06/diamondlake06096v2.jpg

The north boat ramp. The water level is usually about 1 foot below the top of the concrete.

 

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/arndrake/Diamondlake06/diamondlake06211v2.jpghttp://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/arndrake/Diamondlake06/diamondlake06210v2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/arndrake/Diamondlake06/diamondlake06209v2.jpg

The south shore. Where I was standing was usually covered by three feet of water.

 

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/arndrake/Diamondlake06/diamondlake06097v2.jpg

This sign discusses the length of this year's fishing season and the current angler limit, which was 20 fish per angler and no size limits. It used to be 10 fish per angler, only two could exceed 32". The other sign discussed the contract company's net buoys.

 

Amazing, isn't it? I know that reservoirs can change their depths quite a bit as they deal with flood control or drawdown for irrigation needs in late summer. But Diamond Lake is a natural lake. Its level never changed so much.

 

One concern I had was for the safety of the people living up there. It turns out this plan doesn't fly with environmental extremists, who think the lake should be left alone so nature can 'fix' the problem. My opinion is that man caused it, so man should fix it. So there is a threat of eco-terrorism, including threats of blowing up the resort buildings, sabotaging restoration equipment, etc. ODF&W, the Forest Service, and the State Police determined they need to close the area to all people except those who live there during the poisoning.

[blonde77th]

Nice Job & Pictures !!

[chaotica]

Wow thats a shame!!!!!!!

 

 

What a beautiful place ... I hope they caughtd the person who did the live bait thing and hung him from his ... toes!!!!

 

 

I hate it when one person has to ruin it for all those after them!!!!

 

 

I hope this project goes well for next year!!!! and all is restored!!!