by Lisa Wallace, Executive Director
Beth Christman, our Director of Restoration Programs, is working with our partner The Nature Conservancy on two restoration projects at Independence Lake. Both projects improve fish habitat for the native Lahontan cutthroat trout. For the first project. We will install a fish weir at the mouth of Independence Creek to block non-native fish from entering the spawning creek from the lake. At the same time, we will restore a severely eroding stream bank. The second project includes the installation of a fish barrier below the dam at Independence Lake to prevent non-native fish from entering the lake.
Recreation options at Independence Lake include hiking, fishing, motor boating, kayaking, picnicking, wildlife viewing, and more. All watercraft available to the public at no charge will be part of an “in-basin” fleet that The Nature Conservancy has purchased strictly for use on Independence Lake.
As watercraft are one of the primary ways aquatic invasive species are introduced into waterways, providing a strictly in-basin fleet gives the public watercraft recreation options while drastically reducing this risk. To learn more, see the VISIT page of the Independence Lake website.