Public meetings set on proposed treatments for three eastside lakes

OLYMPIA - State fishery managers will host four public meetings in late July to discuss proposals to treat three lakes in eastern Washington with rotenone, a naturally occurring pesticide commonly used to remove undesirable fish species from lakes and streams.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is proposing to treat Fish Lake in Spokane County, Little Beaver Lake in Okanogan County, and Burke Lake in Grant County this fall to remove species ranging from brown bullhead to northern pike.

"The goal is to restore trout populations in all three lakes by removing competing species that have essentially taken over," said Bruce Bolding, a WDFW fish biologist. "Northern pike, which were illegally stocked in Fish Lake, are especially problematic because they can decimate other fish populations and cause significant ecological damage."

Public meetings to discuss the lake treatments proposed by WDFW are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. on the following dates:

• July 24 - Twisp, at the Aspen Professional Building, 20268 State Route 20.
• July 26 - Spokane Valley, at the WDFW Region 1 Office, 2315 N. Discovery Place.
• July 26 - Ephrata, at the WDFW Region 2 Office, 1550 Alder St. N.W.
• July 31 - Olympia, at the Natural Resource Building, 1111 Washington St., Room 172.

In addition to input received at the public meetings, WDFW will also consider written comments received through Aug. 31. Comments should be addressed to Bruce Bolding, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091.

Final consideration of the proposals will be made by the WDFW director in early September.

Rotenone is an organic substance derived from the roots of tropical plants, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved for use as a fish pesticide and as an insecticide in the agriculture industry. It has been used by WDFW in lake and stream rehabilitations for more than 70 years, and is commonly used by other fish and wildlife management agencies nationwide.