This is the fourth newsletter to be sent out to everyone in District 1, parts of District 5, and our mailing list of interested people all over the state. This is in keeping with the promise of the Lake Davis Steering Committee to keep the public informed of what is happening in our quest to rid Lake Davis of Northern Pike.
Scheduled for June 24, 2002 at 6:30 P.M. is the next meeting of the Lake Davis Coalition. This meeting will be held at Veteran’s Memorial Hall on Highway 70 in Portola and is not only open to the public but we would like to encourage you to come and bring a friend. None of us like meetings, especially in the summer, but the only way to stop rumors and misinformation is to be at the meeting and hear the information first hand.
Some of the items to be discussed at the June 24th meeting will be the results of the det cord tests, the report on Northern Pike, the status of the water levels of Lake Davis, the Portola River Walk and the status of the upgrade to the Lake Davis Treatment Plant.
Let us all remember when talking to friends either in Plumas County or from another area - TROUT FISHING IS ALIVE AND WELL IN LAKE DAVIS – the Northern Pike have not taken over our lake. With the help of the California Department of Fish and Game we will be able to make that statement for many years to come. With the help of all of the members of the Steering Committee and all of you, the general public, we will win this fight against the Northern Pike.
See you on June 24th, 2002 at 6:30 P.M. If you have any questions regarding the meeting you may either call myself at 530-832-4174 or your local CDF&G office at 530-832-9682.
Sincerely,
Fran Roudebush, Chair
Lake Davis Steering Committee
The California Department of Fish and Game continues to carry out the recommendations in the Y2000 Plan for keeping the pike population in Lake Davis under control. This year, the field season began on March 29 when trap nets were placed in shallow areas to capture spawners and crews began boat electrofishing. The commercial purse seine, Nevada Carp, Inc., arrived April 22 for three weeks of work. Crews were also busy with preparations for the detonation cord test which was successfully completed on April 24. As of the end of April, 126 pike had been captured:
2002 Pike Tally through April:
In May, about 300 pike were captured. This month, hundreds of small “young-of-the-year” pike have been captured using beach seines and boat electrofishers in warm protected coves along the shore south of Mosquito Slough. For the most recent information call the DFG office in Portola at (530) 832-9682.
The 1-acre test shot of detonation cord was completed on April 24. About 895 feet of the cord was used in Mosquito Slough. The purpose of the shot was to: determine how effective the cord is for killing pike in the Lake Davis environment, collect water samples, measure noise and any possible ground movement, and give the public an opportunity to see the project first-hand. The following is a summary of the results. For a complete report, contact the California Department of Fish and Game Portola Field Office (832-9682).
As a result of this test, CDFG is well-prepared to use detonation cord this coming spring. The Department will be targeting “pockets” of the reservoir where the pike are concentrated. The project is not expected to eradicate the pike from Lake Davis, but is one of the methods being used to keep them from taking over Lake Davis.
By Jim Murphy, City Administrator
As reported in the last newsletter, the city has not yet returned to Lake Davis water. The City has notified Plumas County of our desire to return to using Lake Davis water. The Lake Davis Treatment Plan remains in a state of disrepair and Plumas County continues to move toward obtaining a grant to reconstruct the treatment plant. The City has notified the County of our intention to acquire an additional allotment capacity for future Lake Davis water to meet demand from anticipated growth. Meetings are currently scheduled to negotiate the details of this request for increased allotment.
The Portola River Walk, a bicycle, pedestrian and interpretive nature trail has completed the environmental, design and engineering hurdles and will be going to competitive bidding for the construction phase within the next month. We hope to have the project completed by late fall. The River Walk will be a 12 foot wide paved pathway from Riverside and Beckwith Streets along the bank of the Feather River to Rocky Point Road. The US Forest Service is partnering with the City and the trail will pass through their property on Rocky Point Road. A handicap accessible restroom will be constructed near the trailhead at the Rocky Point Road parking lot and the trail will have two handicap accessibility points to the river along its route.
Funds for the River Walk project come from the Plumas County Transportation Commission in the form of a grant and the matching funds for the grant come from the County’s portion of Lake Davis Settlement funds. The City will provide ongoing maintenance and repair responsibilities.
The City is once again providing the Portola Rotary Club with funding assistance to promote yet another successful Lake Davis Fishing Derby On June 29 & 30. We encourage everyone to support the Rotary Club by attending the Fish Derby festivities.
by John Heavin, Beckwourth Ranger District
submitted by Curtis Levine, California Department of Water Resources
| June 7, 2002 | June 7, 2001 (one year ago) | Grizzly Ridge Snow survey info as of April 25, 2002: |
|
| Elevation | 5765.50 | 5766.68 | Water Content – 10.1 inches |
| Feet from spill | 9.5 ft | 8.32 ft | Average Content – 24.6 inches |
| Storage | 50,789 acre-feet* | 54,441 acre-feet | [41% of average] |
| *an acre-foot is equivalent to a 1-acre pond of water 1 foot deep. | |||
Fishing success at Lake Davis is as important to our local economy as an umbilical cord is to an unborn child. So how is the fishing at the lake? From ice-out in late March until now, fishing has been as unpredictable as the weather. The bite was slow until recently, and that was for the most part caused by mother nature. In the past five weeks, the Depart ment of Fish and Game has planted about 32,000 of the 50,000 trout it is scheduled to receive for the lake this year.
Recent examples:
People frequently ask about fishing for pike and if the pike are affecting the trout fishery. Last year, DFG eradicated about 6400 pike using seines, gill nets, electrofishing, trap nets, etc. Only 32 pike were angler-caught. At this point and time there is little or no indication that the pike have impacted our trout fishery. The quality fishing continues to attract tourism and provide a wonderful source of recreation for all ages. Lake Davis is alive and well, the trout fishery is healthy, and it remains one of the premiere trout fishing lakes in California.
Good Fishing!
Jerry Dollard and Sara Bensinger
Lake Davis Steering Committee Task Force
c/o DFG
P.O. Box 1858
Portola, CA 96122
The Rotary Club of Portola is sponsoring this year’s event, which will be held 5:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 5:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. There will be one $20,000 fish, one $5,000 fish and 50 $100 fish. You can register at Grizzly Store & Resort at Lake Davis, Gold Rush Sporting Goods, Dollard’s Sierra Market, or at Grizzly Dam on the morning of the derby.