Battlefield project creates fish habitat for Beaver Lake

What's good for the forest is good for the fish in Beaver Lake.

Removing thousands of cedar trees at Pea Ridge National Military Park creates a healthier forest and better conditions for wildlife. Placing those trees at the bottom of Beaver Lake makes superb habitat for fish.

Rising lake good news

A rise of several feet in the level of Beaver Lake could be a boost to the fish spawn.

“It depends on how long the lake stays high,” said Jon Stein, fisheries biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Flooded cover gives newly-hatched fish cover to hide from predators, he explained.

If the lake level remains high into mid June, it will be of some benefit. The longer the lake remains high into summer, the more it benefits the spawn because more cover is available to young fish.

— Source: Staff report

The effort is transforming the 4,300-acre national park into its original appearance when the Battle of Pea Ridge was fought on March 7-8, 1862. The forest is more open with less underbrush. That's good for wildlife, especially quail, said Nolan Moore, the park's biologist.

Those invasive cedar trees are being trucked to Beaver Lake by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for fish habitat.

Thousands of trees have been submerged in the lake or placed on the bank when the lake level was low, said Kevin Hopkins, area fisheries biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Beaver Lake is 50 years old and much of the wood habitat underwater has rotted away. Trees from the Pea Ridge National Military Park are a nice supplement.

"Cedar trees are really good for crappie habitat. Black bass like hardwood. But if there's little cover in a lake, all fish use them," Hopkins said.

Most of the cedars on the lake bottom are in the central and northen portions of the lake. That's because it's a shorter drive to those areas than the southern end of the lake near Springdale and Fayetteville, said Jon Stein, area fisheries biologist and Hopkins' co-worker.

Cedar trees are great hiding places for young fish after they hatch, Stein explained. Game fish, in turn, hang around the cover to pick off an easy meal of the young fish.

Sinking Christmas trees was the going thing at Beaver Lake years ago, but yule trees only last a couple of years. "These cedars will be around for years and years," Stein said.

About 300 Christmas trees collected by the city of Rogers after the holidays were submerged. Stein said they were tied in bundles of 50 or more tree to make them more effective as fish cover.

Cedars become even better habitat when they've been in the water a few months and grow algae on them. Aquatic insects and some small fish eat the algae, Stein said.

The White River below Beaver Dam also benefits from cedar tree removal. Cedars at the Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area near Gateway are being trucked to the river for a bank stabilization project, Stein said.

Placing trees in the lake should continue for several years, he continued. Game and Fish hopes to get permission from the Army Corps of Engineers to cut cedar tree from Deer Island and Bear Island near the Arkansas 12 bridge to sink in the lake.

Visitors may hear more bobwhite quail calling at Pea Ridge National Military Park. Anglers at Beaver Lake may sing the praises of the project as well.

Sports on 05/14/2015

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