Bill Kiene semi-retired
01-04-2016, 11:02 AM
THE MOUNT RALSTON FISH PLANTING CLUB - CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME COOPERATIVE LAKE SURVEY
DESOLATION VALLEY AREA, EL DORADO COUNTY
JULY 24 - AUGUST 2, 1953
INTRODUCTION
The Mount Ralston Fish Planting Club was formed many years ago
by a few conservation minded individuals in Sacramento. This group
realizing the heavy burden that befell the State fish conservationists
in planting out millions of hatchery-reared trout annually in Sierran
lakes and streams, organized a band of like-minded citizens to take
it upon themselves to assist, and in large part completely take over
and relieve hatcherymen of this time and money consuming endeavor in
the El Dorado County High Sierras.
From the small founding nucleus of the Club, as the word got
around, the work, necessarily on a limited scale at first, grew as
did the membership of the group, until by 1950 practically all planting
in eastern El Dorado County was done with pack stock and guidance
furnished by the Club. That year, however, saw the advent of aerial
planting, making pack-stocking of lakes obsolete. Planting that
formerly consumed weeks was now a matter of a few hours of flying
time. Stream planting, only, remained a task for pack stock. Since
stream planting was a minor phase of the planting program in the matter
of time consumption, the Club's principal project suddenly almost
disappeared. Minor projects were designed in an attempt to provide a
purpose on which to build the Club, but none filled the void caused by
the march of progress that antiquated the plodding pack mule.
This adverse situation was placed before the Department of Fish
and Game. A project was proposed to the Club by the Department entailing
the observing of trout fingerlings after aerial drops to determine
the fishes' reaction to this seemingly drastic treatment under field
conditions. Survival was good under artificial conditions in rearing
ponds, but none but fragmentary information was available on reactions
to and survival of trout after dropping in a natural setting. The Club
accepted the project, and provided valuable information in the summer
of 1951, which showed good survival and rapidly normal reaction of
dropped fish. Since the answer was thereby provided by these and subsequent
observations on the lakes, the project was thus successfully
terminated.
In an attempt to provide the Club with a continuing project,
the writer was called upon to help organize a cooperative lake survey,
because of experience gained over a period of several years on the
annual Fresno County Sportsmen's Club - California Department of Fish
and Game Cooperative Lake Survey. This project has been successfully
underway for about a dozen years in eastern Fresno County.
Lake surveys are biological and physical appraisals of bodies of
water, in this case trout lakes, that are necessary if such waters are
be properly managed, to provide the greatest sustained take of well
conditioned fish potentially possible.
Initially a lake should be subjected to a comprehensive biological
survey. A management plan, usually centered around a desired optimum
and practical stocking policy, is thereby devised for the conditions
that prevail. Periodic follow-up surveys are then necessary to analyze
and evaluate results of the initial management plan. Changes in management
are then introduced as necessary, if conditions of a biological,
physical or degree of use nature have manifested themselves, or if
unforeseen factors have operated to the detriment or benefit of the
trout population.
ITINERARY
Personnel
Personnel participating in this pilot cooperative lake survey consisted
of the following individuals:
Mount RalstonClub:
Director and Past President - Dr. Reinhardt McCluskey
Director and Past President - Frank Poelman, Sr.
John Clarkson
Richard Kallenborn
Woodrow Hutchinson
Al Hannaman
Frank Poelman, Jr.
Richard Brown
Terry Jenkins
PDF:
file:///C:/Users/Bill/Downloads/R2F.ElDorado.DesolationWilderness.CooperativeLakeS urvey.19530724.pdf
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME COOPERATIVE LAKE SURVEY
DESOLATION VALLEY AREA, EL DORADO COUNTY
JULY 24 - AUGUST 2, 1953
INTRODUCTION
The Mount Ralston Fish Planting Club was formed many years ago
by a few conservation minded individuals in Sacramento. This group
realizing the heavy burden that befell the State fish conservationists
in planting out millions of hatchery-reared trout annually in Sierran
lakes and streams, organized a band of like-minded citizens to take
it upon themselves to assist, and in large part completely take over
and relieve hatcherymen of this time and money consuming endeavor in
the El Dorado County High Sierras.
From the small founding nucleus of the Club, as the word got
around, the work, necessarily on a limited scale at first, grew as
did the membership of the group, until by 1950 practically all planting
in eastern El Dorado County was done with pack stock and guidance
furnished by the Club. That year, however, saw the advent of aerial
planting, making pack-stocking of lakes obsolete. Planting that
formerly consumed weeks was now a matter of a few hours of flying
time. Stream planting, only, remained a task for pack stock. Since
stream planting was a minor phase of the planting program in the matter
of time consumption, the Club's principal project suddenly almost
disappeared. Minor projects were designed in an attempt to provide a
purpose on which to build the Club, but none filled the void caused by
the march of progress that antiquated the plodding pack mule.
This adverse situation was placed before the Department of Fish
and Game. A project was proposed to the Club by the Department entailing
the observing of trout fingerlings after aerial drops to determine
the fishes' reaction to this seemingly drastic treatment under field
conditions. Survival was good under artificial conditions in rearing
ponds, but none but fragmentary information was available on reactions
to and survival of trout after dropping in a natural setting. The Club
accepted the project, and provided valuable information in the summer
of 1951, which showed good survival and rapidly normal reaction of
dropped fish. Since the answer was thereby provided by these and subsequent
observations on the lakes, the project was thus successfully
terminated.
In an attempt to provide the Club with a continuing project,
the writer was called upon to help organize a cooperative lake survey,
because of experience gained over a period of several years on the
annual Fresno County Sportsmen's Club - California Department of Fish
and Game Cooperative Lake Survey. This project has been successfully
underway for about a dozen years in eastern Fresno County.
Lake surveys are biological and physical appraisals of bodies of
water, in this case trout lakes, that are necessary if such waters are
be properly managed, to provide the greatest sustained take of well
conditioned fish potentially possible.
Initially a lake should be subjected to a comprehensive biological
survey. A management plan, usually centered around a desired optimum
and practical stocking policy, is thereby devised for the conditions
that prevail. Periodic follow-up surveys are then necessary to analyze
and evaluate results of the initial management plan. Changes in management
are then introduced as necessary, if conditions of a biological,
physical or degree of use nature have manifested themselves, or if
unforeseen factors have operated to the detriment or benefit of the
trout population.
ITINERARY
Personnel
Personnel participating in this pilot cooperative lake survey consisted
of the following individuals:
Mount RalstonClub:
Director and Past President - Dr. Reinhardt McCluskey
Director and Past President - Frank Poelman, Sr.
John Clarkson
Richard Kallenborn
Woodrow Hutchinson
Al Hannaman
Frank Poelman, Jr.
Richard Brown
Terry Jenkins
PDF:
file:///C:/Users/Bill/Downloads/R2F.ElDorado.DesolationWilderness.CooperativeLakeS urvey.19530724.pdf