Meetings Scheduled On Planned Rotenone Treatments Of Eastern Washington Waters

OLYMPIA – State fishery managers will host four public meetings in late July to discuss plans to treat several lakes and a stream in eastern Washington with rotenone, a naturally occurring pesticide commonly used to remove undesirable and illegally stocked fish species from lakes and streams.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is proposing to treat No Name Lake in Pend Oreille County; Williams and Badger lakes in Spokane County; and Green and Lower (Little) Green lakes, Rat Lake, and Mouse Pond in Okanogan County this fall to remove species ranging from bass and bullhead to stunted panfish and tench. The department is also proposing to treat a five-mile section of Smalle Creek in Pend Oreille County.

“The goal is to restore trout populations by removing competing species that have essentially taken over these waters,” said Bruce Bolding, WDFW warmwater fish program manager. “Illegally stocked fish compete with trout fry for food and prey upon them, rendering efforts to stock trout ineffective. At Smalle Creek, we are proposing to remove non-native eastern brook trout in order to restore a population of native westslope cutthroat.”

WDFW has scheduled public meetings to discuss the planned lake and stream treatments as follows:

Olympia: 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, in Room 175 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St.

Cusick: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, at the Cusick American Legion Post, 150 E. Timber St.

Cheney: 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, at the Cheney Public Library, 610 1st St.

Okanogan: 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 31, at the Okanogan Public Utility District office, 1331 2nd Ave.

In addition to input received at the public meetings, WDFW will consider written comments received through Aug. 11. Comments should be addressed to Bruce Bolding, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091.

A decision on whether to proceed with the planned treatments 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. 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.