UNION – As the Kentucky Department of Parks continues lowering the lake level at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site in order to repair a leaking dam, state wildlife officials removed about 300 fish from the lake.
A team of fisheries biologists and technicians with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources spent July 3 recovering fish from the lake in Boone County and relocating them to a lake 50 miles away.
According to a Kentucky Parks press release, the action will help "save fish facing an uncertain future." The fish and wildlife department offered its assistance after the May 22 discovery of a leaking dam at Big Bone Lick park. The dam, which does not appear to be in imminent danger of failing, impounds a 9-acre lake.
State officials are drawing down the water level of the lake in order to determine the source of the leak and assess any damage.
Previous coverage: State drawing down water level at Big Bone Lick lake because of leak
“We wanted to move quickly to remove and relocate as many fish as possible while the lake level was suitable for our crews to safely launch their boats into the lake,” said Ron Brooks, director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife crews used electrofishing boats to recover the fish. The technique involves applying electrical current to the water, temporarily stunning the fish so they can be netted then released alive. Largemouth bass up to 15 inches, channel catfish up to 18 inches and bluegill were recovered and relocated to 88-acre Benjy Kinman Lake in Henry County, located between Louisville and Cincinnati.
As a precaution the park in Boone County has also closed an access road to the lake as well as a nearby picnic shelter. Signs have been posted along Big Bone Creek downstream from the leaking dam alerting anglers of the possible danger.
Otherwise Big Bone Lick State Historic Site remains open, Gil Lawson, public information officer for Kentucky Department of Parks, told The Enquirer on July 4.
"They stopped the fishing over the last week but all the other activities and attractions are open," Lawson said. "The campground is full."
Located at 3380 Beaver Road, the park is known for its indoor and outdoor exhibits of fossils, a bison herd that is viewable daily, hiking trails and camping.
"We're still getting the regular crowd we usually do with the exception of fishing," Lawson said.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife stocks the lake at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site with channel catfish every other year and Big Bone Creek, downstream of the leaking dam, with rainbow trout three times each year.
Biologists will continue to evaluate the situation before determining future stocking efforts in the lake and creek.
An inspection on June 22 by Dam Safety personnel from the Kentucky Division of Water noted a large leak discharging on the downstream slope of the 70-foot-high dam. The leak appears to be the result of internal soil erosion within the dam, possibly related to a leaking draw-down pipe.
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site has 813 acres with 40 acres of picnic grounds and a 62-site campground with electricity, water, grills, bathhouse, and a pool, according to the Kentucky Parks website. The park’s modern museum and visitor center has paleontological and archaeological exhibits – developed in cooperation with Cincinnati Museum Center – on display and the adjacent grounds also feature life-sized replicas of mammoth, mastodon, ground sloth and bison. Among the latest additions to the visitor center is an 8-foot-high skeletal reconstruction of a 2,000-pound Harlan's Ground Sloth.
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Video about Big Bone museum: Science looms large at Big Bone visitor center
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/boone-county/2018/07/04/fish-moved-bass-catfish-get-new-home-big-bone-lake-level-lowered/758048002/Bagikan Berita Ini
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