SHORELINES

29 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2015 Vol :2 Opposite: File Photo by teD tucker — Volunteers this spring placed more than 200 Christmas trees in Lake Martin to create fish habitats. Above: File Photo by teD tucker — Alabama Power teamed up with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the project. HOLIDAY Habitat C H R I S T M A S T R E E S P R O V I D E A P L A C E F O R F I S H T O F R O L I C , A N D F O R F I S H E R M E N T O C A T C H T H E M . It was Christmas this spring for fish in Lake Martin – which could make for Christmas all year for anglers. Some 200 Christmas trees from the last holiday season were anchored with cinder blocks and dumped near Wind Creek State Park to provide a natural habitat for fish to frolic. The project was a joint effort of Alabama Power and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR). "It's part of our goodwill, our stewardship outreach to provide more good places to fish," says Mike Clelland, coordinator of Alabama Power's Renew Our Rivers program, who supervised the April 21 tree drop. Clelland said Alabama Power has sunk more than 60,000 Christmas trees in company reservoirs since 1993. The tree dumping sites are marked by GPS coordinates and posted on Alabama Power's website and the Shorelines smartphone app. "The trees attract fish. Our hope is to increase the catch rates of anglers," says Kyle Bolton, who works with fish habitat enhancement for the Fisheries Division of ADCNR. Bolton brought the trees from Montgomery, where they were donated by the city's recycling program or from vendors who had extras after the holidays. "As reservoirs age, the fish habitat degrades," Bolton says. "What we're doing is restoring it." Wind Creek park supervisor Bruce Adams watched the deployment from the shoreline. "Lake Martin is a fishing destination," he says. "To provide new habitat for the common fisherman so they can locate fish is important, not only for our guests who visit, but for the entire Lake Martin community." Two volunteers helped load trees on three boats. "I know what they're doing and why," says Tommy Lacey, who lives in the Wind Creek campground. "That's my fish they're attracting out there." "I know how important these structures are to fishing," says Alexander City resident Ivey Queen. "I like to see people come down here and have a good time." — GILBERT NICHOLSON "TO PROVIDE NEW HABITAT FOR THE COMMON FISHERMAN SO THEY CAN LOCATE FISH IS IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY FOR OUR GUESTS WHO VISIT, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE L AKE MARTIN COMMUNITY." – BRU CE A D A M S, SUP ER V IS O R O F W IND CR EEK S TAT E PA R K

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