Arizona Ecological Services Office and Arizona Fisheries Resources Office staff hosted a public meeting to solicit comments on the draft environmental assessment for the Stillman Lake project.  If the preferred alternative is approved, the Fish & Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) will renovate Stillman Lake, at the headwaters of the Verde River, by treating the lake with pisicide to remove non-native fishes, then restock the lake with native species, including razorback sucker and roundtail chub.  Another alternative is to remove part of the berm that creates the lake, mechanically remove fish, then reconstruct the berm.  This alternative would be much more expensive to implement and may not be successful in restoring the berm to pre-project conditions.

Twenty-seven people attended the meeting.  Questions included concerns about affects of picisides on water quality, humans, and non-target species; opportunities for sport-fishing in the future; public access to the area; and long-term management of non-native and native fishes.  There were also several comments made in support of the project. 

The public comment period continues until April 25, 2007.