What’s New?Notice to Hikers Heading to Nada and Snow LakesRepair work will begin in July and continue throughout this 2009 summer hiking season on the Nada and Upper Snow Lake Dams. Access to the Snow Lakes area will NOT be restricted due to the work. A temporary detour of the hiking trail will occur in September when Upper Snow Lake Dam is repaired. Work on Nada Lake Dam will occur during the whole month of July. The water level in Nada Lake will be several feet lower than in the past and once repaired, will remain lower year-round. Work on Upper Snow Lake Dam will occur during a two week period in September. Areas of deteriorating concrete will be patched and a trash rack will be installed on a gate. Work on the dams address safety and operational deficiencies identified during inspections done in August of 2008. All construction equipment, supply storage, and campsites for the workers will be set up adjacent to the Nada or Upper Snow Lake Dam. All personnel, equipment, gear and supplies will be transported by helicopter. Helicopter traffic will be heavy on several days for mobilization and demobilization of the worksite and for hauling cement to rebuild Nada Dam. Noise associated with generators, compressors, drills, hammers and other construction equipment should be expected. Work will be restricted to the hours of 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily. The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery (LNFH) possesses water rights in Upper and Lower Snow Lakes and Nada Lake. Prior to the Wilderness Act, the FWS has owned and operated the dams and other water delivery facilities on these lakes and the land in which they sit. Water released from the lakes support fish production at Leavenworth NFH during the summer. By agreement, the US Forest Service manages the land as a part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and the Enchantment Lakes permit area. For more information on this topic please contact Corky Broaddus, Information and Education Specialist, at Leavenworth NFH (509) 548-7641 or corky_broaddus@fws.gov. Thank you for your cooperation. Leavenworth Hatchery Tours BeginIt’s not too early to schedule a Leavenworth Hatchery guided tour for this upcoming spring and summer. Tours are available Monday – Friday between 9 am to 3 pm each day. Scheduling ahead provides hatchery educators and interpreters time to plan and customize a special tour just for your school, organization, business, or community group. It’s a great way for us to connect you with nature! Tours include a walk in the visitor center and hatchery nursery providing several opportunities to view salmon. Also included, is a beautiful stroll on the scenic Icicle Creek Nature Trail where you can observe wildlife, enjoy the smell and sounds of nature at its best. Bring a picnic and relax in Hatchery Park. Call 509-548-7641 for more information. Current ProjectsLeavenworth National Fish Hatchery ReviewThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proactively initiated a series of hatchery reviews in May 2005 to assure that its 21 hatchery programs are part of a holistic and integrated strategy—consistent with State, Tribal, and Federal strategies—for conserving wild stocks and managing fisheries in watersheds within the Columbia River Basin. These reviews were tailored after a successful process recently implemented in Puget Sound and Coastal Washington watersheds. The team completed their review of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery (NFH) program in April 2007. The Hatchery Review Team, comprised of Service and other federal scientists (NOAA & USGS) conducted field tours with hatchery managers and their staffs, reviewed hatchery operations, and met the co-managing agencies and tribes to get a clear understanding of the goals for and status of each wild and hatchery population and their associated habitat and management strategies. Following these field visits, the team put together recommendations for each hatchery which were then documented in the Pacific Region Hatchery Review Team Report. See the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery section in the Leavenworth Complex Review Final Report. Staying GreenThe Leavenworth NFH staff continues to achieve making hatchery operations energy efficient and environmentally sensitive. The facility sits in the heart of the Cascade Mountains surrounded by abundant natural resources. It is imperative that we preserve and protect the natural landscape. Several steps have been made to ensure we are meeting our conservation goals in our daily hatchery operations and in the public visitation and education programs we provide. These include such activities as:
The Leavenworth NFH recently was the second FWS National Fish Hatchery to be awarded a national Environmental Management Award. We will continue to make efforts to conserve energy and work toward reducing our overall global footprint. |
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