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Click Here 41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, January 31, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 25, 2004 Deadline: The days are numbered for Diamond Lake’s tui chubs By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune The Forest Service remains mum — and may stay that way for now — on whether it prefers any specific alternative for removing millions of unwanted tui chubs from Diamond Lake. Umpqua National Forest Supervisor Jim Caplan said Thursday his agency’s draft study on the environmental impacts of cleansing the Douglas County lake of chubs has yet to identify an alternative that’s "head and shoulders" above the others, even though the document is set for release next month. "I’m emotionally ready and a lot of other people are as well," Caplan said. "But I want to hear from the experts and the public if we have a stand-out (alternative)." Most of these studies, which are called draft environmental impact statements, list a range of alternatives and include one deemed "preferred" by the agency. However, the National Environmental Policy Act that requires such studies does not require preferred alternatives in draft studies. The law, however, requires a preferred alternative listed in the final environmental impact statement. Advertisement Caplan said a multi-agency group working on the Diamond Lake chub issues will host a public meeting Feb. 2 in Roseburg to test the public’s pulse on whether a preferred alternative should be chosen. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has proposed drawing the lake down and treating it with the chemical rotenone to kill off all the lake’s fish, then re-stock it with game fish for anglers. The rotenone alternative is part of the study and state biologists continue to back it, yet ODFW biologist Dave Loomis said he will support any consensus generated by the working group. "We still think rotenone is a very good alternative, but we’re not the only ones involved here," Loomis said. But some environmental activists hope the Forest Service separates itself from the ODFW and centers on a long-term solution with a shelf life spanning generations, not a decade or more. "They’ve been pretty tight-mouthed about it, so it’s hard to guess," said Francis Eatherington, forest monitor for the Roseburg-based conservation group Umpqua Watersheds. Her group backs the mechanical removal of the fish followed by stocking the lake with predatory fish to keep chub populations low — without targeting complete removal as urged by the state. "It’s unreal to think that Diamond Lake can be the only lake to be chub-free," Eatherington said. "Let’s look at what’s reasonable and go for that, something sustainable so we don’t have to poison the lake every 40 years." Diamond Lake’s long list of woes began when illegally introduced, non-native tui chubs resurfaced there in 1992. The chubs have since ballooned to more than 30 million, eating the lake’s zooplankton and squeezing out the trout stocked for anglers. The ODFW now stocks the lake with larger, more aggressive trout that can feed on chubs when traditional insect numbers are low. But the trout cannot solve the lake’s water-quality issue. With zooplankton numbers down, the blue-green algae explode under the summer sun and release enough toxins to render the lake a health hazard to humans and pets. Cool weather kills the algae, and the lake’s normal blue hue returns. The final environmental study on the lake is due in late spring, and Caplan said he hopes the agencies begin implementing any action there later this year. If a preferred alternative is selected at the Feb. 2 meeting, there would still be time to get it into the draft document, Caplan said. Doing so would help focus public comments, he said. "To do the job adequately, meet the law and listen to the public, it takes a while," Caplan said. "The meeting is intended to move us in that direction," he said. Tui chub meeting WHAT: Diamond Lake Working Group public meeting. WHY: Gather comments on whether a preferred alternative should be listed in a Diamond Lake environmental study. WHEN: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 2. WHERE: ODFW Regional Office, 4192 North Umpqua Highway, Roseburg. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times