Eagle Scout, as well as Fish and Game, use Christmas trees to improve fish habitat

HAGERMAN, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Fish habitats are getting some help, thanks to Idaho Fish and Game and an Eagle Scout.

They paired up after used Christmas trees were donated to create a new environment that will help fish thrive.

“A local business, The Rock Yard in Twin Falls, donated these trees,” explained Tucker Bauer, Regional Fisheries Biologist, Idaho Fish and Game. “They bought too many last year and instead of taking them to a landfill, they brought them to us. We went and got them from them. It was a cheap way to add some habitat to the ponds there.”

The habitat can wear away over time. That can impact both fish and fishing and that’s where the trees come in.

They build an artificial reef, almost like a fish tank.

“These are artificial structures for fish; it’s similar to what you see artificial reefs in saltwater, but these are for freshwater fish. What we do is we go to a pond without any cover and we will get some cinderblocks and we will fill Christmas trees in them, secure it with concrete and then we will sink those trees in a pond to create a structure for the fish,” Tucker Jeske, an Eagle Scout explained.

They didn’t just use Christmas trees, they used PVC as those are more sustainable over time.

“We made two types of trees we did ones with Christmas trees and ones with PVC,” Jeske said. The Christmas tree ones will provide more cover but because they’re made out of wood and natural material they will break down. The PVC ones provide less cover but because they’re PVC they’ll provide cover essentially forever.

It’s not as simple as throwing a tree into a body of water. The areas are selected based on where they will be the most beneficial and you need several permits.

“Keep in mind that this is the type of thing you have to have a permit for so we went through as permitting process with IDWR, the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the army corps of engineers to get this approved so don’t go out and just dump your trees in the water if you are interested in maybe donating a Christmas tree or a bunch of Christmas trees.”

The habitats will be monitored and they hope to have reports from anglers as well about the fish.

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