Fishing Regulations Lifted at Lake Jean in Ricketts Glen State Park HARRISBURG, Pa. (Aug. 28) - The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that it has temporarily lifted all seasons, sizes and creel limits on Lake Jean in Northeastern Pennsylvania in anticipation of the lake being fully drained next spring by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The 245-acre lake is part of Ricketts Glen State Park. DCNR announced yesterday that it would drain the lake next spring to permit replacement of a deteriorating dam control tower. “We have chosen to temporarily lift the regulations in order to reduce the number of fish in the lake in anticipation of a fish salvage prior to a complete drawdown of the lake,” said Dave Miko, chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management. “We want anglers to fish the water and make good use of as many fish as they can.” The temporary regulations take effect immediately and will remain in place until further notice by the PFBC, which expects to conduct a fish salvage at the lake in late fall. “We realize the drawdown may inconvenience some anglers and boaters, but the integrity of the dam and safety of our park visitors is paramount,” said DCNR Bureau of State Parks Director David Kemmerer. “The dam control tower must be replaced and that construction work requires excavation of a portion of the dam embankment. Maintaining even a limited pool could compromise the dam during heavy rain, thus the need for complete drawdown.” This project is part of Enhance Penn’s Woods -- a two-year, more than $200 million initiative launched by Governor Tom Corbett to repair and improve Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests. Built in 1950, the 26-foot-high dam is reliant on a concrete control tower that discharges through its base while regulating the pool level of Lake Jean, a focal point of the 13,050-acre state park spreading into four counties. Beset by leakage and deterioration, the entire tower system must be replaced. “The hope is to start this project in spring 2015, with drawdown beginning after ice-out on the lake,” Kemmerer said. “Though dependent on review and bidding processes, construction should last about one year.” The project is estimated to cost about $800,000 allocated from the Growing Greener bond fund. The bureau director stressed construction only would affect certain recreation opportunities involving the lake. The park campground, cabins and trails all will remain open. Efforts to harvest or salvage fish populations, along with management of the lake’s fishery before, during and after the project, will be coordinated with the PFBC. Postings and flyers are notifying park anglers of these changes, which will remain in effect until the lake is fully drained. Meanwhile, the DCNR Bureau of State Parks and PFBC are addressing how to best salvage and transport remaining fish. Beset by low pH levels traced to acid deposition and infertile underlying geology, the lake has received biannual lime applications in joint efforts by the bureau and PFBC to improve its water quality and fish community. The drawdown will facilitate DCNR study of other possible future lakebed improvements. Lake Jean is stocked each year with trout and also contains a variety of warm-water species, including largemouth bass, crappies, bluegills, pickerel, and sunfish. With acreage in Luzerne, Sullivan, Wyoming and Columbia counties, Ricketts Glen parklands envelop Glens Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark recognized for wild, free-flowing waterfalls cascading through rock-strewn clefts and surrounded by old-growth timber. The Falls Trail enables park visitors to glimpse the 22 named waterfalls, the highest being the 94-foot Ganoga Falls. ### Media Contacts: PFBC – Eric Levis, Press Secretary 717.705.7806 [email protected] DCNR - Terry Brady, 717.772.9101.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 16:46:29 +0000
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