Nebraskaland

main sediment dike. This shallow area also forms a wetland that is being colonized with cattails, bulrushes and an assortment of native pond weeds and smartweed that filter sediment and provide food for migrating waterfowl. Along the creek in the wildlife area above the reservoir, three wetlands were dug and the bank notched to allow the stream to spread out, slow and drop more sediment before it reaches the lake. Smaller sediment traps were built on two smaller, intermittent streams that flow into the lake from the north. The reservoir had already lost some of its surface area, and the sediment basins took more, reducing its size to 160 acres, a worthwhile loss to maintain water quality. The lake's outlet was modified to allow the lake to be lowered to remove the silt that will one day fill in the basins, rather than the lake, a process currently underway at Wagon Train and Summit lakes, sites of previous Aquatic Habitat projects. Nearly all of the shoreline is now protected from wind-driven waves by breakwaters or riprap, addressing the other source of sediment. "Offshore breakwaters create a calmer environment for more wetland species to get established and they do function really well," said Jackson. Hundreds of trees had to be removed to build the structures and reshape the lake's shoreline. Most were moved to the lakebed to create fish habitat. Some were cut and stacked like Lincoln logs. Another 400 eastern red cedar trees were cut and hauled in from the wildlife area. There are also now a dozen underwater islands or shoals dotting the lakebed. Some were built with old riprap that had lined shorelines, others with rock that was hauled in specifically for that purpose. Some were built with soil and topped with rocks, trees or gravel. "If you add up the rock piles and trees, I know you're well over 500 or 600 structures in there," Jackson added All of that structure will attract fish. "They like protection," Jackson said. "Small fish will congregate around them. You'll certainly get some bass around those, and the crappies orient around those things also." The number of angler hours fell to 18,000 per year by 2012, half of what it had been 20 years earlier. Based on what they've seen following other projects on the Salt Valley Lakes, biologists expect that number to quadruple soon. As has been the case with other projects, the 417,000 fish stocked since the fall of 2018 are growing fast. The lake received the usual dose of largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegills and crappies added to eastern Nebraska lakes. But biologists also added redear sunfish, rock bass, walleyes and, last fall, 1,150 17-inch tiger muskies. Walleye and bass have reached 15 inches, crappies 10 inches and bluegills 8 inches. "The fishery has taken off," Blank said, "and angler catch rates were high last spring. I would expect the crappie and bluegill fishing to be good out there this year. I don't see any reason it wouldn't be." In all, the project is showcasing what commission biologists and the engineers they work with have learned during the first 25 years of the Aquatic Habitat Program. "This is the biggest aquatic habitat project that we've ever undertaken," Jackson said. "We tried to create a balance between access and habitat improvements. "If you go to Conestoga, you say, 'They did a lot of things here.' I think there's some balance here. You can't just do everything under the water." But boy did they. April 2022 • Nebraskaland 35 Rock piles, gravel beds, trees and other fish habitat added to Conestoga are now covered with 10 feet of water within casting distance of the fishing points built in the bay in the lake's northwest corner.

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