DFG News Archive

Scoping Period for Lake Davis Pike Eradication Project Proposal Closes Oct. 31

The scoping period for the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) proposed project to eradicate northern pike from Lake Davis is drawing to a close. Scoping comments need to be postmarked by Oct. 31.

On Sept. 14, DFG filed a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report for a proposed project at Lake Davis, a 4,000-acre reservoir located in the Plumas National Forest. That announcement began an extensive process of state and federal environmental reviews, culminating with a DFG decision whether or not to approve a project to eradicate northern pike from Lake Davis with a possible implementation date in 2007.

The proposed project combines reservoir drawdown to 10,000- 20,000 acre feet and the use of a liquid version of the fish-killing agent rotenone to eradicate the northern pike from Lake Davis and its upstream tributaries. The proposed project is in addition to DFG’s ongoing northern pike program at Lake Davis, which since 2000 has involved intensive manual removal of approximately 55,000 northern pike, pike containment efforts, outreach and education, enforcement, and fisheries monitoring. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS)-Plumas National Forest published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a use permit in support of the DFG proposed project. The NOP, Initial Study, and Project Description, and a link to the Notice of Intent can be viewed at www.dfg.ca.gov/northernpike.

The proposed project and a reasonable range of alternatives will be analyzed during an extensive public process, which began with four public scoping meetings in September in Portola and Sacramento. Those meetings allowed the public an opportunity to offer input on the range of actions, alternatives, mitigation measures, and significant environmental effects to be discussed in the draft EIR/EIS.

To date, five alternatives have been preliminarily identified. Three of them involve the use of rotenone, one involves complete dewatering (draining) the reservoir and its tributaries, and another option would be to continue the current control-and-contain activities that have been in place since 2000. A reasonable range of alternatives will be identified after DFG and the USFS consider agency and public input received during the scoping process. Those interested may find how to submit comments at www.dfg.ca.gov/northernpike/comment.html. Mail submissions may be sent to CA Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 1858, Portola, CA, 96122, or fax at (530) 832-9706.

Once the scoping period ends, a draft EIR/EIS will be prepared and circulated sometime next year for public review and comment. In the event a project is approved in late 2006 or early 2007, possible treatment could occur in late summer/early fall 2007.