Last Tuesday, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced its decision to move forward with the drawing down of Pond 4 on the west side of the Canyon Ferry Wildlife Management Area (CFWMA) beginning this month and lasting through the fall. The project aims to kill off invasive carp, restore native vegetation, and improve waterfowl habitat.
Waterfowl hunters should expect Pond 4 to have low levels of water or be mostly dry this fall hunting season.
Biologist Adam Grove says the effort is about looking ahead and promoting better conditions for the future of CFWMA.
“The goal will be to completely dry up the pond or to at least get water levels low enough in winter that carp will be winter killed. Then, if the draw down is successful, the pond will be kept dry for an extended time period in order to promote a better invertebrate and submergent vegetation response to the drawdown,” said Grove.
The pond will likely start filling again with water flowing or seeping in from Canyon Ferry Reservoir sometime in the late spring or summer of 2016.
The announcement comes after the completion of an environmental assessment and public comment period. The Decision Notice can be found online at http://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/.
(Report via Montana FWP)
