Fish Habitats Made For Lake Restoration

On Saturday, September 30, members from the Seven Lakes North & South Lakes & Dams Committee gathered with volunteers to construct small-fish habitats for Lake Ramapo.

Each fish habitat is about four feet tall.  Each is constructed from plumbing pipe – allowing them to last up to twenty years.

Tournament Angler Steve Gardner was in charge of the habitats along with Mark Widman.  Gardner is considered a

“fishing expert” as he fishes about 200 days out of the year.  He lived in Seven Lakes North for seven years before moving to Lake Auman on the West Side.  However, he was asked to be on the Lakes & Dams Committee to help with the restoration of the lakes.

“I know what makes a good and bad lake,” Gardner said.

“He’s the architect of all the fish habitats,” Widman explained.  “We rely on him for all things fisherman.”

This is the second year that fish habitats have been made.  Large pipes were cut down to size before being drilled with holes.  Smaller pipes were then weaved into the holes, creating a tree-like appearance.  Cement was put inside the bottom of the structure to help weigh it down in the water while an empty bottle was placed inside the top part of the structure for buoyancy.

These habitats will be placed in Lake Ramapo in Seven Lakes North.  The goal is to begin restoration of this smaller lake to study improvements at a quicker pace than a larger lake.  When it is verified that the efforts of the Committee and volunteers are successful in Lake Ramapo, they will extend their efforts to the other lakes.

Participating members from the Lake & Dam Committee included Steve Gardner, Mark Widman, Pat McNamara, Bruce Runyan, and Al Anderson.  Volunteers from the community included Kim Doolittle, Bill Beardslee,Tom Miriello, Sue Stahl, and David Poisson.