Contributed
More food in more places — that’s what the addition of three new floating fish feeders on the lake means for the fish in Lake Auman.
On July 4, volunteers from the Lake Auman Sports Club (LASC) deployed the three new feeders, placing one near Pine Island and one at each end of the dam.
This brings the total of floating feeders to six counting three other feeders installed on the lake in May 2013, June 2016 and May 2018 which are maintained and filled by the Lake Auman Sports Club.
The additional floating fish feeders are a part of this year’s SLW Lake Committee’s Lake Auman Fishery Enhancement Plan, which was developed to address the recommendations and implement the management options provided from last year’s professional lake study.
The plan was developed and included in the current year’s budget. Once the budget was passed, a presentation and motion to approve the Plan was made to the SLWLA Board of Directors. With board approval, the feeders were ordered and shipped.
Deserving of special thanks is Cliff Baldwin, Welding Enterprises Inc. in West End, for providing the necessary forklift support and location for delivery of the feeders.
The feeders were then moved over to SLW by Tom Gaffney, Don Smith and Bill LeGars with Bill using his John Deere backhoe tractor. All three feeders were assembled by LASC member Jeff Timmons, who will also be maintaining and filling them.
Helping with the July 4 deployment were Ryan Badger, Jeff Brisson, Karen Clemmer, Jim Deak, Tom Gaffney, Adam Minicucci, Steve Reid, Don Smith and Jeff Timmons. Thanks also go to Bob VanHouten, BVH Construction Services in West End, for providing the seven concrete anchors used for this project.
Last year’s lake study recommendations also included increasing supplemental feeding by individual property owners: “The more individual property owners that begin a feeding program the greater the benefit around the entire lake.”
The Lake Auman Sports Club offers fish food, in various quantities, for sale at the same cost they paid for it. You will find the fish food for sale in the lobby at the SLW community center.
