Fishing Forum

Several made mention of the Lost Creek piece in XPLORE yesterday, and there was an adjoining article that ran on the front page and was missed by many.
Both stories are attached below. If you are a lover of the Lost Creek area for summer and winter fishing, you might want to read these pieces! There is a real threat to this water, and some of us will have to get involved to save it once things come down to Legislative votes for funding.
Thanks!
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Well those attachments don't seem to want to open. Let's try this instead:





Just Passin' Through: We can't afford to lose Lost Creek Reservoir Wed, Jan 5, 2005 [url "http://www.standard.net/standard/news/news_story.html?sid=00050104184501574483&TVS=1%24-933463964%2450%24Thu+Jan+06+10%3A03%3A15+EST+2005-11544%240%244344353439304535453736364144453036303930334246333638443734323838&CSBOX=1%24158%240%24USD%240.0%#"] Larger Text[/url] [url "http://www.standard.net/standard/news/news_story.html?sid=00050104184501574483&TVS=1%24-933463964%2450%24Thu+Jan+06+10%3A03%3A15+EST+2005-11544%240%244344353439304535453736364144453036303930334246333638443734323838&CSBOX=1%24158%240%24USD%240.0%#"] Smaller Text[/url]
[url "http://www.standard.net/standard/news/print_story.html?sid=00050104184501574483"][/url][url "http://www.standard.net/standard/mail_story.html?sid=00050104184501574483"][/url] [url "http://www.standard.net/cgi-bin/adcycle2/adclick.cgi?gid=52&layout=multi&id=428"][/url][url "http://www.standard.net/cgi-bin/adcycle2/adclick.cgi?gid=52&layout=multi&id=380"] [/url]
By BRAD KERR
Just Passin' Through
The spare snow offered little buffer against the jagged, rocky face of the dam, making it difficult to maneuver our sleds ahead of us as we eased our way down the steep embankment.
Once within a few feet of the lake, I picked up a softball-sized stone and tossed it into the air. It made a resounding smack against the ice and bounced twice more. The surface here appeared plenty solid.
My first trip to Lost Creek this ice season was fun and exciting. The fish were plentiful and cooperative, although smallish.
But I can't say that all seemed right in the world as I thought about the news I'd recently heard from a reputable source.
It wasn't good news. Threats to our recreation areas are numerous. Whether caused by nature or man, the threats are real. And Lost Creek is on the brink or realizing its destiny within the next year or so.
Repairs were made on the dam some time ago and, along with that, some adjustments to the use of the area. New stocks of rainbow and cutthroat trout were planted, the lake was established as totally wakeless to boaters, and camping was no longer allowed.
Then came the drought; water levels have yet to come back to their previous levels. And now, new threats must be resolved by state government.
Now, this is no knock on the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the federal Bureau of Land Management, or county or state officials, but we've got to face the music here.
Money is never in surplus; budgets run tight everywhere. Our state legislature is strapped every year when it comes to dividing up money for an already impoverished education system. Plus, every road in the state is under construction.
That said, where do you think the financing is going to come from to keep a little ol' impoundment like Lost Creek up and running?
Did you notice toward the end of last summer how the gate was open, but fees were no longer being collected for daily use? That's not because there's no room in the bank account for more funds. It's just that the Division of Parks and Recreation no longer has a budget to support the continuance of fee collections.
So here's the bottom line, folks: Either Lost Creek will become a rock-solid state park, or we'll lose it altogether. No in-betweens here. And we can either sit back and wait to see what happens, or we can do something about it so the issue swings in our favor.
There will come a time in the near future when we'll begin to hear, likely from the state parks department itself, that public lobbying is needed to influence the Legislature as it begins to draw lines for slicing the money pie.
Now, you know as well as I do how difficult it is sometimes to attend your child's school's PTA meeting. We live in a busy culture, and for those of us who like to spend spare time in the great outdoors, our time is precious. But without our involvement, we may end up with one less spot to frequent.
If you're thinking, "Oh, they've spent money on the project in the past. They can't afford to just drop it," you might want to think again.
Look at the downside that has already begun to make fisheries biologists shake their heads. Because of the drought, water levels in the lake are very, very low, condensing the trout that were restocked. The fish have stunted because the competition for food sources is so great.
While crawfish call the reservoir home, too, fish must be large enough to utilize this food source -- and it just hasn't happened.
Certainly, the water-year cycles will swing again to the wet side. But by then, will Lost Creek still be available for sportsmen's use?
Although it's a great place to take young anglers because of the potential for fast action, Lost Creek Reservoir is going to need some help. Both Mother Nature and the outdoors fanatics of Northern Utah will need to get actively involved. We need the mountain snowpack from Mother Nature. And those who love the outdoors will need to lobby our state representatives to guarantee the lake's future.
I, for one, do not want to lose this beautiful area as a recreation spot. If you feel the same, then plan now to have your voice be heard when the issue comes to the Legislature.
Otherwise, we'll all just have to go someplace else.
Brad Kerr is a recreational sportsman from Layton.
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... and here's the one that ran on the front page.




Future uncertain for Lost Creek Wed, Jan 5, 2005 [url "http://www.standard.net/standard/news/news_story.html?sid=00050104233009118589+cat=news+template=news1.html&TVS=1%24-933463964%2450%24Thu+Jan+06+10%3A03%3A15+EST+2005-11544%240%244344353439304535453736364144453036303930334246333638443734323838&C#"] Larger Text[/url] [url "http://www.standard.net/standard/news/news_story.html?sid=00050104233009118589+cat=news+template=news1.html&TVS=1%24-933463964%2450%24Thu+Jan+06+10%3A03%3A15+EST+2005-11544%240%244344353439304535453736364144453036303930334246333638443734323838&C#"] Smaller Text[/url]
[url "http://www.standard.net/standard/news/print_story.html?sid=00050104233009118589"][/url][url "http://www.standard.net/standard/mail_story.html?sid=00050104233009118589"][/url] [url "http://www.standard.net/cgi-bin/adcycle2/adclick.cgi?gid=52&layout=multi&id=386"][/url][url "http://www.standard.net/cgi-bin/adcycle2/adclick.cgi?gid=52&layout=multi&id=380"] [/url]
By BRYCE PETERSEN JR.
Standard-Examiner staff
[url "mailto:bpetersen@standard.net"]bpetersen@standard.net[/url]
It's easier than ever to ice fish at Lost Creek. But the improvements are "interim," and the future is unknown.
For the first time, the road is being plowed to the spillway all winter long. Good parking, a good road and a short hike have replaced last year's four-wheel-drive adventure and half-mile slog to some of the fastest through-the-ice trout action around.
Lost Creek holds some of the cleanest still water in the northern region, said Craig Schaugaard, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resource's northern region aquatics manager. The drought has reduced the lake's size, but stocking has continued at its normal rate. Fishing has been fast, although the fish have remained small. It is a favorite spot to introduce children to fishing.
It's also among the last of its kind. Trout are all but gone from Pineview Reservoir and dwindling at Hyrum Reservoir. Even East Canyon's trout population has been hit -- by parasites and, with Park City booming, scarce water and declining quality, Schaugaard said.
Short of a drive to Porcupine Reservoir in Cache County, or Birch Creek or Woodruff reservoirs in Rich County, Lost Creek is the last, best hope for local trout anglers looking to toss a worm and bubble onto flat water.
For 30 years, anglers have encountered mixed messages at Lost Creek. The reservoir, built by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, was managed by the state Division of Parks and Recreation mainly as a summer destination. A "No Trespassing" sign was posted at the closed gate in the winter, although the DWR listed it as open to fishing.
So anglers had to decide whether to brave the unplowed roads, cross a closed gate and hike down a steep embankment to fish.
This year, it's unanimous: The reservoir is open to ice fishing. It's part of a memorandum of understanding, which took effect in May between the Bureau of Reclamation, Morgan County, the DWR and the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. The agreement runs through October 2007, but since funding is approved yearly by each agency, there is no guarantee it will be this way next year.
"If no one can cover what needs to be done, we may have to close the reservoir or reduce services," said Jim Jensen, recreation manager at the bureau's Provo office.
Closure, at least in the near term, is an outside possibility. All of the agencies support recreational access. And it is unlikely that a budget crunch from one entity would cause the gates to lock, Jensen said. Another partner would have to step up or services would be reduced.
The Bureau of Reclamation, which completed the dam in 1966, cut back its annual contribution to law enforcement and maintenance from about $43,000 in 2003 to about $15,000 this year.
"We about had to choose to either close it or try to seek help from some of those partners," Jensen said.
The Division of Wildlife Resources kicked in $15,000 for recreation access, along with continuing to manage the fishery. Morgan County contributed $10,000 and committed to plow the road that extra mile between the last bus stop and the spillway. Parks and Recreation will continue to be responsible for day-to-day management.
The distant future is a bit murkier. The four agencies have yet to come up with a long-term solution.
Morgan County Councilman Daniel Hancock considers the county's contribution "seed money" to encourage state and federal investment in improvements -- such as campgrounds, boat ramps and "some amenities that people can really enjoy," and which could spur the local economy.
Without improvements, Hancock said, an ongoing annual contribution of $10,000 just to maintain the status quo would be like "continuing to flog a dead horse."
"There's nothing there," agreed John Sullivan, manager of Lost Creek and nearby East Canyon State Park. "It's a great place for fishing and people love going up there, but there's no facility. ... For us to manage Lost Creek (long-term), without a doubt, there is going to need to be a facility."
That would take a one-time infusion of cash on par with a $6 million project that is about to begin at East Canyon, where the bureau plans to split construction costs with the state.
"Full development" at Lost Creek -- ranger station, picnic tables, 105 campsites and more parking, restrooms and boat ramps -- would cost an estimated $4.6 million, Sullivan said.
When East Canyon's improvements are finished in 2007, there could be federal money available for Lost Creek, but only if a nonfederal agency -- Parks and Recreation, for instance -- pays for half of the improvements and commits to long-term management at the site, Jensen said. And that would come without further federal help.
That means the state and the county would have to pick up the bureau's $15,000 contribution, as well as any additional maintenance and personnel costs brought on by the new developments.
For comparison, East Canyon raises about $100,000 a year in user fees and has an annual budget of just more than $300,000, including personnel costs. For a fully developed Lost Creek State Park, revenues and costs would likely be similar or a bit lower.
"There is a great interest in keeping this going," Hancock said. "It just boils down to funding."
Sullivan said a request for money for Lost Creek improvement and management will likely come up in the 2006 legislative session.
"Is there an interest in Lost Creek by the bureau and our agency? Yes, but there are a lot of hurdles to get us there," Sullivan said.
The East Canyon project was on the top of the priority list for more than five years before funding became reality, Sullivan said.
If Lost Creek is similarly delayed, the question is: How long will the "interim" partners continue to flog an unresponsive horse?
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Good article Brad, I think we have a good support base here with the BFT members in Utah. If we can get involved in an effort to save the lake for public use it would not only benefit us but also our kids and grandkids. One thing about the other article that surprised me was the part about putting 102 camp sites in at Lost creek, I just don't see how a small area like LC could support so many camp sites. Then there is the problem with the lack of nutrients in the waters of Lost creek, another reason why so few of the fish grow to a larger size. I wonder if any thing can be done to help with that problem? Lost creek is such a great little lake, I just hope there will be some thing we can do to help save it and make it better. WH2
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Good point WH2 -- Beyond the zooplankton and naturally occuring bacterial growth, I suppose crawfish are about it. And I do think the DWR could do something more along the lines of forage IF the lake would ever fill again! That's put a big hurt on our fishing waters everywhere. I just hope others are like you, and are willing to get behind this project!
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I really appreciate you bringing this to our attention Uinta Ice. I think that LC is a real gem and needs to be developed for recreation. It's very accessable from I-84 and a short drive from the
Wasatch Front. With the way our population growth is going on the
Wasatch Front it only makes sense to expand our recreating options. We all know how hard it is to find lake side campsites during a 3 day weekend during the summer months.
As far as the solution (in my humble opinion) I think that the drought and sluggish economy will help the Lost Creek development possiblity the most (more water=healthier fish,better economy=more tax dollars) The third factor which you have already addressed is AWARENESS. That's the key to draw attention and turn the heads of our legislature and other decision
making bodies. Petitions.,media spots,what ever it takes!!
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[cool]Very good article, Uinta Ice. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. That is a nice little lake, that I'd like to take my daughter fishing at for one of her first times in a few years, but it sounds like it might go away if we don't lobby the state legislature in the 2006 session.

Perhaps you could blow up a big copy of this article to stick up at Sportsmans Wharehouse (all 3 Utah locations), Hooked Fishing Tackle, Fish Tech, and all of the other tackle shops too, and have copies of the article for anglers to take home and read. We need to bring this to more peoples attention!
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Great idea! I'll try to follow up on that!
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