Volunteers drop donated Christmas trees in the lake, which provides a good environment for fish. Photo taken from a Kentucky Fish and Wildlife video.
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
Have a live Christmas tree? The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife will take it.
“Christmas for the Fishes” is an annual program that uses evergreens donated after the holiday season to make underwater fish habitats that fish need to thrive.
Each year the department accepts donated evergreen trees from all across the commonwealth from Dec. 26 to Jan. 15. According to the department’s website, Barren County’s drop-off location is at Barren River Lake Port Oliver Boat Ramp.
Donated trees will be anchored to environmentally-friendly weights and submerged at various depths in different lakes and reservoirs across Kentucky to provide places for fish to feed, shelter and spawn.
“They make great refuge and feeding habitat for game fish, as well as small fish and invertebrates that are crucial for a thriving ecosystem,” the website stated. “Fish flourish in an environment that is full of different types of cover including trees and logs. The donated trees will help restore woody structures in lakes that decay over time, providing protective cover and shade for a variety of fish species.”
The department also stated the structures are good fish attractors for anglers.
Glasgow’s Department of Public Works has been collecting live Christmas trees during the week of Jan. 6. Jim McGowen, superintendent of the public works department, said fish and wildlife personnel are given the option of picking up the collected trees from the landfill with “any remaining trees” being mulched.