Devils Lake Revival

Carp diem!

This is a terrific article on the Devils Lake Revival and the history that it is trying to recreate. Visit our photo gallery on the Devils Lake Revival for photos of the event.

Devils Lake seizes on its history
By Niki Price • Oregon Coast TODAY

One might be surprised to see the word “devil” and “revival” on the same poster. The fellow with the horns and the tail isn’t usually invited to the old-time church meetings beneath the big tent. But these posters are referring a different kind of devil: the monsters that, according to Native American legend, once lived in Lincoln City’s freshwater lake. The Devils Lake Revival, then, is the resurrection of the annual summer party that was once held on its shores.

That community celebration, a day full of aquatic fun for the whole family, will be held this Saturday, Aug. 27, at Regatta Grounds Park. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., lake lovers can ride sailboats, take pontoon boat tours, learn to kayak and stand-up paddleboard, and listen to music by the Schooner Creek String Band. Those who add their addresses to the Devils Lake Water Improvement District’s e-mail list will be eligible for a raft of prizes including hotel stays, restaurant meals and even your very own, fully-equipped kayak. A dozen local agencies will be staffing booths, offering information on conservation activities throughout the region.

All the activities at the Devils Lake Revival will be free, except for the food. The Business for Excellence in Youth committee will be there, selling snacks and lunches to benefit the Backpack Program. Prize sponsors include the ‘D’ Sands Condominium Motel, the Historic Anchor Inn and Mo’

Carp’e Diem

District Faces Challenges in Obtaining Carp Permit

Recently the Devils Lake Water Improvement District held its March board meeting in board and approved the Devils Lake Plan by a vote of 4-1.  As recently reported in the News Guard, article “Carp Still at Top of List”, a major component of the new Plan is the re-introduction of grass carp to Devils Lake.

In the process of developing the new Lake Plan the District solicited the comments of citizens and governmental agencies. In response to that request, Bruce McIntosh, Deputy Fish Division Administrator for Inland Fisheries of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife forward a letter to the District outlying ODFW’s position on the issue.  The letter states “Oregon Administrative Rules prohibit the stocking of grass carp into public waterbodies unless public access is restricted or access is controlled by irrigation districts or drainage districts.” 

Carp Still at Top of List

Lake board feels ravenous fish is the only cure for weed

Patrick Alexander

The News Guard

The body responsible for the health of Devils Lake has agreed to pursue the idea of adding more Chinese grass carp to tackle invasive weed despite opposition from some bass fishermen who say the ravenous creatures have ruined the lake’s fishery.

At their Feb. 24 meeting the board of directors of the Devils Lake Water Improvement District (DLWID) approved the first ever strategic plan for the lake, a document that sets out steps for improving water quality and promoting native species.

Grass carp are a central component of the plan, which credits them with saving the lake from a choking weed infestation in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

The District stocked the lake with more than 32,000 sterile grass carp in three batches between 1986 and 1993, with the population going on to devour the weed that had put large sections of the lake off-limits to boating.

Now, Lake Manager Paul Robertson said, the carp are dying off and the weed is starting to make a comeback.

“The concern is without that vegetation management control in place, or access to it, then the weeds could get out of hand quite rapidly,” he said.

Through the Devils Lake Plan, the District has set its sights on persuading the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to waive rules that currently prohibit the use of grass carp in all but small, privately owned lakes.

Lake Group Sets Sights on Banned Fish

PATRICK ALEXANDER
The News Guard

Chinese grass carp seen as vital in fight against weed

The group charged with improving the quality of water in Devils Lake is hoping to persuade the state that it needs more weed-eating Chinese grass carp to prevent the lake becoming choked with invasive species like it was in the late 1980s.

“You would think that would be pretty simple,” Lake Manager Paul Robertson said, “if grass carp were not illegal.”

The addition of more grass carp is a central strategy in the Devils Lake Water Improvement District’s newly updated Devils Lake Plan, which credits the ravenous creatures with saving the lake from weed in the late ‘80s and boosting lakefront property values in the process.

Devils Lake Plan Released

District Requests Public Input

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board has just released The Devils Lake Plan and is seeking public input. We would encourage you to attend one of a series of Open Houses featuring the newly released plan.  The Devils Lake Plan will eventually become the management plan for the District, guiding the District’s projects for many years to come.  This is your opportunity to ask questions and to provide the District with your comments on the plan. The District is seeking to formally adopt the plan at its March 2011 Meeting.

The District has made the Devils Lake Plan available for your review in two formats, MS Word or Adobe PDF. Please download the plan and familiarize yourself with our lake’s future.  We have reviewed the document and found it to be quite comprehensive outlining a multi-faceted management approach to the lake.  Even still, our review raised some questions and perhaps generated a comment or two, and the District has created a public input process for us to do that very thing.

Each of the open houses will start with a short presentation. There will be ample time for you to ask your questions and provide the District your comments.  The District has also made the presentation available online.  Therefore, if you cannot attend one of the sessions you can view the slideshow of the plan here and still provide input using the District’s online comment form.  You may also wish to provide written comments by email to the Lake Manager at Lake.Manager@DLWID.org an to the full board simultaneously at Board@DLWID.org.

Please mark your calendar for one of the featured sessions.

Open House Events:

Friday, January 28, 2011

• Session 1:  10 am – 12 pm
• Session 2:  2 pm – 4 pm

Saturday, January 29, 2011

• Session 3:  10 am – 12 pm
• Session 4:  2 pm – 4 pm

Thursday, February 3, 2011

• Session 5:  6 pm – 7 pm  (as part of regular meeting)

Location:

Devils Lake Water Improvement District Office
820 SE Hwy 101, Suite D, Lincoln City, Oregon.

Grass Carp Back In Strategic Plan

Work Begins On The Permitting Process

The DLWID Board has determined that the District should pursue an application to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for a permit to re-introduce grass carp into Devils Lake.  This time the use of grass carp would be part of a comprehensive management plan for the lake containing several preventive strategies toward the creation of a healthy lake.

To that end, the District is working on a draft Devils Lake Plan describing these various techniques that may be deployed in managing the lake.  The draft has not been released for public review but the District has indicated that there will be an opportunity for the public to review and comment on what’s inside.

In the meantime, District staff has been hard at work learning what it may take to receive approval for the use of grass carp in Devils Lake.  This month’s Manager Report contains a detailed description of their findings.  I would recommend your review beginning at page 5 as it is highly informative.  We have been given a 50/50 chance at success and there will be a day where public support will be requested.  So stay informed and become active!