Alabama Power continues fish habitat improvements to benefit anglers
Jason Carlee with Alabama Power (right) helps prepare artificial fish habitat devices for deployment at Lake Logan Martin. (contributed)
As brilliant spring weather descends on Alabama, more people are heading out to enjoy the state’s beautiful lakes and rivers.
Alabama Power experts and volunteers also have been out on the company’s reservoirs, readying the lakes for a wave of spring and summer visitors, including anglers hoping to hook that big one.
One way is through Renew Our Rivers cleanups, which are in high gear for spring. This year is the 25th anniversary of the cleanup campaign; check out the spring cleanup schedule here.
Another way Alabama Power supports anglers and others who love the lakes is through its longstanding commitment to expand and enhance fish habitat on the reservoirs.
This past holiday season, the company partnered with the city of Hoover to collect recycled Christmas trees to place in the company’s reservoirs as fish habitat. The submerged trees help draw small fish and other aquatic wildlife, which in turn, attract larger fish.
“We have currently dropped 300 trees in Lake Martin and some on Lake Jordan, with 100 remaining to drop in Smith Lake by late April,” said Mike Clelland, Alabama Power Environmental Affairs specialist.
Alabama Power has placed more than 60,000 Christmas trees in lakes and rivers since 1993 for fish habitat.
While most fish habitats deployed by the company are made of natural materials, like recycled Christmas trees, the company also uses artificial fish habitat devices in its reservoirs in some spots.
Last month at Logan Martin Lake, Alabama Power partnered with Major League Fishing to deploy artificial fish habitat at the Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project, supported by the KVD Foundation and MossBack Fish Habitat. The deployment took place during a Renew Our Rivers cleanup on the lake.
Earlier this week, 100 “Spider Blocks” – artificial habitat devices made from poly pipe and concrete – were dropped into Neely Henry Lake. All the locations are being marked via GPS and will be shared with the public on Alabama Power’s Shorelines app and the APCshorelines website.
Clelland said the company works with volunteers on many of the fish habitat projects. “We are always happy to work with anyone who has an interest in helping, or who just likes to fish.”
Alabama Power’s Mike Clelland (right) poses with partners during a recent fish habitat project at Logan Martin Lake. (Briana Hatten / Alabama News Center)
Volunteers also are vital to the success of Renew Our Rivers. The company works closely with lake homeowner/boatowner organizations, community and environmental organizations and other nonprofits, as well as devoted individual volunteers, to help remove trash from lakes, rivers and streams statewide.
Since Renew Our Rivers began with a single cleanup in 2000 on the Coosa River, more than 16 million pounds of trash have been removed by more than 120,000 volunteers.
“This being the 25th anniversary is really special,” said Clelland. “It is a milestone reached that would only be possible because of the interest and dedication that volunteers and Alabama Power employees share. This same interest and effort will keep the Renew our Rivers program successful for many years to come.”
To learn more about Renew Our Rivers, visit APCShorelines.com or download the Alabama Power Shorelines app.
