By Mike Gervais
Register Staff

6-21-2008

A coalition of local agencies are working on a grant proposal in hopes of receiving at least half a million dollars to fund much-needed work at the Eastern Sierra’s four fish hatcheries.
Because most of the communities of Inyo and Mono counties rely on tourists from other areas to come to the Sierra to fish and recreate, the Eastern Sierra Hatcheries Foundation, the Mono County Fisheries Commission, Department of Fish and Game, Inyo-Mono Fish and Game Advisor Commission and the Mono Council for the Arts are formulating a grant proposal that will be submitted to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
“Last year the Sierra Nevada Conservancy awarded $1.3 million to the Eastern Sierra and this year they are allotting a lot more money, so we are asking for $500,000” for improvements to the hatcheries themselves, vehicle repairs, enhancements at Conway Ranch and to fund a study to promote wild trout environments throughout the region, said Eastern Sierra Hatcheries Foundation member Gaye Mueller.

The grant application process is currently in the early stages, “and right now we’re assessing all the needs of all the hatcheries,” Mueller said.
Thus far the Eastern Sierra Hatchery Foundation, which is heading up the task of preparing the grant, is estimating that the hatcheries need at least $100,000 for improvements to the facilities themselves.
The foundation is hoping to bird-proof the raceways (the concrete holding tanks) at both the Hot Creek and Fish Springs hatcheries and construct information kiosks at the Fish Springs, Black Rock and Hot Creek hatcheries.
Mueller also said she is hoping to receive enough funds to begin work on a backup water supply well at Fish Springs Hatchery, noting that if the one well currently supplying the hatchery fails, “all those fish are gone.”

Another important part of the grant application will be for vehicle improvements.
“Right now there are four hatcheries in the Eastern Sierra, Fish Springs and Blackrock in Inyo County and Hot Creek and Conway Ranch in Mono County,” Mueller said. “Part of the problem is Fish Springs and Blackrock can only stock in Mono County” and Hot Creek Hatchery stocks in Inyo County.
The hatcheries are forced to stock in this pattern due to the New Zealand mud snail infestation at the hatcheries, and the Department of Fish and Game is tying to limit the contamination by stocking the “clean” fish in “clean” water, and the exposed fish in areas that have already been exposed to the snails.
But that pattern of travel for stocking trucks causes a lot of stress on the vehicles. “They’ve got to go up and down Sherwin Grade, and that’s just wearing them out,” Mueller said.
The Hatchery Foundation is hoping to receive enough money to purchase a new truck for the Fish Springs Hatchery and conduct repairs to the stocking truck at Hot Creek Hatchery, Mueller said.
Also to be included in the foundation’s grant proposal is a request for funds to enhance Conway Ranch, which is partially privately owned by Tim Alpers and John Frederickson and partially owned by Mono County.
Currently a spring that feeds into the ranch runs only part of the year due to the hatchery’s altitude and freezing temperatures in the winter, and the foundation wants to create a steady flow of water to the hatchery year-round with a diversion pipeline.
The grant proposal will also include a request for money to fund an educational and interpretive site at the hatchery and design an “event pond” that will be open to anglers.
The final request in the proposal will deal with funding a study to help promote local wild trout environments and create educational materials and information about the importance of protecting such areas.
“I don’t have all the dollar amounts listed because I haven’t worked those figures out just yet,” Mueller said, noting that the grant proposal is still in the very early stages.
The next step for the Eastern Sierra Hatcheries Foundation is to draft a one-page summary proposal to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
“The Conservancy has a panel that will advise us on what category of the grant to apply under,” Mueller said.
Though the Sierra Nevada Conservancy has yet to issue a deadline for the grant proposal, Mueller said it will probably be sometime in September.
“Hopefully we’ll get the money we need, and get rolling on these projects,” Mueller said.