The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be providing an update on the West Swan Lake restoration project during a public meeting at 5 p.m., April 30, at the Emmet County Nature Center, basement level.
The lake is in the process of refilling after being drawn down more than three feet to renovate the fishery last October. It has been stocked with 1,500 pre-spawn adult perch and 140,000 northern pike fry in early April, and pre-spawn adult bluegill and largemouth bass will be stocked in the coming weeks.
With the carp gone, emergent aquatic plants around the lake’s edge have germinated and will protect the shoreline from erosion and provide fish and wildlife habitat.
Waterfowl and other migratory birds have already increased on West Swan Lake, before the project was completed. The Iowa DNR will monitor the lake’s water quality, wildlife use, and fishery response through the next few years.