Carlyle Lake Christmas Tree Recycling Project
CARLYLE LAKE – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Carlyle Lake will be collecting used Christmas trees for the annual Christmas tree recycling project. The Corps of Engineers, along with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, uses these trees to provide an effective and economical means of providing fish habitat at Carlyle Lake.
Each year, volunteers from various organizations, clubs, and other conservation minded citizens donate their time to help submerge the trees in the lake as fish shelters. These fish shelters provide fish with breeding areas, resting places, and protection. They give young fish much needed living spaces where they can feed on plankton and avoid being preyed upon by larger fish. The protection provided by the trees allows for a large number of fish to grow to maturity and provide more fish for anglers.
Christmas trees can be donated from December 26, 2015 through January 30, 2016 at the following locations: Plant Land (located on Old Route 50 east of Breese), Allen Branch Boat Ramp located within Eldon Hazlet State Park, and the Little Prairie Nature Trail parking lot, located in the West Spillway at Carlyle Lake.
If you are interested in volunteering to help place Christmas trees in the lake, contact the Carlyle Lake/Kaskaskia Navigation Project Office at (618) 594-2484 or email at carlylelake@usace.army.mil.
