Contributed

MOBILE, Ala. – Park rangers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, joined forces with other agencies and volunteers to improve the aquatic vegetation at West Point Lake.

Park rangers from the Corps’ West Point Lake Project Management Office staff were joined by fishery biologists from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and 40 volunteers from bass fishing clubs throughout West Georgia, July 29. Together, they planted 2,000 water willows in designated shoreline areas of West Point Lake.

This planting work day was part of an ongoing aquatic vegetation project that began three years ago to establish native vegetation around the lake’s shoreline for fish cover and erosion control. Volunteers planted test sites with water willow in 2014 and 2015. Observations of these sites show the plants are well established and able to survive the winter lake-level draw down. Park rangers identified 20 new planting locations near the confluence of Wehadkee, Stroud and Veasey Creeks. During the planting work day, the team planted 100 water willow plants at each location.

Funds were granted to the West Point Project office by a nonprofit foundation, The Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Improvement Program, to continue the water willow plantings improvement efforts.