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Small scale invasion
By Peter Tira -- Special To The Bee
(Published 8:14 a.m. PST Monday, Jul. 15, 2002)
California's ability to protect and manage its wild trout habitat is facing an unprecedented test near Truckee, where the growth of vacation homes and upscale development threaten one of the West's storied trout waters.
Martis Creek Lake is a 70-acre reservoir that sits off Highway 267 three miles south of downtown Truckee. To many fly fishermen throughout California, Nevada and beyond, the name Martis Lake, as it is commonly known, conjures up images of chunky rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout that grow fast and large in the rich aquatic environment.
It was the first lake adopted into California's Wild Trout Program, a status that ultimately conferred zero-kill, catch-and-release fishing and management to protect the self-sustaining wild trout populations.
To those who live and vacation in the area, Martis Lake and its feeder creeks are the signature natural features of the surrounding Martis Valley. It's a landscape of open meadows, sagebrush flats and forested hills that provides good skiing and picturesque settings for equestrian trails, golf courses and multimillion-dollar second homes.
Whether a blue-ribbon trout lake can survive amid increasing development is the question being raised as Placer County updates its long-term growth plan for the Martis Valley. Nobody seems to know the answer.
"I know it takes chemicals and fertilizer to make grass grow," said Chris Scott, a Truckee resident preparing recently for an evening of fishing on the lake. "I know that can't be too healthy for the insect populations that the trout feed on."
Some local anglers believe the lake is already suffering. Step into the Truckee River Outfitters fly shop, and the staff will politely suggest you fish other waters.
"It's a pretty common feeling in this area that Martis is not quite the fishery it once was," said Andy Burk, the store manager who has fished the lake regularly since 1990.
After three years of work and dozens of public hearings, Placer County released the Martis Valley Community Plan on May 23 for public review and comment. An environmental impact report followed June 15. Action by the Board of Supervisors is expected toward the end of the year.
The documents update the last valley plan adopted in 1975 that set forth land-use policies and growth guidelines for the valley shared by both Placer and Nevada counties.
The latest plan reflects the growing popularity of the area as a vacation destination. The plan permits an increase of up to 9,220 homes over a 20-year period from the existing 2,000 in the Placer County portion of the valley, many of them second homes. Additional commercial, retail and recreational development is also slated for the valley, including expansion of the Northstar at Tahoe ski resort and the construction of at least two more golf courses to join the five that already exist.
All of which raises fears among local fly fishermen - fears that chemical runoff and harmful nutrients will stockpile in the lake, fears that continued development along Martis Creek will harm spawning grounds, fears that the reservoir's fabled trout fishing will become a memory.
"This is an important resource," said Richard Anderson, publisher and editor of California Fly Fisher magazine. "It's a wild trout lake right in the heart of a tourist mecca, and to lose it, I think, would be a crying shame."
Anderson, whose magazine is headquartered in Truckee, said he does not necessarily oppose the growth outlined in the Martis Valley plan. He said the plan, however, falls short in spelling out the means for assessing, protecting and monitoring the health of the lake and its fish over time.
"We want to make sure that as this valley develops, Martis Creek reservoir and its sport fishery are protected," he said. "Simple as that."
Bill Combs is a principal planner for the Placer County Planning Department. He described the latest plan as a "big step forward" in terms of protecting all the natural resources that make the valley so attractive in the first place.
"We think as people get more familiar with the document, they will come to realize that environmental protection is first and foremost among our concerns," he said.
The new proposal actually reduces the number of homes permitted in the valley from the 12,000 allowed under the existing 1975 plan. The new proposal continues to allow construction along the creeks that flow into Martis Lake - with setbacks and other mitigation measures. But Combs said the reservoir and its immediate surroundings are safeguarded as open space.
"The appearance of the valley will actually stay the same as it is today," he said. "The development as it happens will be hidden by trees or topography."
Martis Lake had humble beginnings in 1972 when the reservoir was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide flood protection for Reno.
The lake's life as a trophy trout fishery began in 1974 when, as a pilot project, it became the first lake accepted into the Department of Fish and Game's Wild Trout Program because of the potential of its rich waters to support a high-quality, self-sustaining sport fishery.
The department chemically treated the lake in 1977 to wipe out non-native species and subsequently began stocking the waters with threatened Lahontan cutthroat, a trout native to the eastern Sierra.
The fish grew quickly and provided exceptional fishing for a few years, but brown trout eggs buried in Martis Creek apparently survived the poisoning. The predatory browns eventually grew large enough to feed on the cutthroats and, in 1988, the department abandoned its plan to manage the lake exclusively for the threatened fish. It then began stocking the lake with various strains of rainbow trout. Four years ago, it began reintroducing Lahontan cutthroat.
Today, the lake supports all three species and has a reputation that extends far beyond the Martis Valley. In his 1999 coffee-table book "Fly Fishing the West's Best Trophy Lakes," author Denny Rickards ranked Martis Lake among the top 50 trout lakes in the West, just one of nine in California.
The opening sentence on Martis reads: "There is a growing population of still-water anglers who believe this little reservoir may be the best fly fishing lake in California."
Its status in the Wild Trout Program further clouds the issue over what role - if any - the state will play in protecting and monitoring the future of the fishery. The department is reviewing the environmental impact report but has not actively participated in the Martis Valley planning process.
"We haven't had too many situations like this in the Wild Trout Program," said Dave Lentz, the program's project leader. "We just haven't really had to deal with golf courses and suburban development."
Martis Lake has been on the program's radar screen for some time. The lake has suffered sporadic trout mortality in the past when warm, late-summer algae blooms and weed growth have combined to diminish water quality and stress the fish.
Anglers harbor suspicions that the weed and algae growth - which some say is increasing - indicates that harmful nutrients are finding their way into the lake. The bottom line, they say, is that nobody really knows what's happening.
A host of federal, state and private interests conduct water sampling of the lake and its creeks, but nobody can cite any overall, comprehensive study of the watershed and its trout fishery.
The Wild Trout Program collects some on-site information from anglers who choose to fill out surveys on their fishing experiences at Martis, but the program hasn't conducted any hands-on sampling or observation of the trout population since 1995.
Said Anderson: "The issue right now is what is happening with the lake? Is what's going into the lake detrimental even without future development? And that question, I think, has to be answered."
Peter Tira can be reached at ptira@sportingdays.com.
By Peter Tira -- Special To The Bee
(Published 8:14 a.m. PST Monday, Jul. 15, 2002)
California's ability to protect and manage its wild trout habitat is facing an unprecedented test near Truckee, where the growth of vacation homes and upscale development threaten one of the West's storied trout waters.
Martis Creek Lake is a 70-acre reservoir that sits off Highway 267 three miles south of downtown Truckee. To many fly fishermen throughout California, Nevada and beyond, the name Martis Lake, as it is commonly known, conjures up images of chunky rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout that grow fast and large in the rich aquatic environment.
It was the first lake adopted into California's Wild Trout Program, a status that ultimately conferred zero-kill, catch-and-release fishing and management to protect the self-sustaining wild trout populations.
To those who live and vacation in the area, Martis Lake and its feeder creeks are the signature natural features of the surrounding Martis Valley. It's a landscape of open meadows, sagebrush flats and forested hills that provides good skiing and picturesque settings for equestrian trails, golf courses and multimillion-dollar second homes.
Whether a blue-ribbon trout lake can survive amid increasing development is the question being raised as Placer County updates its long-term growth plan for the Martis Valley. Nobody seems to know the answer.
"I know it takes chemicals and fertilizer to make grass grow," said Chris Scott, a Truckee resident preparing recently for an evening of fishing on the lake. "I know that can't be too healthy for the insect populations that the trout feed on."
Some local anglers believe the lake is already suffering. Step into the Truckee River Outfitters fly shop, and the staff will politely suggest you fish other waters.
"It's a pretty common feeling in this area that Martis is not quite the fishery it once was," said Andy Burk, the store manager who has fished the lake regularly since 1990.
After three years of work and dozens of public hearings, Placer County released the Martis Valley Community Plan on May 23 for public review and comment. An environmental impact report followed June 15. Action by the Board of Supervisors is expected toward the end of the year.
The documents update the last valley plan adopted in 1975 that set forth land-use policies and growth guidelines for the valley shared by both Placer and Nevada counties.
The latest plan reflects the growing popularity of the area as a vacation destination. The plan permits an increase of up to 9,220 homes over a 20-year period from the existing 2,000 in the Placer County portion of the valley, many of them second homes. Additional commercial, retail and recreational development is also slated for the valley, including expansion of the Northstar at Tahoe ski resort and the construction of at least two more golf courses to join the five that already exist.
All of which raises fears among local fly fishermen - fears that chemical runoff and harmful nutrients will stockpile in the lake, fears that continued development along Martis Creek will harm spawning grounds, fears that the reservoir's fabled trout fishing will become a memory.
"This is an important resource," said Richard Anderson, publisher and editor of California Fly Fisher magazine. "It's a wild trout lake right in the heart of a tourist mecca, and to lose it, I think, would be a crying shame."
Anderson, whose magazine is headquartered in Truckee, said he does not necessarily oppose the growth outlined in the Martis Valley plan. He said the plan, however, falls short in spelling out the means for assessing, protecting and monitoring the health of the lake and its fish over time.
"We want to make sure that as this valley develops, Martis Creek reservoir and its sport fishery are protected," he said. "Simple as that."
Bill Combs is a principal planner for the Placer County Planning Department. He described the latest plan as a "big step forward" in terms of protecting all the natural resources that make the valley so attractive in the first place.
"We think as people get more familiar with the document, they will come to realize that environmental protection is first and foremost among our concerns," he said.
The new proposal actually reduces the number of homes permitted in the valley from the 12,000 allowed under the existing 1975 plan. The new proposal continues to allow construction along the creeks that flow into Martis Lake - with setbacks and other mitigation measures. But Combs said the reservoir and its immediate surroundings are safeguarded as open space.
"The appearance of the valley will actually stay the same as it is today," he said. "The development as it happens will be hidden by trees or topography."
Martis Lake had humble beginnings in 1972 when the reservoir was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide flood protection for Reno.
The lake's life as a trophy trout fishery began in 1974 when, as a pilot project, it became the first lake accepted into the Department of Fish and Game's Wild Trout Program because of the potential of its rich waters to support a high-quality, self-sustaining sport fishery.
The department chemically treated the lake in 1977 to wipe out non-native species and subsequently began stocking the waters with threatened Lahontan cutthroat, a trout native to the eastern Sierra.
The fish grew quickly and provided exceptional fishing for a few years, but brown trout eggs buried in Martis Creek apparently survived the poisoning. The predatory browns eventually grew large enough to feed on the cutthroats and, in 1988, the department abandoned its plan to manage the lake exclusively for the threatened fish. It then began stocking the lake with various strains of rainbow trout. Four years ago, it began reintroducing Lahontan cutthroat.
Today, the lake supports all three species and has a reputation that extends far beyond the Martis Valley. In his 1999 coffee-table book "Fly Fishing the West's Best Trophy Lakes," author Denny Rickards ranked Martis Lake among the top 50 trout lakes in the West, just one of nine in California.
The opening sentence on Martis reads: "There is a growing population of still-water anglers who believe this little reservoir may be the best fly fishing lake in California."
Its status in the Wild Trout Program further clouds the issue over what role - if any - the state will play in protecting and monitoring the future of the fishery. The department is reviewing the environmental impact report but has not actively participated in the Martis Valley planning process.
"We haven't had too many situations like this in the Wild Trout Program," said Dave Lentz, the program's project leader. "We just haven't really had to deal with golf courses and suburban development."
Martis Lake has been on the program's radar screen for some time. The lake has suffered sporadic trout mortality in the past when warm, late-summer algae blooms and weed growth have combined to diminish water quality and stress the fish.
Anglers harbor suspicions that the weed and algae growth - which some say is increasing - indicates that harmful nutrients are finding their way into the lake. The bottom line, they say, is that nobody really knows what's happening.
A host of federal, state and private interests conduct water sampling of the lake and its creeks, but nobody can cite any overall, comprehensive study of the watershed and its trout fishery.
The Wild Trout Program collects some on-site information from anglers who choose to fill out surveys on their fishing experiences at Martis, but the program hasn't conducted any hands-on sampling or observation of the trout population since 1995.
Said Anderson: "The issue right now is what is happening with the lake? Is what's going into the lake detrimental even without future development? And that question, I think, has to be answered."
Peter Tira can be reached at ptira@sportingdays.com.
