In case you dwell in Kentucky, your previous, dried-up Christmas tree may find yourself having a second life on the backside of a lake. Why? The Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife Sources’ Christmas for the Fishes program recycles natural Christmas trees by dumping them into public lakes the place they are going to profit fish species and anglers as a substitute of rotting in a landfill.
“Donated bushes can be anchored to environmentally-friendly weights and submerged at varied depths in numerous lakes and reservoirs throughout Kentucky to supply locations for fish to feed, shelter and spawn,” explains the Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife Sources on its website. “[Evergreen trees] make nice refuge and feeding habitat for recreation fish, in addition to small fish and invertebrates which might be essential for a thriving ecosystem.”
To facilitate the annual program, the Division of Fish and Wildlife Sources picks donated bushes up from designated drop-off areas all through the state between December 26 and January 15. The one requirement is that the tree is free from decorations earlier than it’s dropped at a donation web site. From there, officers take the bushes to native lakes and dump them in to allow them to start their second lives as fish habitats.
“Fish flourish in an atmosphere that is filled with various kinds of cowl together with bushes and logs,” the division says. “The donated bushes will assist restore woody constructions in lakes that decay over time, offering protecting cowl and shade for quite a lot of fish species.”
What’s extra, the recycled Christmas bushes typically find yourself creating sizzling spots for anglers, since they’re sizzling spots for fish, making this a win-win for each people and Mom Nature.
See native WKYT Information’ protection of Christmas bushes being dumped into lakes right here: