Comments sought on fish poison in Alpine

A report analyzing the impacts of using a chemical to kill off nonnative trout from a lake and 11 miles of a creek in Alpine County is available for public review.

California Department of Fish and Game plans to use the chemical to restore the endangered Paiute cutthroat trout, native to Silver King Creek and Tamarack Lake.

Work began last year to prepare the creek and lake with the relocation of 500 nonnative fish by Fish and Game, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

The waters were to be treated with the chemical Rotenone last fall,

But a legal challenge by the Center for Biological Diversity halted that work.

The center's lawsuit successfully argued that the project violated the National Environmental Policy Act because it lacked an environmental analysis report.

A copy of the report can be obtained from Gary Schiff of the Carson District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest at (775) 882-2766 or Christie Kalkowski, forest public affairs officer, at (775) 355-5311.

Comments can be sent by fax to (775) 355-5399; by e-mail to comments-intermtn-humboldt-toiyabe@fs.fed.us; or by mail to Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, 1200 Franklin Way, Sparks, NV, 89431.