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In an effort to enhance, replace and support the habitat lost from a severe draught (2012 – 2015) and aging of Lake Fork Reservoir, Lake Fork Sportsman's Association has sponsored projects providing artificial structures, plants and aquatic grasses to the lake. The current project will be a part of a larger scope project called the Life Cycle Support Strategy or "Fish Cities". This habitat improvement will incorporate the addition of fencing hoops to reduce predation by turtles to enhance habitat survivability and expansion. This habitat will serve as a source of protection and food for the spawn and fingerlings that will be produced with the addition of artificial spawning beds. Habitat will also be enhanced with the addition of Minnow Factories to provide an additional food source for the small fish. The plan is to develop 6 sites in suitable locations utilizing these components in a configuration as shown in the attached information. These components will be built and deployed by LFSA, TPWD and the Yantis High School Vocational Tech students.

The materials for all of the components required will be ordered, purchased and delivered by LFSA personnel to the respective sites creating them. Site selection will be made by TPWD personnel with support and input from Sabine River Authority and LFSA. Construction of the Spawning Beds and Minnow Factories will be done mainly by the Yantis High School Vocational Tech students under the direction of their instructor with support of LFSA members as needed. Efforts will also be made to engage other local High Schools to assist with the build efforts. These components will be deployed utilizing the LFSA Live Release Boat (LRB), TPWD and LFSA member boats as required. The Habitat Protection Fences (HPF) material will be deployed to and constructed on selected sites using the same personnel and method of transport as with the other components.
These components fit into the overall Life Cycle Support Strategy as illustrated in the attached diagram. The artificial structures (T-Habs) will be utilized to complete the overall site design. A number of these T-Habs have been deployed with excellent success being observed by TPWD personnel. These new components will be integrated into some current T-Hab sites and new one will be created for the new sites identified. The build and timing of those needed additions is dependent upon availability of funding and resources to complete. In the meantime these components will provide needed habitat improvement and Life Cycle Support.

TPWD has been directly involved in the development of the project by regularly meeting with LFSA project leaders for planning, selecting sites of distribution, and installations as we have together grown the concept. TPWD states "TPWD is excited by the prospects of building upon past habitat improvement work coordinated and conducted between LFSA and TPWD that have paved the way for further habitat enhancements." This project is a subset of TPWD's overall strategy to continue enhancing structural habitat.

Bass, bream, catfish

TPWD, LFSA and Yantis High School websites will chronicle the activity, including the use of the high school students building and participating in deployment of the structures. At local major bass tournaments, LFSA is afforded time on the local radio broadcasts and the project will be reviewed at that time via airways. Our deployments are typically covered by a minimum of three local newspapers and LFSA monthly submits an article for a local sporting newspaper.

• FOR-Small-Grant-Project-Support-Detail-Final.pdf
• FOR-Small-Grant-LCSS-Project-Cost-Estimates-Final.xlsx
• LFSA-LOR_signed.pdf