This summer I wrote a story about Mary Jane Reservoir and the work local conservation groups were doing to save this unique fishery. Four years ago a number of area residents from Pilot Mound, Manitoba decided they needed to do something in their neck of the woods to revive local fisheries.
Not a big group with 15 key volunteers and 40 members, the Mound Wildlife group gets after it!
Pembina Valley Conservation District Award!
Travis Saban is one of those key individuals. He recently dropped me a note to talk about the work the group has done over the last two years. The information that he passed along to me in an email, got me on the phone in the next ten minutes. I tracked down Travis on his cell phone and spent the next half an hour hearing about the group’s impressive accomplishments in a short period of time. This included winning a Pembina Valley Conservation District Award.
REARING POND CRITICAL FOR RESTOCKING EFFORT
This centered around a rearing pond that they created with the help of Manitoba Fisheries and the local conservation district. The first year the pond was in operation was in 2018. Since the pond has a control structure, it can be drained in the fall, but not before the young of the year walleye are removed. Saban says they are stocked in the spring as fry and removed in the fall as fingerlings. This means a much better survival rate and the fingerlings have now reached a length of 10 to 18 centimetres. The first year all these fish went to nearby Goudney Reservoir. The group wasn’t finished there putting in a new dock and supplying picnic tables so people could enjoy an area to relax.
The group continued the stocking work this year, recently harvesting over 2000 fingerlings from the pond. This time, however, they were stocked in several different lakes in the region including Lake Minnewasta and Mary Jane Reservoir.
YOUTH FISHING DAY HUGE SUCCESS!
The group also realized that it was vitally important to get some of the local young people introduced to the sport of fishing. Mound Wildlife was resurrected in 2016 when a bunch of guys thought it would be nice to put on a youth fishing derby in the spring of 2016 with 23 kids attending. This now has since been a yearly thing with 113 kids attending in 2019!! Great community support has allowed every young person leave happy with some great prizes. In 2018 each child (64) left with a quantum rod/reel combo, 2019 saw every kid 5-15 (70) leave with a tackle box filled 4 different lures, including a custom Mound Wildlife spoon designed locally by Pelican Lures.
Saban says the club wants to help the fish stocks in the region. He says they are fortunate to have a great partnership with the Pembina Valley Conservation, Manitoba Fisheries, Municipality of Louise, & the community of Pilot Mound.
“What makes this project unique is that we are able to fully drain this dam, so we can start fresh every year!”
Each year they make improvements to make it easier on us volunteers. If you interested in donating or following their journey contact moundwildlife@gmail.com, Facebook/Instagram Mound Wildlife.