Popular fishing lake closes before start of trout season
Two weeks before the statewide opening of trout season, Lake Wilma, a popular trout fishery in Greene County, has been closed to the public. The state Fish and Boat Commission said Friday that the property’s owner, CNX Resources Corp., closed the lake to accommodate ongoing natural gas operations, and the shutdown was effective immediately.
The 19-acre impoundment is located northeast of Blacksville, W.Va., near the state line and empties into Dunkard Creek. The lake and surrounding property is leased to the state Fish and Boat Commission and Game Commission for the use of anglers, boaters and hunters. Fish and Boat trout stockings planned for March 22 and April 12 have been canceled. The agency said Lake Wilma will not be open for Mentored Youth Trout Day March 25 and the statewide opening day of trout season, April 1. It will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Friday, Fish and Boat spokesman Mike Parker said the agency was looking for suitable alternative waters to stock the rainbow and golden rainbow trout that had been destined for Lake Wilma. CNX said the company intends to stock trout for a special community fishing day to be held on a date to be determined. Details were pending.
Fish and Boat recommended that anglers who had intended to open the season at Lake Wilma search for alternative fishing opportunities at an interactive trout stocking schedule on the agency’s website.
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• On Monday the first day of spring arrives capping an unseasonably warm winter, and critters are about.
As of Friday, no injuries from animal attack had been reported, but black bear activity typical for spring has been noted throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. When mama bears awaken from hibernation they have newly born cubs to care for. They rudely kick last year’s males out of the den, forcing them to learn about the world, and the humans they confront, on their own.
By nature black bears are docile and avoid people, said the Game Commission, but as the pre-adolescent males roam miles away from the only home they’ve known they learn what to eat and how to get it. The easiest places, they find, are in suburban backyards where the owners have laid out a smorgasbord of unsealed garbage cans, bowls of dog food and feeders of bird seed.
Broooke Hargenrader, Fayette County game warden, reported recent bear activity in Uniontown. Residents of the North Huntingdon area of Westmoreland County were surprised Monday by a bear rooting through their outdoor waste can, and in Washington, Pa., a bear was seen last week near Delaware Avenue and Virginia Street.
It’s not only bears. Venango County Game Warden Andrew Kopec said the unseasonably warm weather triggered an increase in nuisance complaints involving skunks and raccoons.
The Game Commission advises the public to bring pet food containers inside at night, keep trash secure until the morning of trash pickup day, and remove bird feeders until the annual spring bear activity has passed.
• Leave young wildlife alone. As spring arrives, that’s the advice of the state Game Commission.
“As wildlife start having young, the public will begin encountering young wildlife,” said Allegheny County Game Warden Madison Pugh. “Not only is it illegal to take possession of wildlife, it can also be dangerous and put wild animals at risk.”
Many people mistakenly believe young animals found alone, including white-tailed deer fawns and chicks that have fallen from a nest, have been abandoned by their mothers.
“In most cases, the mother is not far off, and is just waiting for the people to leave,” said Randy Crago, game warden for Crawford County. “Handling wildlife, however, can cause the mother to abandon her young or cause unintended harm to it.”