By Sharon Space-Bamberger
BETHEL — On May 12, the Sullivan County Conservation Club enriched the fishing at Kauneonga and White Lakes with a donation of nearly 400 trout, some of them measuring 12 inches.
During their April meeting, club members voted unanimously to fund the yearly fish stocking as part of the club's environmental efforts. Club President John S. Van Etten noted, "We do this every year. We hold the King of the Ice Contest there when the weather cooperates. You take fish out; you replenish them."
The club purchased the trout from the Beaverkill Fish Hatchery in Lew Beach. Vincent LoCascio, the club's treasurer said, "We get a Fish Health Certification from the N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation, so you know the trout are healthy. We always purchase $1,000 worth of trout. The hatchery throws in some free ones in case of loss, but their brownies are always full of energy."
Kevin Shaver of the hatchery carefully netted fish from his truck's two tanks and put them into buckets of lake water.
Conservation club members Jay and Ryan Mendels, Bogdan and Ana Segarceanu, Vinnie LoCascio, Stephen Altman, Ben Richards, Charlie Greenhouse and Carrie Bartolini waded into White Lake and leaned over the boat dock at Kauneonga Lake as they carefully released buckets of brownies.
A watchful osprey had high hopes, but the trout swam safely away, making ripples in the water.