Lake Elmo's shoreline is dry for the winter after the water level was lowered by 2 to 3 feet to expose, freeze and kill and any invasive Asian clams near the lake’s edge.
FWP
Asian clams have been discovered in Billings' Lake Elmo.
One of Montana’s most popular state parks, Lake Elmo in the Billings Heights, should be drained before next winter to kill off invasive Asian clams.
That’s the recommendation of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' staff in its draft environmental assessment. Draining the lake should kill the clams either by freezing or starving them. People may comment on the draft EA and its recommendations through Nov. 18.
As long as the 65-acre lake is being drained, FWP is also recommending additional work if funding can be found. The projects could include removing 10 acres of sediment from the lake bed, building piers, creating sunken structures for fish, a boardwalk between the shoreline and Lake Elmo Drive, fishing nodes along the boardwalk, work on the dog park shoreline and a sediment retention area.
If all of the items on the wish list could be built, the cost would total $750,000. FWP is seeking partners for the work. The Billings chapter of PikeMasters has already offered up $20,000 to help with jetty construction.
Clams
Asian clams were found in Lake Elmo in 2019 by FWP employees training to search lakes for aquatic invasive species. Subsequent searches of an irrigation storage reservoir and ditches and rivers upstream and downstream from the lake found no other Asian clams, suggesting they are limited to Lake Elmo. The invasive clams are found nowhere else in Montana.
How the clams got into the lake is uncertain. Because they were found near the dock they may have hitched a ride on a boat. Someone could have emptied an aquarium into the lake, or they could have arrived attached to someone’s fishing waders. The clams can also be eaten by a fish or turtle and pass through them undigested.
The fear is that the clams, if not killed off, could spread and clog irrigation and other water system infrastructure or infest the Yellowstone River.
Because both live juveniles and the shells of adults and juveniles were discovered in the lake, they appear to have successfully reproduced in Lake Elmo and have possibly been there for several years.
Native to eastern and southern Asia, one clam can start a population because they can self-fertilize and cross-fertilize, producing a million or more offspring in a lifetime.
Draw down
Already this fall Lake Elmo has been drawn down by 2 to 3 feet to try to kill Asian clams in shallow water near the shore. Most of the clams found to date in the lake have been in less than 6 feet of water.
If the proposed action is approved, the lake would be completely drained next fall, requiring some pumping. Prior to that, fishing regulations could be liberalized to encourage removal of as many fish as possible by anglers.
Once drained, residents near Lake Elmo would note a rotting smell for a week or two as the lake bed is exposed. During the winter, once the lake bed is dry, excavation and other projects could be started. The plan calls for refilling and restocking the lake by April 2022.
“Catchable-size trout would be introduced as soon as possible. Fathead minnows, yellow perch, channel catfish, bluegills and largemouth bass may be available from the Miles City Hatchery and stocking of those species would be initiated as available,” according to the draft EA.
The full 60-page environmental assessment, including preferred alternatives, is on the FWP website at http://fwp.mt.gov. Follow the links to “news,” “environmental assessments” and “restoration & rehabilitation.”
Questions may be directed to Mike Ruggles, FWP’s regional fisheries program manager, at 247-2961 during business hours. Comments may be emailed to fwpregion5pc@mt.gov or mailed to: Mike Ruggles, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, 2300 Lake Elmo Drive, Billings, MT 59105.
Breathtaking aerial photographs of Montana rivers and lakes
Breathtaking aerial photographs of Montana rivers and lakes
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Bighorn Canyon aerial
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Confluence of the Bighorn and Yellowstone Rivers
Cooney Reservoir aerial
Earthquake Lake aerial
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Fort Peck Lake aerial
Hebgen Lake aerial
Hebgen Lake aerial
Holter Lake aerial
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Milk and Missouri rivers
Mission Creek aerial
Missouri RIver aerial
Musselshell River and UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge
Mystic Lake aerial
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Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe’ Dam aerial
Tiber Dam aerial
Yellowstone River aerial
Yellowstone River aerial
Lake Elmo history
Prior to the construction of the Billings Bench Irrigation District canal system in 1905, what now is Lake Elmo likely was an intermittent wetland. By 1915 the waterbody, then known as Holling Lake, had filled regularly with drainage and seepage from the canal. Surveyors described the waterbody as a 65-acre lake able to irrigate 624 acres. In 1920, the Billings Bench Water Association approved lake development plans and additional connections to the irrigation system to increase water supply.
As part of the negotiations, development rights were retained by the McCracken family to use the lake as a resort. The Elmo Club was constructed in 1929 and named after their grandfather, Elmo McCracken. In 1930, the lake was renamed Lake Elmo. The Elmo Club was a very popular place for dining, entertainment and boating until the building burned in 1949 and never was rebuilt. By the 1960s, Lake Elmo had become a water ski, motorboat and party spot. However, in the 1970s, plans were created to subdivide and develop the land around Lake Elmo. Opposition to the loss of public lake access resulted in a grass-roots endeavor to secure the area into the Montana state park system. In 1983, the lake was purchased by the state for $1 million with an expansion of 42 land acres for another $600,000. Since its formal inception, Lake Elmo State Park has been managed by FWP.
Fisheries management for Lake Elmo started in 1931 with stocking of yellow perch, crappie, sunfish (presumably pumpkinseed and bluegill) and largemouth bass. In 1936, a second stocking of bass and crappie occurred. Stocking then ceased until 1984 when the state purchased the park. From 1984 to 1996, largemouth bass and channel catfish were regularly stocked. In 1998, rainbow trout stocking was initiated as a put-and-take fishery. The trout plants were successful, and anglers responded positively. Rainbow trout stocking now occurs annually with supplements from other trout species when available, such as Yellowstone cutthroat trout and brown trout
In the recent scoping survey, participants indicated that fishing is the number-one reason people visit the state park year-around. Approximately 75 percent of respondents indicated that they fished Lake Elmo in the summer as shoreline anglers.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will lift creel and fish-length limits on the lake starting May 1 ahead of plans to completely drain the la…
Lake Elmo's shoreline is dry for the winter after the water level was lowered by 2 to 3 feet to expose, freeze and kill and any invasive Asian clams near the lake’s edge.