Lake Barcroft History Book

threat has been reduced, it continues today. A much more
persistent problem has involved beavers, which, at one point,
were trapped and moved to other locations in the state after
they had destroyed several trees. Muskrats also enjoy the lake’s
shores, where they can burrow their dens behind seawalls and
under banks.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes in 1972, the community
instituted a fish-stocking program to replenish the fish lost as a
result of the storm. The project called for a precise balance of
large-mouth bass, bluegill and other sunfish, catfish and
minnows in order to sustain growth and provide sport fishing
in the lake. By the mid-1980s, fish counts indicated an
imbalance in the bluegill and bass populations. Under
harvesting had allowed bluegills to proliferate, thereby
adversely affecting the bass in the competition for space in the
lake. The release of 5,000 walleye fingerlings—which feed
more frequently and consume more fish
than bass—managed to solve the problem of bluegill
overpopulation. About the same time, sterile grass carp were
introduced in an attempt to reduce the annoying shoreline
vegetation known as elodea, a common lake plant. Grass carp
eat up to three times their weight every day and can gain five
to ten pounds each year. As a result, they cleared the
shoreline, and today there is very little evidence of elodea
around the lake.
In the mid-1990s, the WID staff noted an overabundance of
common carp, an exotic plant-eating fish that can out-compete
all other fish species in the lake. Under a state permit, tons of
common carp were harvested, relieving the stress on the largemouth
bass that occupy the same shallow water environment.
While ridding the lake of carp, the staff noted
the presence of a new fish species, whose
origins were unknown—the gizzard shad. Ken
Kopka, WID’s staff director, recommended
creating a new sport fishery, using striped bass
(known in some areas as rockfish), which
would also reduce the profusion of the newly
discovered gizzard shad. Thus, to provide the
needed balance among the fish population as
well as enhanced recreational fishing, the
WID stocked the lake with five thousand
striped bass—fine fighting fish that grow
rapidly to their mature weight of ten-fifteen
pounds.
Another eyesore appeared in the early 1990s:
algae blooms, which looked like green paint
spills, covered substantial portions of the lake.
WID sought advice from a distinguished
biologist, Dr. Dennis Cooke of Kent State
University, who had been the first president of
the North American Lake Management
Society. Dr. Cooke visited the lake and studied
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monitoring data that had been collected earlier. He determined
that the aeration system, installed in the early 1980s, was
underpowered and might even be doing more harm than
good. He recommended a system that stirs up the aerated
water and injects oxygen into the mud at the bottom of the
lake, thereby preventing phosphorous from recycling into the
water column, which is how algae blooms are generated. Dr.
Cooke’s valuable advice resulted in the complete replacement
of the aeration system, including the lake’s underwater hose
network and a quadrupling of the amount of electrical
horsepower input. The work eliminated the unattractive
algae blooms.
* * *
For the past twenty years the administration of the lake has
been running practically on automatic. The community
associations and clubs have continued to make Lake Barcroft a
fun and comfortable place to live. Beautification of the
common properties has progressed. Newsletters and directories
come out periodically and are probably taken for granted. A
new service, the Lake Link, founded by George McLennan
and George November ties the community together
electronically. The WID has paid off bonds and is maintaining
the lake and the environment. Dredging, a major problem of
the past, is conducted on schedule. While other lakes in the
area are slowly dying from lack of care, Lake Barcroft continues
to be a model for lake Best Management Practices. The
residents have every reason to be proud of the support each
homeowner gives to make Lake Barcroft such a desirable
place to live.
Damsels throw Large Mouth Bass into the lake.