May, 1945 



Bennett: Overfishing, Onized Lake 



375 



Acknowledgments 



Mr. Bruno von Limbach, Assistant Zool- 

 ogist with the Illinois Natural History- 

 Survey, has given able assistance in many 

 phases of the field work, and is in no small 

 measure responsible for the completeness 

 of the final census. Others to whom I am 

 indebted for assistance are Mr. W. W. 

 Wood, Mr. Austin Vincent and Mr. John 

 Conrad of the Owens-Illinois Glass Com- 

 pany, who helped to make this study possi- 

 ble ; Mr. Robert G. Rennels, who assisted 

 in the final census; Mr. Gernon P. Hes- 

 selschwerdt, who tabulated the creel cen- 

 sus data; and Mrs. Bruno von Limbach, 

 who assisted in growth calculations. 



Characteristics of Onized Lake 



The Owens-Illinois Glass Company of 

 Alton sponsors an extensive indoor and 

 outdoor recreation program. The outdoor 

 program is centered on a tract of land of 



23 acres about 8 miles northwest of Alton. 

 Here facilities are available for picnics, 

 hiking, softball and fishing. The property, 

 leased from C. W. Terry, consists of open 

 Hats suitable for ball diamonds and other 

 playgrounds, and steep-sided, well-wooded 

 ravines, attractive for hiking. Several 

 buildings have been erected, which are 

 useful for indoor activities and serve as 

 shelters in case of sudden storms. John 

 Conrad acts as general caretaker during 

 the season the area is open for use. 



Onized Lake is located in the northeast 

 part of the tract within 100 yards of the 

 entrance gate, fig. 1. The location of the 

 lake in relation to the entrance and gen- 

 eral headquarters for the area makes for 

 convenience in checking fishermen and 

 recording catches. 



The lake is a small artificial body of 

 water of approximately 2 acres, built by 

 Mr. Terry in 1933 by damming a steep- 

 sided ravine. It is roughly V-shaped, with 

 the main arm extending northward and 



Lotus and pond lilies in the smaller bay of Onized Lake. The lotus plants were started from 

 a few seeds that were thrown into the lake several years ago. They have spread to cover most 

 of the shallow water in this bay and are now a great nuisance to fishermen. 



