Lake Wilderness, headwater of Wood- 

 bine Creek, Beartooth Mountains. 

 Typical of the beautiful mountain 

 lakes near tiniberline. Abrupt rocky 

 shoreline provides little natural fish 

 food. Fertilization greatly improves 



9*tcSie&U«x}, PnaduatiAuty, oj Afausdcust Jlah&i 



This state, like many others having moun- 

 tainous regions, possesses a great many lakes 

 situated at sub-alpine levels whose beauty and 

 settings are masterpieces from the hand of nature, 

 but whose ability to produce any appreciable 

 numbers of trout are extremely limited due to the 

 lack of sufficient natural food. This lack of na- 

 tural food is due to the absence of the elements 

 which act as fertilizing agents, namely, the ni- 

 trates and phosphates. Usually the terrain sur- 

 rounding these lakes is composed largely of rock 

 formations which support only meager growths 

 of vegetation and consequently contribute very 

 little fertility. 



The introduction of fish foods, such as fresh 

 water shrimp, daphnia, and other forms, will not 

 accomplish the results desired unless the food to 

 support these organisms is present and that food, 

 namely algae, diatoms, etc., cannot thrive unless 

 the water contains sufficient fertility to promote 

 its growth. Hence the need for a greatly expanded 

 piogram of fertilization, and it is the Commis- 

 sioners hope that commercial fertilizing materials 

 will again be available in the near future, as 

 well as sufficient personnel to carry to a success- 

 ful conclusion a program which will be of inesti- 

 matable benefit to all sportsmen. 



[34] 



