Appendix B

TIMELINE O F E VENTS

RELATED TO FISH S TOCKING IN THE

NORTH C ASCADES C OMPLEX
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 27

APPENDIX B: TIMELINE OF EVENTS RELATED TO 

FISH STOCKING IN THE NORTH CASCADES COMPLEX

The following is a summary of the events related to the history of the North Cascades Complex, fish 

stocking of mountain lakes in the North Cascades Complex, and litigation and agreements between the 

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the National Park Service (NPS). 

5,000 B.C. – Native Americans inhabited the area, living from the land by fishing, hunting, and gathering. 

Late 1700s – The first Euro-Americans began to settle the area. 

1814 – The first recorded crossing of the North Cascades by European fur trader, Alexander Ross. 

1846 – The United States established title to the Oregon Territory. 

1850s – Congress passed the Homestead Act and Donation Land Claim Laws to encourage settlement of 

the area. 

Late 1800s – Lakes were first stocked with exotic trout by settlers for food and recreation. 

1890s – Congress established two large forest reserves in the North Cascades region that were 

administered by the General Land Office of the Department of the Interior. Out of these reserves, 

Congress created Mount Rainier National Park in 1899, and the remaining land was later transferred to 

the administrative jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service, which established five national forests in the 

area. 

1905 – President Roosevelt transferred jurisdiction of the forest reserves from the U.S. Department of the 

Interior to the newly created U.S. Forest Service. 

1907 – The Washington National Forest was created. 

1924 – The Washington National Forest was renamed Mount Baker National Forest. 

1930s – Stocking had become an established practice in the North Cascades. The Washington Department 

of Fish and Game (now the Department of Fish and Wildlife) took over responsibility for stocking, which 

became a major component of its recreational fishing program. Also in the 1930s, recreational groups 

such as the Washington State Hi-Lakers and Trail Blazers, Inc. were formed. The groups’ purpose was to 

experience and enhance fishing opportunities in the high mountain lakes by carrying out stocking 

programs. By 1969, the WDFW and fishing groups had stocked 75 lakes in what is now the North 

Cascades Complex. The lakes that were stocked were thought to be able to support fish populations. 

1963 – President Kennedy ordered a review of the North Cascades region in order to determine the 

highest and best use of the area. 

1968 – On October 2, the North Cascades National Park Service Complex was created from land 

previously included in the Mount Baker National Forest. The purpose and significance of the North 

Cascades Complex was essentially to preserve and protect lands and provide recreational opportunities 

for public enjoyment. 

1969-1977 – Fish stocking dropped to only four permitted fish plants in the park and seven in the Ross 

Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas during this eight-year period. 
A PPENDIXES

28 DRAFT MOUNTAIN LAKES FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN

1975 – The park superintendent instituted a policy that prohibited fish stocking in naturally barren (fishfree) lakes and would not stock those lakes into which native trout had been introduced, allowing 

naturally reproducing trout to remain. The policy would not affect the two national recreation areas. The 

superintendent received considerable anger and resistance from fishing groups (Hi-Lakers and Trail 

Blazers) and the Washington Department of Game, as well as political pressure from Senator Henry M. 

Jackson’s office (Louter 1998). In response, the superintendent proposed a policy variance that would 

consider stocking on a lake-by-lake basis and not include lakes containing reproducing (self-sustaining) 

populations or that were fishless at the time. The policy variance was made in hopes of appeasing the 

Washington Department of Game and possibly lead to a more formal memorandum of understanding 

between the two agencies. The superintendent also noted the possibility of complete negation of the 

original policy because some disgruntled anglers might illegally stock exotic species of fish in the high 

lakes to continue the fishery. 

1979 – The NPS issued a management policy variance and entered into agreement with the Washington 

Department of Game that allowed stocking of nonnative trout to continue at regular intervals in selected 

lakes. 

1985 – The NPS attempted to phase out stocking but received strong objection from the Department of 

Game. Intense public debate and congressional interest elevated the issue to a national level. Both 

agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on August 15, 1985 (see appendix A for a 

copy of the MOU). 

June 12, 1986 – The director of the NPS issued a policy statement that placed all mountain lakes in the 

North Cascades Complex into three categories: (1) natural fish-free waters, (2) self-sustaining fish 

population waters, and (3) continue-to-stock waters. The policy basically allowed fish stocking to occur in 

waters that currently had fish populations and allowed other waters to remain fish-free. It acknowledged 

that some lakes might be “potential candidates for continued fish stocking . . . ” It called for a review to 

“determine which waters warrant management as an enhanced recreational fishery, and for which 

continued fish stocking is to be an acceptable action.” The statement suggested a research effort that 

would focus on the following: (1) establish current fish and aquatic habitat baseline conditions, (2) 

monitor impacts of fish stocking, and (3) determine changes over time referenced against current baseline 

or undisturbed natural conditions. The intent of the research would be to provide an informed basis for 

fish-stocking management in the future (see appendix A for a copy of the 1986 NPS memorandum 

[“policy waiver”]). 

1987 – The Washington Department of Game (name changed to Department of Wildlife) announced 

plans to stock 12 lakes in the North Cascades Complex that were not approved by the NPS for fish 

stocking. The NPS responded with a warning that anyone caught stocking these lakes would be issued a 

violation notice and prosecuted in federal court. No stocking occurred. 

1988 – A lawsuit was brought by the North Cascades Conservation Council against the NPS. The council 

alleged that the environmental assessment associated with the 1988 General Management Plan for the 

North Cascades Complex was not in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

July 12, 1988 – The Department of Wildlife dropped their 1987 and 1988 plans to stock fish. The NPS 

and the Department of Wildlife agreed to sign a 12-year Supplemental Agreement (see appendix A) to the 

1985 MOU that allowed fish stocking to continue in 17 lakes and allowed self-sustaining fish populations 

to continue in 23 lakes while the NPS conducted research. It also stipulated that any additions or deletions 

to the list of lakes would be made only by mutual agreement and added the caveat that research results 

would be considered in future decisions. 
Appendix B

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 29

1988 – The NPS initiated a long-term research effort through Oregon State University to evaluate the 

effects of fish stocking on native biota in mountain lakes. 

November 16, 1988 – The Washington Wilderness Act was passed. 

1991 – A Consent Decree (see appendix A for a copy) between the NPS and the North Cascades 

Conservation Council was signed. The Consent Decree, among many things, dictated that the “National 

Park Service conduct a NEPA review of the fish stocking of naturally fish-free lakes . . . upon completion 

of ongoing research.” It also stipulated that the review would evaluate management measures to protect 

all natural stocks. 

2000 – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW, formerly Department of Game and 

then Department of Wildlife) agreed to a proposal by the NPS to extend the project two years (to 2002) 

while the U.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division (USGS-BRD) finished a final research 

report. The USGS-BRD research focused on the effects of fish stocking on naturally fish-free lakes. The 

first phase research report was completed in 1995, the second phase was completed in 1998, and the final 

phase was completed in July 2002. 

2002 – The NPS initiated development of this Draft Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan / 

Environmental Impact Statement (plan/EIS). Preparation of this document is guided by NPS policies, and 

it conforms to requirements of NPS Director’s Order 12: Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact 

Analysis, and Decision-making, and Handbook and NEPA. A letter from the WDFW to the North 

Cascades Complex superintendent reaffirms through 2004 the intent of the 1988 Supplemental Agreement 

to the 1985 MOU. The letter agrees to no changes in stocking (lakes, species, and frequency). The letter 

also agrees to collaborate with the NPS on an environmental assessment leading to a long-term fishery 

management plan. 

2003 – Public Scoping formally began on January 16, 2003, with the Federal Register publication of the 

notice of intent to prepare this draft plan/EIS (Federal Register Vol. 68(11), pp. 2355–2356). In March 

2003, the NPS and WDFW held four public scoping meetings to discuss issues and management 

alternatives for this draft plan/EIS. The public comment period ended on April 18, 2003. From April 2003 

to April 2005, the NPS prepares the draft plan/EIS with input from the WDFW (the cooperating agency). 

2005 – The draft plan/EIS is distributed for agency and public review and comment in spring 2005.