Environment

Column: Eastern Band working to keep hatchery going after flood





"Members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, whose tribal lands reside in the mountains of Western North Carolina, were here bright and early the morning of June 25 to pick up 28,000 rainbows. The Cherokee Indian Tribal Hatchery is still trying to recoup from the loss of 435,000 trout when a flash-flood sent a 10-foot wall of water through the hatchery almost a year ago, washing away or killing the trout and leaving raceways buried in silt. Assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, surplus fish from federal agencies such as Neosho, has kept the hatchery going along with the tribe’s popular fishing program and 30 miles of prime trout waters which is a huge tourist draw for their area."

Get the Story:
Janice Eaton: Cherokees pick up trout (The Neosho Daily News 7/5)

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