Live Christmas trees can be recycled after the holidays through the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ “Christmas for the Fishes” program, which repurposes donated trees to create underwater habitat for fish across Kentucky.
Donated trees should be real, not artificial, and should be free of lights, garland, and decorations. They will be anchored to environmentally friendly weights and submerged at various depths in different lakes and reservoirs across Kentucky to provide places for fish to feed, shelter, and spawn.
“They provide excellent refuge and feeding habitat for game fish, as well as for small fish and invertebrates that are crucial to a thriving ecosystem,” a release from the Department says. “Fish flourish in environments with diverse cover, including trees and logs. The donated trees will help restore woody structures in lakes that decay over time, providing protective cover and shade for a variety of fish species.”
The locations where trees are installed generally become hot spots for fish species targeted by anglers, officials said. These locations are recorded by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife staff, and the GPS coordinates are made available to anglers through the “Lakes with Fish Attractors” page on the department’s website.
In Owensboro, donations will be accepted through January 16 at the Grimes Avenue Transfer Station (2129 Grimes Avenue) in Owensboro.
