Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force
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Baxter's Pond
The Baxter Pond site owned by Wesley and Angela Baxter, covers 40 acres within the upper Middle Fork Creek drainage basin. Middle Fork Creek, a tributary of the North Fork of the Neuwaukum River is located in Lewis County, Washington. The project at Baxter’s Pond serves to improve and maintain regional habitat for the long term. Specific objectives target wetland expansion and stabilization, settling basin development to control erosion from a nearby clear cut and expanding in-stream access to rearing and spawning areas for native Cutthroat trout and Coho salmon.
In 1994 Friends of the Chehalis took over the care and operation of Baxter’s conditioning pond. Since that time the facility has been used to condition Coho parr during smolting for saltwater release. In 1997 a fish ladder was built to aid adult migration through a maze of existing beaver dams.
WDFW discontinued the program at Baxter’s Pond and the fish have been moved to the Carlisle Lake Rearing Facility; however, project participants hope to keep the facility active and functioning as a “classroom” laboratory for supervised environmental awareness programs.