In terms of forest and habitat management, the objectives are focused on the diversification within the major vegetation types to include different age classes of forest such as a higher diversity of forest composition and providing a diversity of field types to include herbaceous openings, cropland and grasslands.  

The Raystown Lake Project is divided into 18 management compartments. These compartments are approximately 800-1,400 acres in size. The compartments are defined by land use and with definitive boundaries such as roadways, right-of-ways, and waterways.   Having defined management compartments allow the development of management recommendations which consider local conditions, but meet the overarching management goals for Raystown.

Forest Management

To date, Raystown has managed 3,498 acres using commercial forest management. This management has resulted in the harvesting of an estimated 6.1M board feet of sawtimber and 102K tons of pulpwood. Revenues from the sale of these wood products now exceed $1.88M. This revenue is returned to Raystown and used to further enhance the environmental stewardship program (i.e. gravel road maintenance, forest pest suppression, invasive species herbicide, prescribed fire, food plot program).

Field Management

In terms of field management, natural resource staff members manage a total of approximately 200 acres.  Of that 122 acres are managed under agricultural lease, with the remainder being managed via Raystown staff. The habitat fields managed by Raystown staff are planted solely for wildlife benefit. A myriad of crops are planted to include clover, alfalfa, corn, oats, wheat, sorghum, sunflower, turnip, soybean and brassica. New plantings in the spring of 2019 included 23.5 acres of corn, 4.2 acres of clover, 9.5 acres of summer mix (oats, buckwheat, soybean, sunflower) and 40.8 acres of mowing.

Prescribed Fire

Over the last century, the United States has had a policy of fire suppression due to the risks fires pose to humans and communities.  Unfortunately, this policy has led to unhealthy overly-dense forest conditions, the loss of unique fire-dependent ecosystems, and a degraded wildlife habitat. Without prescribed fire, forests are less resilient, creating the potential for catastrophic wildfire events.

A prescribed fire is the safe use of fire under specific conditions to achieve land management objectives. Prescribed fire in Pennsylvania is authorized by the PA Prescribed Burning Practices Act (Act 17 of 2009). All prescribed fires conducted in PA must be performed in accordance with this Act and the PA Prescribed Fire Standards as developed by the PA Bureau of Forestry and the PA Fire Council, Training and Standards Committee.

Raystown has embraced the use of prescribed fire as a land management tool. Prescribed fire will be used for fuel load reduction, control of invasive species, grassland management and promotion of fire dependent species (i.e. oak and hard pine species). In compliance with Raystown’s forest and wildlife management programs, Raystown plans to execute approximately 100 acres of prescribed fire annually or 200 acres biannually.

Raystown Lake is a destination sport fishery with numerous public boat ramps, marinas, and bait and tackle shops. The lake provides a quality fishery for both the boater and the bank angler. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) manages the fisheries of Raystown Lake in accordance with a memorandum of understanding. The PFBC began stocking the lake in 1973 in an effort to establish a “two story” fishery unique to the Northeast. Generally, a stocking management plan is developed every four to five years based on the PFBC census of fish populations.

The management objectives are to develop a warm water fishery for bass, muskellunge, panfish, and striped bass, and a cold water fishery for trout species, notably brown and lake trout. The existing reservoir supports a recreational cold and warm water fishery. The species sought by angles include tiger muskellunge, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, striped bass, yellow perch, channel catfish, and brown bullhead. Pumpkinseed, carp, white sucker, rock bass, and several species of minnows are also present.

Currently, populations of lake trout, striped bass, walleye, muskellunge, and tiger muskellunge are maintained and supplemented through routine stockings of juvenile fish by the PFBC. Annually, the PFBC stocks over 100,000 striped bass fingerlings and fry. In addition to PFBC stockings, the Pennsylvania Striped Bass Association (PSBA) also stock juvenile Striped Bass in Raystown Lake to bolster populations of that species. Other sportfish populations such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, brown bullhead, and channel catfish are sustained through natural reproduction. With the exception of all species of trout and rainbow smelt, which are managed with special regulations, Raystown Lake’s fisheries are managed with Commonwealth Inland Waters angling regulations.

The Raystown Lake Cooperative Striped Bass Nursery was created in 2015 in cooperation between the PFBC, PSBA, and USACE. This striper nursery is located at the maintenance compound area. The nursery’s purpose is to spawn and raise striped bass to be released into Raystown Lake.  The goal of this project is to aid the striped bass stocking efforts of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to ensure a sustainable population of the species within the Raystown Lake fishery. The nursery is a challenge partnership agreement with USACE.

In conjunction with PFBC, many sportsmen groups have volunteered hours, time, and money for the construction of fish attractors throughout the reservoir. According to the PFBC, the fisheries habitat management plan from 2016 report concluded that artificial habitats (refuge, spawning, nesting and nursery) are designed to be effective, long lasting structures that allow fish to accomplish their daily and seasonal tasks with greater efficiency. Some artificial habitats have dual purposes and may also provide increased opportunities for anglers to catch and harvest fish. They also provide increased surface areas for algae attachment, aquatic insect colonization and other food organisms which may increase fishery production. The program has been an ongoing partnership between the USACE and the PAFBC since 1990.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District is conducting invasive species management work on a small segment of Raystown Lake to suppress the growth of hydrilla. Raystown Lake has had hydrilla for years, but 2020 is the first year funding was made available to carry out a treatment plan. 

Hydrilla is an invasive species that left unchecked can get out of control. Dense infestations of hydrilla can shade or crowd out all other native aquatic plants, alter water chemistry, cause dramatic swings in dissolved oxygen levels, increase water temperatures, and affect the diversity and abundance of fish populations. Hydrilla also has negative impacts on recreation, including making it more difficult or even potentially dangerous for both boating and swimming due to the denseness of its growth.

By treating the hydrilla to suppress its growth, the intent is to diminish these negative effects and in turn benefit Raystown Lake’s natural ecology.  Read more about our hydrilla management plan.