State funds $250,000 urban fishing pond at Fuji Park

Carson City will be one fishing hole richer with the addition of a pond at Fuji Park.

With a thumbs-up from the state, Carson-area fishing enthusiasts and city officials are working to turn the idea into reality by this time next year.

Nevada Department of Wildlife commissioners agreed Friday to fund the $250,000 project with state funding approved by voters in November with Question 1.

The urban fishing project is planned as a one-acre pond to be filled year-round with fresh city-owned water drawn straight from Clear Creek surrounded by a walking trail and native plantings to attract birds and wildlife.

The state has budgeted $27.5 million for the acquisition of property or interest in real or personal property to enhance, protect and manage wildlife and wildlife habitat.

The funding can also be used to enhance recreational opportunities related to wildlife or to develop or renovate facilities or improve existing habitats for fish and other wildlife, said Kelly Clark, conservation education bureau chief for the wildlife department.

The Fuji Park Urban Fishing Pond competed with 122 projects around the state for the first-round funding. The decision ended a nearly seven-year quest by local fishing enthusiasts and officials to locate a new fishing spot within city limits.

"I still get chills just saying it," said Kevin "CK" Baily of Carson, president of the Carson Fly Fishing Club and one of the key organizers of the pond project. "I'm so excited I can't even hardly stand it."

The project could not have happened had Carson voters approved the sale of the fairgrounds in November for commercial development. Clear Creek, which carries fresh mountain runoff to the Carson River, runs through the park and fairgrounds.

Water will be diverted from Clear Creek in the southeastern area of the fairgrounds to fill the 1-acre pond. The pond will be stocked by the state with rainbow trout and open throughout the year.

City staff will propose draft plans of the pond facility to the city's Parks and Recreation Commission at its meeting May 20. The plan will need approvals from the commission and the city's Board of Supervisors before it can get started.

If the plan is approved, the state department expects to have funding available quickly, Clark said.

The state will pay for the project, but the city will design, construct and maintain it, Clark said.

The 15-foot-deep fishing pond will be available for classes and recreation. Clark also expects it will become a bird watching area and home for ducks, geese and quail. Plans include replanting the pond's surrounding area with diverse planting scheme of native trees and vegetation, like cottonwood, alder and aspen, and plants like chokecherry, golden currant and red dogwood.

The pond will be designed with a handicapped-accessible walking path that will skirt the edges and take walkers to other points along Clear Creek. A pier will also allow access for all anglers and will be compliant with the American Disabilities Act. Parking and restrooms will be located close to the pond.

The city tried to create a public fishing pond in the past at Ross Gold Park off Snyder Avenue but had trouble keeping fish alive in its shallow, stagnant waters, said Parks and Recreation Supervisor Steve Kastens. The public has shown an interest in a fishing area in Carson, he said.

"We've looked all over the valley trying to find (a location) and this is the best opportunity I think we have," Kastens said.

A new master plan was recently written for Fuji Park and Carson Fairgrounds in collaboration with the Fuji Park User's Coalition, who voted to put the pond project in the new plan, Kastens said. The new master plan will be presented to the commission May 20.

IF YOU GO

What: Parks and Recreation Commission

When: 5:30 p.m. May 20

Where: Sierra Room, Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St.