Nebraska sinks 150 trees at 16 lake sites to create shelter for young fish

Instead of building concrete reefs, conservation workers in Nebraska have turned trees cleared from overgrown lake banks into underwater fish habitats, placing around 150 trees at 16 locations across two lakes. The project, completed in September 2026, aims to give smaller fish places to hide from predators while improving fishing access along the shore. According to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the trees were transported and submerged using a new Aquatic Habitat Barge at Bridgeport State Recreation Area.The project used approximately 60 cedar and Russian olive trees at five locations in the recreation area's southeast lake and another 90 trees at 11 locations in the middle lake.