Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery

After surviving the 55,000 acre wild fire that stopped just yards away from the Hatchery in July 2007, then July 2008 brought a heavy thunderstorm on the burned areas bringing a wall of mud and ash down the Sierra into Oak Creek. The mud flow went through the hatchery site. A four foot layer of mud and debris was left throughout the grounds of the hatchery.

The Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery Grounds Are Open
You can visit Thursday through Monday from 10am to 4pm. The lobby, with new displays, and the Friends Gift Shop, are open and staffed by the Friends of the Hatchery. Tours of the building are available by the Friends during these hours. The Friends have a trough of trout available to visitors for close viewing in the north end of the building which eventually will become an interpretive center. The hatchery grounds have never looked better. Bring a picnic and enjoy this unique historic location.

Stop by when you travel along Highway 395 or reserve a day for your special occasion, wedding or family reunion. For reservations or to make a donation: Contact Bruce Ivey at Friends of Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery at: PO Box 193, Independence, CA 93562; or phone 760-920-3353; or email bivey@schat.net.

The Friends of the Hatchery, donations of cash and equipment, and many volunteers, along with State and County prisoners, have spent eight months and thousands of hours of labor restoring the hatchery grounds.

The hatchery grounds have been restored and the new rest rooms adjacent to the parking lot are open. The Lobby area has been remodeled. The large display pond in front of the Hatchery building has been cleaned and restored and with a partial water supply restored, brood trout are swimming again in the pond. The Department of Fish and Game is operating two troughs within the building to experiment with hatching eggs and raising some small trout. This is necessary to determine how well this limited supply of water will maintain consistent temperatures flowing through the mud flow area with no vegetation to shade the water.

The Friends really needs volunteers, your membership and/or donations. Your commitment to the historic building and grounds will be long remembered. Volunteers are needed, either with or without artistic talent.

To make a donation or volunteer: Contact Bruce Ivey at Friends of Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery at: PO Box 193, Independence, CA 93562; or phone 760-920-3353; or e-mail bivey@schat.net.

Read how the Hatchery was planned and built in the early 1900's.

Photo by V. Zech

 

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