New kiosk marks Golden Trout Wilderness

Kernville — California’s State fish, the golden Trout, is depicted in a colorful information kiosk because of the volunteers from these groups joined forces this past Labor Day weekend for the installation of the new kiosk, the result of a six-month long project.

The installation was accomplished through the efforts of about 15 volunteers. The project, replacing an older, damaged kiosk, consists of three panels depicting California’s Official State Fish, the golden trout, its origins, history, and future.

Boy Scout Troop No. 848, out of Ridgecres, made this a team effort.

Scout Dan Zellner, coordinated the project which was part of his Eagle Scout requirements.

Dan has spent 10 years volunteering for the Forest Service and the California Department of Fish and Game.

Trout Unlimited is a national organization with more than 150,000 volunteers organized into 400 chapters from Maine to Montana to Alaska.

Its mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.

Aquabonita Flyfishers Club, is a non-profit organization, out of Ridgecrest. The club name represents the scientific name of the Volcano Creek golden trout (now called golden trout).

Its goals is to improve and increase the sport of flyfishing, promote and work for the betterment of fishing waters and encourage and advocate conservation of fishes, waters, and watershed.

The panels were installed at the Blackrock Ranger Station located on the Kern Plateau in the heart of golden trout country.

Blackrock sits at 8,100 feet in elevation and is open during the summer months; greeting hundreds of fisherman each year looking to catch, and get a glimpse of the beautiful Golden Trout.

A large portion of the funding came through the Golden Trout Project primarily funded by Trout Unlimited, along with contributions from the Aquabonita Flyfishers.

The graphic designs were supplied by the Inyo National Forest.

Steve Anderson, Resource Officer on the Kern River Ranger District helped coordinate the installation. Anderson stated, “I want to thank these volunteers for their efforts. The signs are a vast improvement and we really appreciate the work and support from the scout troop and the volunteer organizations.” Anderson said, “It was great to be a part of this project. This will be a big benefit to our forest visitors, promoting a better understanding of our native trout and the state fish.”

For more information on golden trout and volunteer projects visit http://www.californiagoldentrout.org/.