By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch There is disagreement over what the future holds for Lake Kapowsin. Two state agencies that manage the lake see it being preserved only for its current uses as a place for fishing and hunting. Citizen advocates, backed by the Pierce County Council, envision the development of a public park that would broaden access to and uses of the lake. Indications are that the state Department of Natural Resources will prevail with its plan to designate the lake as an aquatic reserve. DNR officials announced the plan last September, held public meetings in the Kapowsin area to explain it, and maintain it's the best way to preserve what they call the lake's unique historic and environmental characteristics. Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, who oversees DNR, will make the final decision. Supporters of alternative uses of the lake aren't giving up. They're hoping to find enough private and government support to add a park some day to the 512-acre lake located between Graham and Eatonville. According to DNR, Lake Kapowsin should be an aquatic reserve because of its rare status as an undeveloped lowland lake in the Puget Sound region. DNR officials say the state-owned lake is also unique because of an ancient cedar forest beneath its surface. The lake was created and flooded the area about 500 years ago when the Electron mudflow, as its known by geologists, surged down Mount Rainier and dammed Kapowsin Creek. In addition, officials note that the lake contains important habitat for fish and other aquatic species. As Washington's first freshwater aquatic reserve (there are seven saltwater reserves), Lake Kapowsin would be the subject of a management plan for the reserve area. The plan, on which DNR would consult local communities and other stakeholders, can limit activities, officials said. Without reserve status and a management plan, DNR would consider uses of the site on a case-by-case basis. Aquatic reserves don't affect fishing or private property. Fishing is managed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) and would continue regardless of reserve status, with no restrictions on access or fish limits. Lake Kapowsin is open year-round. For fishing, it's stocked by DFW with bass, bluegill and trout, among other species. The lake is also popular with duck hunters. They and fishing enthusiasts prefer keeping the lake as it is, and that's what DNR wants, too, said Birdie Davenport, aquatic reserves program manager for the agency. "Our interest is in protecting the lake and its habitat,GÇ¥ Davenport said. Davenport and Bob Burkle, a habitat program manager for DFW, made the state's case during a meeting of the Eatonville Chamber of Commerce March 19. Burkle said hunting and fishing at Lake Kapowsin would be limited if a park was added. DFW wouldn't be able to carry out its statewide mission of preserving fish habitat and recreation opportunities, so the agency "would prefer status quo,GÇ¥ he said. On the other side is Bill Pickard, founder of the George Pocock Rowing Foundation and the Lake Kapowsin Trust. Pickard proposes using the lake for rowing competitions and practices. And he hopes to set the stage for a park through the efforts of the foundation (LKT). "It will take a while, but we believe we can raise the capital to acquire the land and develop the park, and through built-in, sustainable income sources raise the money to operate and GÇô most importantly - maintain the park in perpetuity,GÇ¥ Pickard said. He said LKT "technically does not yet exist,GÇ¥ but if DNR agreed to work with it, the trust would "start the processGÇ¥ of planning and securing permits to develop the park. Without DNR's cooperation, "there can be no participation by the LKTGÇ¥ because potential financial supporters will get involved only if there is "healthy outdoor recreation and the other things that can come from a park with aquatic sports.GÇ¥ Burkle said using the lake for rowing events would require the removal of submerged tree snags, which would negatively affect fish and wildlife habitat. Rowing would also be disruptive to fishermen, he said, and a park would hamper hunting. DNR held public meetings on its aquatic reserve proposal in October and December last year at Kapowsin Elementary School. Citizens commented or asked questions about sportsmen's access, littering at the lake, and security at the lake's state-managed boat ramp. Pickard has support from the County Council and a state legislator. The council passed a formal resolution March 24 urging DNR to work with Pickard on developing a park for public recreation, including "water-dependent" activities. And state Sen. Randi Becker said she's working with fellow legislators on ways "to assist this effort.GÇ¥ She contends a park would bring economic and cultural benefits to the county. The support so far is moral, not financial. Pickard noted that the county and the state don't have money for a Lake Kapowsin park. "Governments are tapped out and have a long list of priorities that come in ahead of parks, as they should,GÇ¥ he said. A park must have funds to maintain it, and that's what pro-Lake Kapowsin park interests "are proposing to provide,GÇ¥ he added.
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