![Photo by Laurelle Walsh Washington State Parks Eastside Arbor Crew members James Gouldin, in bucket, and Ryan Smart trim trees at Pearrygin Lake State Park that were damaged in last winter’s storms. “Pearrygin and Conconully [state parks] got hit pretty hard,” Smart said. “No other parks have tree damage to this extent.”](https://methowvalleynews.com/wp-content/uploads/Pearrygin_CIMG0006.jpg)
By Laurelle Walsh
Pearrygin Lake State Park opened as scheduled on April 1, and experienced its first flood of visitors on Saturday (April 4) for the annual Easter egg hunt co-sponsored by Winthrop Kiwanis and the Twisp Valley Grange.
Saturday was a “Discover Pass Free Day,” a date specifically requested by park rangers across the state so that users who might not purchase a Discover Pass can participate in Easter egg hunts at the parks, according to Okanogan Highlands Area Manager Rick Lewis. “It’s important to us that people from all walks of life be able to visit the parks,” Lewis said.
The Discover Pass, which was implemented in 2011 to offset steep cuts in tax support for parks and other state lands, has become a major funding mechanism to keep parks open, Okanogan Highlands Area Manager Rick Lewis said. Discover Pass sales were responsible for 26.5 percent of Washington State Parks revenue in the 2013-2015 biennium, according to www.parks.wa.gov.
The pass is required for vehicles parking at state parks and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Natural Resources lands. An annual pass, transferrable between two vehicles, is $30. For more information about the Discover Pass go to www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
Upcoming Discover Pass free days:
April 22 (Earth Day)
May 10 (Sunday Spring Day)
June 6 (National Trails Day)
June 13 (National Get Outdoors Day)
Aug. 25 (National Park Service Birthday)
Sept. 26 (National Public Lands Day)
Nov. 11 (Veterans Day)
Despite being closed for 18 days last summer due to the Carlton Complex Fire, Pearrygin Lake State Park “remains up there” among parks across the state in terms of occupancy rates, said Lewis, and reservations for the coming summer appear to be right on track.
“We’re already pretty well booked from June 16 to the last weekend of August,” and both campgrounds are currently 100-percent full on weekends during that period, Lewis said. “If you want to reserve a campsite for July 4, you have to make your reservation on Oct. 4,” the preceding year, said Lewis, noting that campsites are reservable nine months in advance. “A lot of people do that, calling the reservation center at 7 a.m. that day,” he said.
Eighty percent of Pearrygin’s campers come from Western Washington — primarily King County and north, Lewis said. Less than 5 percent come from area code 509, he said.
Administrative changes
A new assistant ranger will be starting at Pearrygin “shortly,” Lewis said. Russell Aldrich is transferring to Pearrygin Lake State Park from Spokane, joining Operations Manager Bryan Alexander on site.
Last October, administrative staff at Pearrygin moved out of the tiny contact station — the building on the main park road where campers check in — and into offices in a residence that serves as the new park headquarters. The move allowed remodeling to begin in the contact station — aka Welcome Center — which now has an expanded area for visitor transactions.
A small park-operated store, stocked with firewood, ice, some groceries, snacks and souvenirs, will also be housed at the Welcome Center, and is expected to be open for business by Memorial Day, Lewis said.
Round-the-lake trail
Plans are proceeding for Phase 2 of the Rex Derr Trail, which will begin at the group camp at the south end of the lake and take hikers and bikers around the west side of the lake to a terminus at Bear Creek Road. The trail’s route has been plotted, Lewis said, and the park planner is currently working with Okanogan County on permitting the trail’s construction, which will include a couple of bridges.
Several user groups have already expressed interest in helping with trail building, and Lewis expects to schedule volunteer work days in September and October, he said.
Algae puzzle solved
An algae bloom in the lake that caused alarm last November, proved to be four different species of blue-green algae, Lewis said. Although the algae was confirmed to be non-toxic, it depleted oxygen in the lake, which in turn killed off fish. “The fish were not poisonous and there were no other adverse environmental effects,” Lewis said. Campbell and Cougar lakes also had problems with algae last year, he added.
The plan is to “let it run its course,” usually a three- to four-year cycle “and then it goes away,” Lewis said.
Known contributing factors include high water temperature, sunlight, and increased phosphorous levels, which may have occurred due to ash washing downstream after last summer’s fires, Lewis said.
Lewis said it is hard to know how many fish survived the algae bloom, adding that plans to plant the lake with hatchery fish are proceeding as normal. He expects the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to plant 2,000 to 3,000 pan-sized rainbow trout in Pearrygin between now and the opening day of fishing season, April 25.
Another 60,000 fry will be deposited in the lake in mid-May, which will grow to catchable size by next year, he said.
