Natural Resources
TItle 36 is the law that governs the natural resources, federal lands and waters of Canyon Lake, please use the link below to view a copy of TItle 36 in PDF format. Title 36 applies to all U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Resevoirs, project sites and federal lands.
Title 36 CFR
The Corps of Engineers has the responsibility to manage federal lands that were purchased for the reservoir and dam construction. This includes management of natural resources in both the developed park areas and in the federally owned lands along the lake shoreline.
The lake office along with the Ft Worth District Corps of Engineers Operations and Real Estate division have the responsibility to manage the flowage easement lands that surround the Canyon Lake. An explanation of the flowage easement lands and their restrictions can be found in the Adjacent Landowners Guide .
Natural Resources Specialists at Canyon Lake conduct a variety of management activities around the lake. These activities include but are not limited to wildlife management, fisheries management, invasive species control, prescribed burning, wildflower planting, habitat improvement, and wildscapes.
To learn more about the natural resources at Canyon Lake, click on the link(s) listed below.
Wildlife
Canyon Lake Gorge
In 2002 a major flood event occured at Canyon Lake. The resulting water flow over the spill way carved thousands of tons of earth, vegetation and rock from from the ground. The newly formed gorge is a natural wonder to behold. Water falls seep from teh rock cliffs while crystal clear pools of water team with aquatic fauna below.
The hike through the gorge is available to the public thought the Gorge Preservation Socitey. They manage the area and help to keep it pristen and beautiful for everyone that visits. A few images below are from the gorge. To take a tour you will need to go to our links page and access the Gorge Preservation Societies website from there. Once on their website you can see videos, images and sign up for a tour.
Below are three links to pics from when the gorge was formed. Feel free to take a look at them. they are large files so be patient on the download.
Gorge_Pic1 Gorge_Pic2 Gorge_Pic3
Invasive Species Alerts
The following are some of the most common invasive species to a lake. Lets work together to prevent Canyon Lake from their invasion. Report any and all potential sightings to our office ASAP so we can keep them out.
Aquatic Vegetation
There are no known aquatic plants invading Canyon Lake currently. The link below will provide guidence on what types of plants and how to deal with them on personal property. If the lake ever has an outbreak of these plants, we will manage it with TPWD.
Here is a list of the common aquatic plants that should not be in the lake. The common name comes first with the scientific name in parenthesis. Each plant has 3 links. They either take you to a University or the USDA.
Common Names
Scientific Name
Links
Giant Salvinia
Salvinia molesta
Hydrilla
Hydrilla verticillata
Water Hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes Link 1
Eurasian Watermilfoil
Myriophyllum spicatum L.
Alligator Weed
Alternanthera philoxeroides
Water Lettuce
Pistia stratiotes L.
Below are two links to TPWD that will guide you. To know what each plant looks like, please look them up using Google.
TPWD Aquatic Vegetation
TPWD Invasive Species
Below are a couple of links to the the Nature Conservancy and Wildlife Forever. These non-profit organizations have good information about non-native plants in general. This should help on any questions you have.
The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife Forever
ZEBRA MUSSELS
Name: Zebra Mussel (Dreissena Polymorpha )
Size: 80 microns to 45 millimeters
Description: Organism is characterized by a light and dark varying stripped pattern resembling zebra stripes on two connected hard shells.
NO! We have not seen Zebra Mussels in Canyon Lake yet. BUT this alert is to help you become more aware that they do exist in some Texas Lakes. Please click on the link below to go to the Texas Parks and WIldlife web page that deals directly with the Zebra Mussel.
To see pics of the mussel, go to Google and type in ZEBRA MUSSELS. Then click Enter. Now click on the link in the top left that says IMAGES. You will see hundreds of pictures of the mussel and how destructive it is to local environments. This little mussel can destroy an environment quickly.
CLEAN your boats FIRST before getting in Canyon Lake from another lake. All it takes is 1 mussel to start the downward spiral of the lake. Help Keep the lake clean of Zebra Mussels.
If you see anything that resembles a mussel like this, please call us immediately so we can varify the species correctly.
TPWD Link
Don't forget to be safe while spending time in the greatest natural resource (Canyon Lake Waters) we provide.
