I am a private land owner. How can I help?
In order to expand our fish habitat reef locations, we must rely on private landowners around Douglas Lake.
In order to place any artificial habitat in the lake, we must comply with TVA rules and regulations. First you must be able to show proof of ownership, second you have a TVA form 26A. To see the full instructions for form 26A, click the button below.
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​The good news is, if you own your property, and you have a dock on the property, it is very likely you already have a Form 26A registered with the TVA. The better new is, if you do not have a Form 26A, we will help you get one and make it a very simple process.
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Once you have satisfied these two requirements, we can help you with a plan to install fish habitat. We can even provide materials and manpower to complete the project.
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The new habitat can be around your dock, or on other parts of your property.
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Douglas Lake is unique in its "Riparian Land" rules. Lake front property does not end at the high water mark. It extends all the way out to the river or creek channels, or to the opposing property owners line. In some cases this could be the mid point of a cove with no defined creek channel.
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You can introduce habitat on that land as long as you follow the rules. And we are here to help with that. Larger reef ball clusters can be installed far from your home, dock and recreational areas. And when the water is up for the majority of the year, you can't see them, but the fish will flock to them.
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To make this process as simple and painless for you as possible, you have the option to assign Friends Of Douglas Lake as your "agent". This allows us to work through the section 26 form and process with the TVA on your behalf. In other words, we do all the work for you.
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Click on the Friends Of Douglas Lake Logo at the bottom left of this page to send us an email if you need more information or you would like to talk with us about adding habitat on your property. We will respond.
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There Are 3 Major Ways
A Private Land Owner Can Help
Choose any or all of these options
Install trees or other habitat around your dock.
Installing just a few small cedar trees or Christmas trees under or around your dock, will provide excellent fish habitat. No special permission is required for this simple addition of habitat. Our team will be happy to assist you with installing the trees. We may be able to provide them for you as well. Click on the Friends Of Douglas Lake Logo at the bottom left of this page to send us an email if you need more information or you would like to talk with us about adding habitat on your property. We will respond.
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Let Us Install An Artificial Reef or Brush Pile
We work directly with the TWRA for guidance and assistance when installing habitat such as brush piles, reef balls and other artificial structure on private land. This will require a TVA Form 26A, which we will help you obtain if you do not already have one. It is highly likely, if you have a dock on your property now, that you already have the proper documentation (Form 26A).
We will prepare a complete plan, including drawings/maps for you to approve before any forms are submitted or any work is done. We can place the habitat away from your dock, and recreation areas if needed.
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The TWRA has a proven track record with various fish habitat approaches. They have demonstrated success with the reef balls / brush piles they installed in the lake in previous years. Having more of these reefs in our lake will have a positive impact on fish populations. We will provide everything for your reef. We will even name it after you if you like.
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See our Key Initiatives on the Home page, click the Learn More button, and that will take you directly to the TWRA site where the reef program is explained in detail.
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Click on the Friends Of Douglas Lake Logo at the bottom left of this page to send us an email if you need more information or you would like to talk with us about adding habitat on your property. We will respond.
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Donate Cedar Trees Or Other Trees
The TWRA can only take trees from very limited areas around the lake. Therefore, we rely on private landowners to provide as many trees as we can get. We will come to your property and let you show us exactly which trees to take. We will leave the area clean and neat, we do all the work.
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Click on the Friends Of Douglas Lake Logo at the bottom left of this page to send us an email if you need more information or you would like to talk with us about adding habitat on your property. We will respond.
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