Day Two of Rainbow Lake Cleanup

Dedicated zoo staff and, even more impressively, dedicated park volunteers and neighbors, showed up for a second consecutive day of netting fish, carrying heavy buckets, and (increasingly) wading in mud. The lake was down to a small, muddy pond today, thick with both fish and leaves, but the rescue effort really picked up steam. The zoo curators estimated that we saved more than 10,000 fish from dying as the lake was drained. That was "a conservative estimate" too. Many, many thanks to everyone who put their regular lives and work on hold to help out, esp. those who also a put in a second day's work. The zoo had the facilities to house the fish but not the manpower to save them, so volunteers really were the key to saving the fish.

My camera person couldn't make it today, but Josh Horton took some video for anyone curious to see the state of the lake on day two. The lake area will be under repairs for the rest of the week and hopefully filled up by early next week. The fish will be returned to their regular habitat a few days later, after the chlorine settles out and the water can support them.