Montgomery Residents Recycle Christmas Trees To Benefit Fish

Montgomery Residents Recycle Christmas Trees To Benefit Fish

Nine residents of Fairfield Way and Foxmoor subdivisions in Montgomery have volunteered their time and expertise to develop fish habitat from discarded Christmas trees. The volunteers have diverted 17 trees from disposal and re-purposed them to provide cover and bedding for newborn sport fish in the spring.

Working in cooperation with Montgomery Director of Public Works Mike Pubentz, the pilot project was implemented for Foxmoor Lake this winter and uses practices approved by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The trees were bound in clusters of four or five, secured, weighted and positioned in various areas of the west stormwater detention basin in the Cambridge Foxmoor subdivision. In the spring it is expected that sport fish will seek the newly placed cover for egg spawning and as protective cover for newly hatched fish.

“We are re-evaluating and re-thinking what can be done with the stormwater management basins which are located in many Montgomery neighborhoods,” reports Director Pubentz. “With the help of Illinois fisheries and neighborhood volunteers, we may be able to significantly improve the fishability of these waters and make our water basins a valuable resource for everyone’s enjoyment.”

“Healthy fish populations in these waters can also help control insects such as mosquitoes and attract more shorebirds such as herons and egrets,” Pubentz added.

Pubentz added “This has been a tremendous example of residents working with their local government to develop and implement a project of mutual interest. The residents’ participation, expertise, and willingness to give their own time and effort is really what made this partnership work. The work put forth by the Foxmoor and Fairfield residents is what made this project a success.”

Residents who volunteered time and materials for the project include Ben Brzoska of 3122 Fairfield Way, Mark  Makoui of 1702 Sandstone Parkway, Jeremy Berger of 1753 Wick Way, Joe Marschall of 3019 Foxmoor Drive, Larry Kmiec of 2918 Dale Court, Lou Pasquale of 3014 Foxmoor Drive and Stan Bond of 3003 Foxmoor Drive.

Persons interested in more information about the program can contact Mike Pubentz at the Montgomery Public Works Department 630-896-1354 or Stan Bond via email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Photo (Left to Right): Jeremy Berger -1753 Wick Way, Ben Brzoska – 3122 Fairfield Way, Stan Bond – 3003 Foxmoor Drive.