Bairco community project: Family fishing pond developed at Canyon Visitor Center

A project to rehabilitate the pond at the Bighorn Canyon Cal S. Taggart Visitor Center in Lovell has turned into a fishing opportunity for local families.

Bairco Construction owner/operator Devin Bair is spearheading a project to renovate the pond, which was installed 50 years ago as a reflecting pond for the then solar-powered visitor center. That power source didn’t turn out to work well, but the pond remained as a nature trail behind the center.

Bair said the project started as a standard federal contract to refurbish the pond and replace the liner that went out to bid. Once Bairco won the bid, the community-oriented company offered to enhance the project – and the pond – by digging it deeper so it could be stocked with fish and used as a community fishing pond.

“There was a contract issued to refurbish the pond and put a new liner in it, and that was the original contract, which didn’t entail digging it a lot deeper to try to create fish habitat,” Bair said. “The original contract was just to put new liner on top of the old liner that’s been there for 50 years.

“So we put a lot of effort into getting it as deep as we could with the groundwater that’s existing and then working with the Game and Fish to develop fish habitat friendly features inside. We put concrete in and tree stumps.”

Bairco put in tree root systems for fish fry to hide in, along with stacks of concrete blocks, also for fish hiding. Rows of rock along the banks were installed as places for fish to lay eggs.

Bair said the Wyoming Game and Fish Dept. is excited about the pond project, having wanted for years to put in a community fishing pond similar to the Homesteader Park pond in Powell. He noted that fish biologist Sam Hochhalter out of the Cody office has wanted a family fishing pond in Lovell for a long time.

Years ago, local officials considered the former water system intake ponds west of town at the Shoshone River for family fishing development, but the project didn’t come to fruition.

The Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area has indicated that the fishing pond will be a one-year trial run, but Bair hopes to see the fishing pond last for years.

“I think it’s going to be incredible, a place that kids can ride their bikes to easily and safely and fish,” he said. “We have picnic tables that Bairco has donated that are coming in, and we’re pouring some concrete pads and repairing the sidewalks. We have two picnic tables and some benches that are coming in. We’re going to do everything we can to make it work.”

Project details

The original proposal called for a new liner and leaving the pond roughly 3½ feet deep, but Bairco has dug out the pond to a depth of up to seven feet and installed a liner that is safe and approved for a fish habitat. While Bair said seven feet isn’t ideal for winter habitat, Bairco is adding an aeration system to help the fish live through the winter, but even if they don’t, Game and Fish is happy to continue to stock the pond, he said.

“They’re more than happy to bring us fish next year,” he said. “They’ll continually stock it for us throughout the season. We would like to get it to be a maintainable habitat through the year.”

Bair noted that the fish habitat-friendly lining, extra digging, picnic tables and more are being taken care of by Bairco, noting, “We’ve poured a ton of money into it. We got this job knowing this was a goal for us to do something for the community. We didn’t really care. We just said ‘Let’s do it right and really make something of it.’”

Bair said the company “started digging” in January but prepared by draining the pond and “de-watering” it deeper two months earlier so that the deeper lining wouldn’t float up, essentially lowering the water table through 24-hour-a-day pumping into the adjacent canal. 

When digging commenced, Bairco hauled away 3,000 yards of dirt, sediment, silt, cattails and more, also removing some trees from the bank. Once the new liner was in place, along with the fish structures, Bairco filled the pond with water from a well on site. The pond took nine days to fill, Bair said, starting in mid-March.

Currently, Bairco is working to repair the sprinkler system around the pond and will seed grass so that grass will grow to the edge of the water level. Bair said Game and Fish will stock “fishable fish” (trout) and maintain the stock, re-stocking as necessary with Bairco assisting in keeping everything going.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure they last the winter and maybe get some growth in the fish,” he said, adding that it will take time for necessary algae and insects to develop for the fish habitat.

Other work includes replacing sidewalk so people can easily walk around the pond and pouring concrete pads for the new picnic tables. It’s aesthetics at this point, Bair said, adding, “I want that area around the pond to look amazing.”

Bair said his company is extremely busy right now but is thrilled with the pond project, noting, “To me, it’s our smallest job going, but it’s biggest in importance, because it’s just something that (we want to do). My son loves to fish, and I know his friends like to fish, and if we can get this working right, it’s a big deal for us.”

Bair added, “I think it’s going to be really neat for kids to be able to hop on a bicycle and be fishing in five minutes time. I think it’ll be a draw for the visitor center, also, like if you’re driving down the hill and see that pond. Once we know it works, we can get some signage that lets people know what it actually is. I think it’ll really bring the visitation numbers up at the visitor center.”