BENTON, Ill. (AP) – Discarded Christmas trees now are at the bottom of southern Illinois’ Rend Lake, and conservationists hope the fish enjoy the gift.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports that workers with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources joined volunteers Wednesday in dumping more than 300 of the bundled-and-weighted trees into the sprawling lake.

The DNR says the trees will provide cover for the fish, and tiny plant and animal organisms will colonize and provide feeding areas for them. That could make those areas prime fishing spots for anglers.

The so-called Christmas tree drop was started more than a quarter century ago.

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