By Dean Finnerty, photo by Ken Morrish Back to back public meetings in Gold Beach, Oregon and Grants Pass, Oregon (Sept. 9th and 10th respectively) made history for Southwest Oregon conservation efforts. “In 30 years of conservation work in Southwest Oregon, we’ve never seen this kind of support for protection of our drinking water and salmon and steelhead streams. …
Two minutes, 14,000 miles of Oregon streams
Two minutes can help protect 14,000 miles of Oregon streams. The Oregon Board of Forestry (BOF) will soon decide whether to increase Oregon’s riparian buffers. These buffers supply cool water in the heat of summer, water necessary for steelhead, trout, salmon and other organisms important to Oregon rivers and streams. Currently, Oregon requires only a 20 foot buffer — far smaller …
Blueback’s Chapter leading the way in Angler Science
John McMillan Last weekend I returned to the Siletz River on the Oregon Coast to participate in snorkel surveys being led by the Blueback’s Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The Siletz River was my adopted home river during my graduate studies at Oregon State University, and I spent as much time as possible fishing for and observing steelhead. So it will …
Take Action: Smith River Mining Withdrawal
TAKE ACTION Tell the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to protect salmon and steelhead streams in southwest Oregon and northern California from large-scale strip mines What’s the issue? Two companies, (one foreign owned) have been working to develop surface strip nickel mines in an area that would threaten Rough and Ready Creek (a tributary to the Illinois River and world …
Crooked River Steelhead and Opal Springs
Opal Springs Fish Passage As iconic Oregon fisheries go the Crooked River is an amazing resource. One of the great bread-and-butter trout streams of central Oregon, it not only fishes well, but is amazingly beautiful as well. The Crooked is a working river, providing water for communities and farms as well as recreation for anglers and boaters. As a major …
Better buffers mean healthier steelhead
Last week, the Oregon Board of Forestry met to consider stream buffers as they revise a rule that would determine how close timber can be harvested when next to a stream or river. The riparian rule as it’s called, stands to impact thousands of miles of water in Oregon and as such, important populations of steelhead. Increased buffers improve shade, recruit large …
The long hot summer: Three ways for anglers to minimize their impact on steelhead
The long hot summer: Three ways for anglers to minimize their impact on steelhead John McMillan It may be universally said that low stream flows and hot water are bad for salmon and steelhead, which is why this year is strikingly painful to experience as angler and scientist. Unquestionably this is the driest early-summer I have experienced in my time …
It’s the Right Time for River Protection – Smith River OR/CA
By Jack E. Williams : This first ran in the Medford Mail Tribune Big-time mining could change the face of some of our most iconic Oregon rivers. Large mines have been proposed for years in the Rough and Ready Creek area and now a foreign mining corporation proposes test drilling for nickel in the beautiful headwater area of Baldface Creek in …
The Steelhead Files: Catch and Release
Watch as John McMillan, science director for Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative walks through the proper technique to catch and release a steelhead, explaining the science behind it as he goes.
Steelhead Science for Anglers: Why you should go
By Tracy Pennel A few weeks back on the campus of the University of Washington, Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative brought together scientists, conservationists, and anglers alike for a workshop exploring the current state and restoration potential of wild steelhead. As a novice steelhead angler and young professional in the world of fisheries, I was glad to participate in …