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April 20 marked our final general meeting until
next fall. Thanks to everyone who joined us for
some great programs this year. Many thanks to
outgoing FVTU President Chris Schustrom for his
chapter-building activities over the last three
years. Join us in welcoming our new FVTU
President, Paul Pochak who takes command at a
challenging time for our chapter. Paul has the
full support and appreciation of our membership.
We finished our year with a bang-up Annual
Banquet at Grouse Mountain Lodge. A great time
was had by all participants. Thanks to all those
who attended the banquet and those who supported
our efforts for coldwater fisheries this year.
See you in the fall. Have a great summer and keep checking
this website for important information on
current fisheries conservation isssues.
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FVTU encourages everyone
to participate in the public discusssion of
native fish issues. Please visit our
Letters to the Editor page
for tips on writing an effective letter and for
news outlet contacts.
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09/03/2010 -
Lake Trout Not Recovering In Lake Michigan.
A recent study by the Great Lakes Science Center
in Ann Arbor shows virtually no lake trout are
breeding in northern Lake Michigan..
Interlochen Public Radio |
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09/03/2010 -
Fight against mine could be a bloody affair.
Ramping up
pressure on the federal government, native
leaders on Thursday expressed fierce opposition
to a proposed copper-gold mine in the British
Columbia Interior and warned of violent
consequences if the project is approved...
Globe & Mail |
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09/03/2010 -
The Stonefly: So much more than just a bug.
"Stewardship is an essential thread bringing the
traditions of wine-making and fly-fishing
together... Durango Herald |
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09/03/2010 -
Gene-Altered Salmon Won’t Harm Other Fish, FDA
Says. The genetically modified Atlantic
salmon, known as AquAdvantage, are unlikely to
escape into the ocean or reproduce with
conventional fish... Business Week |
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09/02/2010 -
Anglers disagree over proposed new fishing regs.
Mark Aagenes of Trout Unlimited said a growing
number of walleyes in the Missouri between
Holter and Black Eagle dams are threatening a
part of the Missouri River that is critical
water for trout... Great Falls Tribune |
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09/02/2010 -
Wyoming fights for the cutthroats. Killing
some brook trout on the west slope of the
Bighorn Mountains is necessary to improve the
Yellowstone cutthroat population... Billings
Gazette |
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09/02/2010 -
Regional river managers discuss future Columbia
water issues in Missoula. The treaty runs
through at least 2024. And if no one wants to
tinker with it, it could last indefinitely. But
any possible changes have to be on the table by
2014, to give everyone 10 years to work on
them... Missoulian |
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09/02/2010 -
Ochenski: Video exposes state's "poison and
plant" program. Restoring habitat, not
poisoning pristine waterways so they can be
replanted with monocultures, should be our
highest priority... Missoula Independent |
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09/02/2010 -
Warmer weekend weather should increase hopper
activity. Warmer temperatures are expected
for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, so anglers
can expect one last rush of activity as
sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts get out for
one more adventurous weekend... Helena
Independent Record |
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09/02/2010 -
War of the wells. Alberta's coal bed methane
potential doesn't stop at the Canadian border,
while Halliburton is eyeing the Shields Valley,
east of Bozeman, and ConocoPhillips has leases
within sight of my backyard... Missoula
Independent |
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09/02/2010 -
Waterfowl hunters urged to not spread mussels.
[Beth] Bear said that as boating season winds
down and hunting season begins, waterfowl
hunters — especially those who use boats, canoes
or kayaks — should also be aware of the
potential for the spread of mussels...
Billings Gazette |
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09/02/2010 -
A Steady, Steep Decline for The
Lowly, Uncharismatic Eel.
The freshwater eel, which
spawns in the middle of the ocean, was once
abundant in much of the world. But the
proliferation of dams, coastal development, and
overfishing have drastically reduced eel
populations... Yale Environment 360 |
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09/02/2010 -
Mining Near Bryce Canyon: Who
Benefits? When Alton Coal starts digging
and hauling coal in Southern Utah, it will
either bring jobs to people who need them or
ammunition for the environmentalists against it.
Or, possibly, both... New West |
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09/01/2010 -
Spread Creek Dam removal to improve trout
habitat. “The biggest benefit is, when it
comes down to long-term survivability of Snake
River cutthroat, you’re connecting 50 miles of
habitat,” he [Ron Gipson, FWP] said. “You’re
getting that genetic exchange that hasn’t been
there since the dam was constructed.”...
Jackson Hole News & Guide |
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09/01/2010 -
Wyoming seeks buyers for abandoned
coal-bed methane wells. Under a sealed competitive bid process, the
state is now offering oil and gas lease rights
on 24 state parcels in Sheridan County. Each
parcel includes one to 16 coal-bed methane
wells, and each lease was either defaulted on or
was canceled by the state for various reasons...
Billings Gazette |
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08/31/2010 -
EPA releases results of Wyoming water well
testing. The affected well owners were
advised not to drink the water at the
recommendation of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services' Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry, and told to use alternate
sources of water for drinking and cooking,
agency officials said... CNN |
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08/31/2010 -
Grasshoppers take bite out of alfalfa. Some
farmers have lost entire fields of new alfalfa
seedlings, said Lincoln County University of
Idaho Extension Educator Christi Falen...
Twin Falls Times-News |
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08/31/2010 -
Grizzlies Only Scratch the Surface
of What It Will Mean to Lose the Whitebark Pine.
The twisted, threatened symbol of high
elevation connects an entire ecosystem. As one
biologist puts it, "We don’t know what’s going
to happen without whitebark.”... New West |
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08/31/2010 -
Study: Horseshoe Crab Decline
Connected to Climate Change. With predicted
climate change in the future, their numbers may
continue to decline... Environmental News
Network |
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08/31/2010 -
School
bus-sized boulder damages Madison Dam. PPL
Montana employees are working to contain damage
to the Madison Dam near Ennis caused when a
school bus-sized boulder dislodged and smashed
into the western crest of the dam early Monday
morning... Bozeman Daily Chronicle |
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08/31/2010 -
EDITORIAL: Much is at stake in how dry we'll be.
The New York-based environmental group Natural
Resources Defense Council recently released a
study that warns the combination of increased
demand for water and climate change will have
profound effects in the United States in the
years to come — and nowhere more than in
Idaho... Twin Falls Times-News |
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08/30/2010 -
Heaps of Fossils From Evolutionary ‘Big Bang’
Discovered. Scientists have discovered a
group of astonishing fossils high in the
Canadian Rockies, just 40 kilometers from the
famous
Burgess Shale location... Wired Science |
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08/30/2010 -
National parks feel the effects of human,
environmental threats. But beyond climate
change, and beyond mining and drilling projects
on the fringes of other national parks, one of
the most pressing dangers to these precious
places is the people who most adore them...
MSNBC |
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08/30/2010 -
Grand Teton to remove Spread Creek diversion
dam. Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott
says the park will work with Trout Unlimited to
remove the Spread Creek dam. The dam is a
diversion structure on a stream that flows from
the Bridger-Teton National Forest into the
eastern boundary of the park... Billings
Gazette |
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08/30/2010 -
Public will have access documents detailing
chemicals used in Wyoming drilling operations.
Despite vigorous opposition from industry, it
appears state regulators and the general public
will have broad access to documents detailing
chemicals used in oil and gas drilling,
hydraulic fracturing and other drilling
operations... Casper Star Tribune |
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08/30/2010 -
Elevated levels of toxins found in Athabasca
River. Finding refutes long-standing claims
that water quality hasn’t been affected by oil
sands development. Globe & Mail |
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08/29/2010 -
FWP Proposes Reducing Lake Koocanusa Bull
Trout Limit. Those fishing for lake trout on
Flathead Lake, however, may be pleased to learn
FWP proposes increasing the daily limit from 50
fish to 100 fish under 30 inches, leaving the
30-36 inch limit in place... Flathead Beacon |
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08/29/2010 -
A mind-boggling Alaska mine. "I can't
imagine a worse location for a mine of this
type, unless it were in my kitchen," former
Alaska Gov. Jay Hammond, who lived nearby at
Lake Clark, said shortly before his death...
Seattle PI |
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08/29/2010 -
Spread of 'didymo' algae perplexes California
scientists. So-called "nuisance blooms" of
didymo, like that in the Bear River, are being
reported with increasing frequency around the
world. Experts don't know why, but suspect
everything from climate change to a genetic
mutation in the algae itself... Sacramento
Bee |
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08/27/2010 -
Missouri River will be dyed for study. The
Missouri River will be dyed red for a water-flow
study Monday and Wednesday near Toston and Three
Forks... Billings Gazette |
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08/27/2010 -
Water Release Tweaks And Weather; Cooler
Deschutes Compared To Columbia Brings In
Steelhead. Longer,
cooler nights and a lowering of Round
Butte-Pelton water release temperatures have
served to make the mouth of central
Oregon's
Deschutes
River
an inviting place for spawning steelhead to pause
and rest before continuing their spawning
journey there or further up the Columbia-Snake
river system... Columbia Basin Bulletin |
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08/27/2010 -
Corps Completes Cougar Dam Fish Collection
Facility To Aid McKenzie River Salmon, Bull
Trout. The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers has completed a fish
collection and sorting facility on the
South
Fork McKenzie
River just below Cougar Dam to
support the recovery of endangered salmon and
bull trout populations in the
Willamette
River basin... Columbia Basin Bulletin |
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Note:
The original April CSKT proposal has been
removed from consideration, but continues to be
a good example of actions that can be taken to
save native bull trout and cutthroat trout.
In
September, FVTU members assisted Beth Gardner
and other USFS employees in removing brook trout
from Sheppard Creek in the upper Stillwater
River drainage. The report is now in on the
Sheppard Creek Cutthroat Trout
Restoration Project
so far. The final
count was 1244 brook trout age 1+, plus maybe
another 1000 of young-of-year removed.
The good news is that the cutthroat trout seem
way up. Beth estimates 1,028 individuals, which
is an all-time high since USFS began monitoring.
Read the full
USFS
