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Because there's more to fishin' than just fishin'!
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| Smith river mine digs in. |
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In the last few issues, I have written about the numerous mines wreaking havoc around the world. Although all of the travesties defile some important ecosystem, of most immediate concern for Montana is the Black Butte copper mine in the Smith
 River watershed. The mine is on Sheep Creek, a spawning tributary that pours clear water into the Smith just across from the Camp Baker Fishing Access site.
After receiving the permit from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality on August 15 to begin phase one of operation, Sandfire Resources America did not waste any time in starting to dig haul roads and pads along with a small reservoir.
The Missoulian other local media outlets had a good story about the start of the project that notes that Montana TU and the Montana Environmental Information Center have been the primary opponents to the project. Although the project has  begun, additional legal action is planned by Montana TU and MEIC. This photo from the story provides a glimpse of the scale of the mine. The ants in the background are full size pick up trucks.
If you are interested in tracking this issue, or contributing to the effort to halt the mine, check out this link on the Montana TU website.
As Montana TU Executive Director David Brooks aptly summarized it recently "They get the gold and copper and we get the shaft."
Problems for migratory fish!
A study commissioned by the World Fish Migration Foundation has found that migratory fresh water fish populations around the world have plummeted 76% since  1970. This is almost an unimaginable drop in some of the planet's most priceless resources. The primary causes are the innumerable dams on important rivers, overfishing, pollution and climate change. Impacted fisheries include sockeye salmon in the Adams River and lesser known migratory fish like the giant Mekong catfish in Southeast Asia. 
According to a comprehensive article in the Guardian he level of decline in Europe was 93% and the corresponding figure for North America was 28%. Although smaller than the rest of the world, this is still an alarming figure and it may be worse than this number implies, since dams decimated many West Coast anadromous populations of salmon and steelhead before 1970.
 At least in the case of North America, there is hope that some of this loss can be recovered, because dam removal on rivers like the Elwah in Washington State (shown) and the Penobscot in Maine has been followed by a rapid increase in fish numbers.
Another problem for migratory fish is emerging in the Alaska where 4 species of salmon are getting smaller as depicted in this photo from Reuters! A study reported in the Guardian found that chinook, sockeye, chum and silver salmon had decreased about 10%.
The  primary culprit here is thought to be changes climate that are disturbing the food supply for these species in the Pacific Ocean. Another factor is that the wild fish are facing competition and hybridization with puny hatchery fish.
Reports like these coupled with stories about Aquatic Invasive Species, climate change effects on glaciers, inland waters and fish, and developments like the Smith River mine make the work of Trout Unlimited more important than ever. If you're not a member of BRTU, maybe it's time to join, and if you are a member, maybe it is time to get more involved so that we can leave something worthwhile for the kids and future generations of anglers. |
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| BRTU plans for on-line auction! |
For the last 40 years, BRTU has had a fundraiser, and for the last 20+ years this has been a fall banquet in September or October. With much regret, plans for the 41st annual event in October had to be scrapped due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The board decided it was not prudent to convene 200 or so people while community based transmission of the virus continues in Western Montana. In addition, a number of businesses, artists and craftspersons have been severely impacted, and we were reluctant to do wide scale solicitation.
After due consideration, we have decided to hold an on-line auction. The details are still being worked out, but the event will run from November 12 through November 16. We have already secured some terrific premiums, including some very novel and unique ones! I will be teasing some of these in the future.
The on line auction will be like a virtual silent auction so that people who register will be able to bid on the items of their choice, and they will be informed when their bid is upped. And just as is the case for a regular banquet, you won't have to be a TU member to participate. And this year, supporters who live out of state or cant be in town will have the chance to participate.
The banquets have been our only fundraiser each year to support our education programs, like Bitterroot Buggers and Trout in the Classroom, as well as our conservation and restoration projects like the fish screens being installed in the West Fork and East Fork this month. So, we hope that you will continue to support us during this unusual time.
Stay tuned because more details will be forthcoming in BRTU E-newsletters.
As mentioned, we have already gotten some very cool donations. If you would like to donate a service, item, or donate cash, here is the form you can complete. If you have any questions, please contact Marshall Bloom or Jeremy Anderson. |
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Picture of the Week.
This week's picture is a screen shot from www.fire.airnow.gov. Since it looks like we are going to be shut indoors for the next week or maybe longer, I thought I would provide some resources where you can look and see how bad it really is.
Fire.airnow depicts the location of fires as well as air quality (green, yellow, orange, red and purple = good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive people, unhealthy and hazardous, respectively) and how widespread the smoke is (the overlays in various degrees of gray). If you click on the link, it is astonishing how much of the country is blanketed in smoke.
Another good resource is the Department of Environmental Quality's Montana daily air quality site. This site gives hourly readings of many sites across the state, including Hamilton. Today's air in Hamilton has been between orange and red - no surprise if you stuck your head outdoors.
If you are interested in wildland fires, check out Inciweb. This is a really good site where you can learn about the fires in the various states.
Hopefully, by next issue, there will be bluer skies and a good angling photo to show.
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The BRTU Puzzler.
Phil Romans correctly identified this location as a scene from Quake Lake! The lake was formed after the famous Hebgen Lake earthquake on August 17, 1959. The 7.2 quake caused a mountain to collapse, damming the Madison River and burying more than 2 dozen campers. Bud Lilly told me in the 1970s that the inundated trees became known as Silent Dog Forest because "the trees lost their bark."
Phil is the winner of the BRTU Puzzler and can claim his prize by contacting Chuck Stranahan.
This week's BRTU Puzzler was submitted by Olivia Steele-Mortimer. In addition to being a world-class expert on microbiology, Olivia is also a globe-trotting angler of considerable skill.
Olivia took this moody picture on a recent trip. The remote location is hours away from a major airport and can only be reached by boat after a long overland trip. The area translates into English as Silent Dog Forest.
Submit your entries to BRTU Puzzlemaster Marshall Bloom. If you are the first person to correctly identify the location, province and country, you will be the next BRTU Puzzler winner.
Chuck Stranahan has generously offered a prize to all winners of the BRTU Puzzler. The winner will be able to can claim a prize of hand-tied trout flies by contacting Chuck.
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Monte Dolack BRTU prints
now available at Joe's Studio.
A small number of Pubisher's Proofs of the limited edition "Bitterroot River-Lost Horse Bend" by Monte Dolack are now available at Joe's Studio. BRTU commissioned Monte  Dolack in 2007 to create this iconic print of the Bitterroot River.
The remaining Publisher's Proofs are $375 and all proceeds support BRTU efforts to protect trout and streams.
Joe's Studio, a regular sponsor of our banquets, is located in Hamilton at 220 Marcus Street (961-4586, joesstudio@aol.com)
The "U" in BRTU
Unlike many groups, BTRU has no paid staff. We are an entirely volunteer organization. We are always looking for new members to get involved in projects or to join our board and assist with maintaining our focus on native fish, clean healthy streams and education. If you would like to help out, please contact BRTU Chapter President Jeremy Anderson. We could sure use your help!
In other words, how about putting a little "U" in BRTU?
If "U" are not already a member, "U" can join TU today by going to the BRTU website. Our chapter number is #080. If you have a question about your membership, please call Clayton at 406-543-0054.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemi, BRTU board meetings are now being held virtually on ZOOM. They are open to all BRTU members. Date and time vary, so please contact Jeremy if you would like to log in and learn what is going on.
The BRTU Mission statement is "To conserve, protect, and restore the Bitterroot River and it's watershed," directly in line with the Montana TU mission statement.
For your information, here is a tabulation of our current hard-working BRTU officers and board members.
BOARD OFFICERS
Dr. Jeremy Anderson; President; E-mail: mtwildtrout1@gmail.com
Dave Ward; Vice-President; E-mail: dward451@comcast.net
Marissa Sowles, Secretary (acting); sowlesm@gmail.com
Keith Mullan, Treasurer; E-mail: keithcmullan@hotmail.com
BOARD MEMBERS
Donna Haglund; E-mail: haglunddonna@gmail.com
Marlin Lewis; E-mail: Lewism@hsd3.org
Shelia Bryan; E-mail: shoe6561@gmail.com
Gavin Marston (student board member)
GENERAL FACTOTUM AND NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER
Dr Trout (Marshall Bloom); E-mail: drtrout@mtbloom.net
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We're currently in the planning stages of our Annual Fall Event. This has historically been one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, and we could always use more help. To learn more about how you can volunteer, please email Rick Todd at email@constantcontact.com. . Learn More. |
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