BRTU E-News
Because there's more to fishin' than just fishin'!
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#238: Nov. 14, 2021
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Trout Prepare to Swim and Teach in the Classroom Again.
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Hamilton High School science teacher Vanessa Haflich stands next to the Trout in the Classroom aquarium and cooler in her classroom. This will be Vanessa's second year in BRTU's TIC program.
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BRTU member and TIC coordinator Donna Haglund delivers fish eggs to Darby High School science teacher Andrew Shulstad. This will be Darby's first year to participate in TIC.
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Once the trout eggs are placed in the aquarium, they will soon develop into eyed hatchlings, resorb the egg yolk material and start to grow under the students' watchful eyes.
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Over the winter and spring, the trout will develop into fingerlings and will ultimately be released into an MFWP approved pond.
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For the second year, some students in valley high schools will have a unique set of teachers. In addition to the more usual bipedal educators, 4 local high schools will have a cadre of aquatic instructors housed in special aquaria. Yes. Trout in the Classroom will be returning and the high school students will the chance to watch trout eggs develop into alevins and then into fingerlings right in their classrooms. Along the way, they will learn the importance of habitat and water quality to native trout.
This scenario is made possible by Bitterroot TU's sponsorship of the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program in valley schools. BRTU provides each participating teacher and school with an aquarium, pump, cooler, trout eggs, lesson plans, and other necessary materials. The initial cost is several thousand dollars. TIC was developed a number of years ago by National Trout Unlimited and TU chapters all over the country participate. In some places, brook trout are used because they are the native trout in those areas, but BRTU uses westslope cutthroat from an approved hatchery source. After the trout have grown into fingerlings, they will be released into an MFWP approved pond.
This is BRTU's second year to sponsor TIC. Last year, Jeff Kaiser from Corvallis High School and Vanessa Haflich from Hamilton High School piloted the program. It proved so successful and popular that this year Darby and Florence High Schools also signed up. BRTU Board members Donna Haglund, Greg Chester and Chapter President Dave Ward coordinate all the logistics, help troubleshoot and assist with the release of the fingerlings in the spring.
Trout in the Classroom is a wonderful complement to the Bitterroot Buggers, BRTU's Bitterroot flagship program for middle school students.
If you would like to help out with either TIC or the Bitterroot Buggers, please contact BRTU President Dave Ward or Greg Chester.
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The afternoon sun provides a stunning vista of shade and light as it illuminates cliffs on the Smith River.
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Updates Proposed for Smith River Recreation Plan!
In the last issue of BRTU E-News, I provided an update on permitting for the Black Butte Coppermine proposed for an important tributary of the Smith River. Mention was also made of a planned update to the 2009 Smith River State Park and River Corridor Recreation Management Plan. Although the fishing can be spotty depending on the weather and the water, a trip down the Smith always offers unmatchable scenery, intriguing geology, petroglyph viewing and a chance to bank priceless memories with friends and families.
Readers doubtless know that the public can only enjoy this multi-day trip if they successfully secure one of the highly sought permits in a lottery. The Smith is the only river in the state that requires a permit, a system first implemented in 1993. Because it is impossible to make the trip without camping on private property, the State made agreements with landowners in which trips were limited under a permit system and regulated in exchange for the use of specific campsites. The 1993 permit system was later embodied in the 2009 Smith River State Park and River Corridor Recreation Management Plan (referenced here). In the intervening years, several minor modifications have been made, including some to reduce human-wildlife (especially black bear) conflicts. However, it is clear that the river corridor is showing the impacts of decades of floating and camping pressure.
The 2009 Plan is now being updated. The update is being handled through an Environmental Assessment (EA), and public comments are being accepted through December 15. There will be 2 virtual public meetings, too. Trout Unlimited's Colin Cooney was appointed to the Planning Advisory Committee. Any changes would likely be subject to a formal rulemaking process and would not go into effect until 2023.
According the MFWP webpage for the update, the EA considers alternatives for addressing the following management issues:
- Managing use at Camp Baker and deciding whether to discontinue camping there on a permanent basis
- Instituting a system for human waste pack-out consistent with legislative direction
- Examining ways to increase floater opportunities for those who have not floated recently or ever.
- Implementing resource protection measures to preserve and mitigate further deterioration of boat camps and river bank landings.
If you'd like additional information, you can contact MFWP Region 4 Informatin and Recreation Program Manager Dave Hagengruber.
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BRTU Meetings to Resume in January 2022.
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Since this feature will contain regular updates on BRTU Meetings, the Bitterroot Buggers, and Chapter Project reminders, I am going to leave it active and update as needed.
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General meetings of Bitterroot Trout Unlimited came to an abrupt halt in the spring of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic made such gatherings unwise and frankly unsafe!
The pandemic also forced us to cancel the 2020 and 2021 annual banquets. Our online 2020 fall auction proved successful, but it just wasn't the same and the board is contemplating the best of time of year to resume having a banquet.
The BRTU Board continued to meet monthly on Zoom, and conduct chapter business, but they felt that virtual membership meetings would not be that productive or fun!
Now that the nature of the pandemic is better understood and many have received one of the extremely effective COVID-19 vaccines, we plan to start holding regular meetings in January. The current plan is to resume the meetings in January 2022 at the Hamilton Elks Club on the 3rd Thursday of the month.
The schedule for next spring is still being developed, but here is what we have so far:
- January 20, 2022 - "How does it work?: a panel on Painted Rocks Lake," featuring MFWP biologist Jason Lindstrom, River Commissioner/Dam Tender J.R. Iman, DNRC Engineer Larry Schock, and irrigator Roger Raynal.
- February 17, 2022 - "The Upper Bitterroot/West Fork Recreation Plan: status report and future prospects," Chrissy Oschell and Jason Lindstrom, MFWP
- April 21, 2022 - "What's up with President Jefferson's River?," Chris Edgington, Jefferson Watershed Project Manager, Montana TU
Conversations are also in progress about resuming Bitterroot Buggers which was another early victim of the pandemic. Watch for details on that, too. Contact Greg Chester if you'd like to help with our flagship youth program.
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BRTU Caps Available in January!
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The BRTU caps all sold out last summer and they are no longer available at Chuck Stranahan's shop.
However, despair not. A new batch is on order and will be for sale at the January 20, 2022 meeting. They will only be available through BRTU.
Thanks to Chuck for helping us sell out so quickly!
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This week's stunning picture was submitted by Les Korcala.
Les, an exceptional photographer, flytier and angler, has provided a number of lovely photos for BRTU E-News. Les and his wife Cheryl live along the river down near Florence, and they always take time out from fishing to admire the scenic landscape.
Les took this special shot of the fall colors along the river last month.
Please send your photos and stories to me. Your picture might end up as the Picture of the Week! We prefer pictures of released fish in the water rather than in the hand, but won't turn down a great photo.
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There were no correct answer to the most recent BRTU Puzzler, although two readers came very close. The give away, but somewhat misleading, clue was "south of the Hamilton wastewater treatment."
Retired biologist Bill Wichers wondered if pesky invaders depicted were zebra or quagga mussels from Europe. MFWP Aquatic Invasive Species Bureau Chief Tom Woolf responded with a hopeful plea that these mussels were far south of the Bitterroot, like in Lake Mead.
Well. These golden mussels were found really south of the Bitterroot - in South America. As reported in a story in Science magazine, the golden mussels have been introduced into South American waters and now threaten the Amazon river basin. The golden mussel mollusks in the photo clogging a water pipe are known to bivalve experts as Limnoperna fortunei . They are characterized by arrow-shaped, caramel-colored shells and are native to the Yangtze River in China. It is thought that they may have been dumped into South American watersheds when a ship dumped its ballast. The golden mussels were first identified some years ago and have virtually extinguished native mussel species in some places.
BRTU E-News has reported on a number of invertebrate Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) that are showing up in spite of diligent preventive efforts. In fact, a recent issue announced that New Zealand mud snails had been identified in Mitchell Slough, a tributary of the Bitterroot, although surveys indicate that the waters on the Teller Wildlife Refuge are free from these AIS.
And if you ever see something suspicious of an AIS in the river, a ditch, a tributary or pond, please send the precise location and a photo to the MFWP AIS bureau so they can try to track it down.
Chuck Stranahan has generously offered a selection of his personally hand-tied flies to winners of the BRTU Puzzler. Also, there were no winners this time.
If you have a cool fishing or conservation related photo, consider submitting it to BRTU Puzzlemaster Marshall Bloom for the BRTU Puzzler. We prefer photos of actual fish in the water rather than in the hand, but won't decline any.
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Monte Dolack BRTU prints
now available at Joe's Studio.
A small number of Publisher'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 Dave Ward. 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 the BRTU website. chapter number is #080. If you have a question about your membership, please call Clayton at 406-543-0054.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BRTU board meetings are usually being held on ZOOM. They are open to all BRTU members. Date and time vary, so please contact Chapter President Dave Ward 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
Donna Haglund; Vice President; E-mail: haglunddonna@gmail.com
BOARD MEMBERS
Charlie Harris; E-mail: hmgharris@gmail.com
Vacant (student board member)
GENERAL FACTOTUM AND NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER
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