BRTU E-News
Because there's more to fishin' than just fishin'!
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#263: Sept. 5, 2022
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BRTU Meetings to Resume in October. |
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Birch Fett tussles with a Bolivian Golden Dorado on the Secure River. Courtesy: Birch Fett. |
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After a 2 1/2 year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BRTU is finally ready to resume regular in person meetings this fall.
The current schedule of programs, subject to change, is
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Thursday, October 20, 2022- Brant Oswald. Paradise Valley After the Flood.
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Thursday, November 17, 2022 - Morgan Case, Trout Unlimited In-Stream Flow Specialist. Saving Trout with a Lawbook.
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Thursday, January 19, 2023 - Casey Hackathorn, Trout Unlimited Upper Clark Fork Program Manager. Restoring Native Trout to the Upper Clark Fork.
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Thursday, February 16, 2023 - Birch Fett. Secure River Golden Dorado.
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March 2023 - No meeting. BRTU Banquet and Auction.
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Thursday April 20, 2023. Jason Lindstrom, MFWP. Bitterroot River Report.
Be sure to mark these dates on your calendar now! The final venue is still being negotiated, but the meetings will start at 7:00 PM. The public is invited to attend all BRTU events and there is no charge for admission.
More details will be provided in the newsletter as the meetings approach. For additional information, please contact Marshall Bloom or Dave Ward.
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BRTU Again Partners with Local Schools for Trout in the Classroom. |
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The TIC class from Florence High School releases their finny classmates into the Hieronymus Park pond. Courtesy: BRTU. |
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Students from the Corvallis High School TIC class inspect and prepare their aquarium for the trout fry. Courtesy: BRTU. |
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As the valley schools begin another school year, some students will be welcoming a unique set of partners to their classrooms - trout!
This year BRTU is underwriting Trout in the Classroom at 5 schools in the valley - Florence, Corvallis, Hamilton, and Darby. Plus, the students at the Trapper Creek Job Corps Center are also adding the program to their curriculum. Trout in the Classroom is TU's flagship environmental education program for connecting kids around the country with nature and the basics of trout.
BRTU provides all the equipment, like tanks, aerators, pumps, water treatment and chemistry supplies, along with instructional materials. Once everything is set up, BRTU provides fertilized trout eggs from the state hatchery in Arlee. The students hatch the eggs and raise the fish until they are large enough to release. This requires constant monitoring of the water chemistry and temperature. Many of the students find it to be a very interesting experience.
At the end of the school year the fish are released into the pond at Hieronymus Park in Hamilton. The program is done with the support and cooperation of our MFWP fisheries professionals, Jason Lindstrom and Leslie Nyce.
If you would like to contribute or learn more about TIC or BRTU's other educational programs like Bitterroot Buggers, contact Dave Ward or Greg Chester.
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Contest for New BRTU Logo. |
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“We’re soon going to have a new look for the Bitterroot TU Chapter,” said JuliAnne Thomas, BRTU board member. “A number of talented artists submitted entrees for our logo.
The BRTU board members will select the winner in early September. We had hoped to announce the the winner and unveil the new logo in October, but since we had to postpone the banquet until next spring. So stay tuned...........
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Water flowing over the spillway at Painted Rocks Lake. |
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It will be next spring before we see water coming over the Painted Rock spillway again - assuming that we get good precipitation this winter and next spring.
DNRC engineer Larry Schock sent out a report on September 1 and it looks like all the contracted water will have been delivered by mid-September. For over 30 years, the contracted water in the lake, assisted by the cooperation between MFWP, the Painted Rocks Water Users Association, anglers, and conservation groups, like BRTU, has kept the Bitterroot fishing while other streams in the state have been closed. A special thanks from the fish and the anglers to Larry and River Commissioner J.R. Iman whose hard work and dedication kept water in the river while satisfying the irrigators' needs.
As was reported earlier, these contracts will need to be renegotiated soon, and we will be looking at a big bill because of long needed repairs to the dam and the outlet works. BRTU E-News will be reporting on that as soon more information becomes available.
Here's Larry's report from Sept 1:
Hello Everyone,
Adjustments will be made every 3-4 days in order to reduce the outflows as the Contract Water nears full delivery status.
It is anticipated that the Contract Water will be fully delivered in about 2 weeks.
Here is the Painted Rocks Reservoir status as of 9/1:
Outflows:
Pre-Adjustment 296 cfs.
Post-Adjustment 249 cfs.
Adjustment -47 cfs.
Reservoir Inflows: Currently at 67 cfs.
Reservoir Information:
Elevation 4693.66 ft.. Down 3.0 ft. since 8/28. The reservoir level is below the bottom of the concrete boat ramp in Little Boulder Bay.
Storage 15854 AF. Down 2360 AF since 8/28. There is approximately 7854 AF of contract water left in the reservoir before the reservoir reaches the minimum pool level.
Larry A. Schock
DNRC MRO WRD
Civil Engineering Specialist
406 542 5885
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A nice cutthroat from Camas Lake. Courtesy: Seth Cooley |
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This issue's Picture of the Week was provided by TU supporter and ardent angler, Seth Cooley.
Until a couple of days ago, it would have been a fine idea to take your rod, pack a lunch, grab your bear spray, and head up to one of the Bitterroot's mountain lakes to avoid the crowds and have some excellent fishing. That's what Seth did. He strolled into Lower Camas Lake, but bushwhacked around that lake up to the Middle and Upper Camas Lakes where he had fine fishing for some very chubby cutthroats. He reported "Caught salmonids at upper and middle at no resistance until I had broken off all me terrestrials."
Bear spray? Yep. Seth spent a lot of time in the woods up in the Columbia Falls area and never goes anywhere without a handy can of bear spray. He has run into Old Ephraim a couple of times up there, but has never had to reach for the spray. However, a couple of grizzlies have very recently been seen romping around the eastside river bottoms between Lolo and Florence, and have crossed back and forth across the river. So, it is only a matter of time before somebody encounters one while fishing. And if you have any question about the effectiveness of a can of bear spray versus a heavy Roscoe, check out this very recent story from the Missoulian.
Please send me any fishing or conservation related photos to be considered for the "Picture of the Week." Make sure that the files are less than 5 mB in size. Note that in most cases I plan to not to use "grip and grin" photos, but rather pictures of fish in the water or net.
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I expected this BRTU Puzzler to be one of the harder ones, but Teller Wildlife Refuge Executive Director Sam Lawry sent in the correct answer in less than 24 hours.
Sam correctly identified the itchy welts as swimmer's itch. Also known as cercarial dermatitis, this wicked condition is caused by a small parasite that is carried by birds and mammals. The nasties produce eggs which are deposited in the water where they hatch into larvae. The larvae then find and infest a particular variety of fresh water snails where they develop into another tiny free swimming form, called cercaria. Humans are not a permissive host for these cercaria, but the critters burrow into skin and, before they die, incite the very dramatic dermatitis shown in the photo. The condition resolves on its own, but is often treated with steroid creams and other nostrums.
Our unlucky friend encountered the cercaria in some shallow back waters while pike hunting near Florence and commented:
"I would not wish this nasty infection on anyone. It's actually a very painful itch. You have about 400 bites on both legs and they all firing in a different sequence! I have to say baking soda is an amazing old remedy that treats so many issues. And cortisone worked well, too. I will be wearing waders from now on in backwaters."
Sam Lawry may claim his prize of a $10.00 gift card in person from Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton.
The BRTU Puzzler now has a new sponsor - Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton. Chapter One is offering a $10 gift card to each winner but it must be picked up in person. The book store is a long time BRTU supporter and has an unbelievable inventory of books and magazines. If Chapter One doesn't have the tome you want, they can get it in a jiffy. Shouldn't we be patronizing local small independents rather the big online services?
If you have a cool fishing or conservation related photo, consider submitting it to BRTU Puzzlemaster Marshall Bloom for the BRTU Puzzler. BRTU E-News will no longer publish grip and grin photos of native fish out of water but will highlight photos of actual fish in the water.
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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 the Montana TU office at 406-543-0054.
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
Vacant, Treasurer;
BOARD MEMBERS
Charlie Harris; E-mail: hmgharris@gmail.com
JuliAnne Thomas; E-mail: thomasjulianneh@gmail.com
Vacant; (student board member)
GENERAL FACTOTUM AND NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER
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