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Because there's more to fishin' than just fishin'!
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| Check out 2020 BRTU on-line auction items now! |
Starting today, you can view the premiums for the BRTU 2020 on-line auction. As has been noted in previous editions of BRTU E-News, we had to cancel the banquet because of the on-going pandemic. But the on-line event promises to be a pretty exciting.
 Although the actual auction will run from Thursday, November 12 through Monday, November 16. The auction website is going live today so everyone can view the items, pick their favorites and develop a strategy to win them. There is also a link on the BRTU website.
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. You can register today, but bidding won't open until 8:00 AM on Thursday, November 12. However, you need not register just to view the premiums. At the end of the auction, when you go to check out, you will provide your credit card information.
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 can't be in town will have the chance to participate. So, for example, if you live in Pasadena or are a professor at Princeton or Stanford, this might be a good time to score one of the trips.
We have some very unique premiums this year including some special dining experiences, fine wines, trips on the Bitterroot, Clark Fork, Big Hole and West Yellowstone area donated by the best guides in Montana, special selections of flies, exceptional woodwork, a special package of women's fishing gear, a vintage RML Winston 4 weight Stalker, historical photographs & maps, and art by some of Montana's finest artists. A novel premium is a "Bug Blitz on the Bitterroot" a lesson on how to collect and identify aquatic insects with world famous entomologist Diana Six.
Here's a couple of teasers. A fabulous dinner at Shire Morrissey with banjo music by the Bitterroot String Quartet. Another fabulous dinner featuring pizza baked in a wood-burning oven. A case of Rose wine from Blodgett Canyon Cellars. A bookbag of Montana history from the Montana Historical Society featuring books, cards and more. An original painting of your favorite fishing spot by Michele Kapor, and a rare out of print Grizzly Bear print by Monte Dolack. Plus, new premiums will continue to be added until the bidding actually starts.
This on line auction will be the only fundraiser to support our education programs, like Bitterroot Buggers and Trout in the Classroom. In addition, this year's virtual paddle call will support as well as our conservation and restoration projects like the fish screens mentioned in next story. No one else is doing such a broad suite of efforts, and we hope that you will continue to support us during this unusual time.
****************************** East Fork fish screen installation - in the nick of time.
Just in the nick of time! On Friday, October 23, TU Bitterroot Projects Manager Christine Brissette abetted by employees from Jackson Contractor Group and Rocky Mountain Aggregates finished the last Bitterroot construction project of the season, a fish screen replacing an ditch old diversion the upper East Fork of the Bitterroot River.
The snow was starting to fly as they finished up and Christine reports the drive back to Missoula was pretty sketchy! For much of the trip, it was  45 mph conditions.
This ditch was known to entrain 10-12'' Cutthroat Trout and hundreds of fry each year. It also sits just below a several major Bull Trout spawning streams. By screening this ditch, we reconnected 47 miles of critical habitat!
BRTU has been a supporter of this project since its inception, and donated the proceeds of their 2019 banquet paddle call to the cause.
Jackson Contractor Group and Rocky Mountain Aggregate generously stepped in to donate most of the material and labor for the project, while Montana TU and Bitterroot National Forest  rounded out the team.
A huge thanks to these trout-loving partners, and to all of you who support BRTU's conservation work. We couldn't do it without you!
Jackson Contractor Group was awarded the 2020 BRTU Gold Trout Award for their invaluable support for TU restoration projects in the Bitterroot and elsewhere. They  have become a valued partner in trout conservation!
These projects are incredibly critical for native trout restoration and many of our efforts are devoted to smaller projects in cooler headwater streams where native trout have the best chance for the future. The work requires a lot of time, talent and treasure! Experts like Christine and allies like Jackson and Rocky Mountain Aggregate are invaluable, but all of us can help out, even if we've never cast concrete or operated an excavator. How? The paddle call at the BRTU on-line auction will raise funds for future projects like this.
Please help us help the trout. We might not be able to hear them, but I am confident that the trout are thanking us!
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Picture of the Week.
Mark accompanied the photo with the following:
"September in the Pioneer Mountains is a great time for hiking as well as fishing its many mountain lakes. A size 14 Royal Wulff and a Tenkara rod landed this trout at a lake in the East Pioneers, accessed by a 7.5 mile hike from Mono Creek Campground."
There are a lot of lakes in the Pioneer Mountains in reach of good hikers that have very large trout in them. Some are accessed off the Scenic Highway between Wise River and Polaris; this is where Mono Creek Campground is located. Others require a hike, and sometimes a crossing of the Big Hole between Wisdom and Wise River, and still more basically east of Jackson.
These lakes are seldom visited and as you can see from Mark's photo, can be worth the effort.
Mark is really trying to do some innovative things at the library, but COVID-19 has put a damper on the plans and they are having to limit access. Among the important services at the moment are the mobile hotspots that they loan out to folks that don't have Internet connections. If you'd like to make a donation to the library, you can get details by contacting this email address.
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The BRTU Puzzler.
The clue to this Puzzler is as big as Lake Baikal! All the access sites have signs warning anglers to watch out for Old Ephraim or his relatives.
This week's BRTU Puzzler was submitted by angler and wanderer Yancy Wroble.
The photo is an overhead shot of someone fishing a small river from a driftboat. You might think this stream was in Nepal or Tibet, but that would be incorrect. It is less than 2 days travel from Missoula.
If you can successfully identify the country, province or state, and the river, you will win the BRTU Puzzler.
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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Other events of interest.
This short block is a new feature to BRTU E-News that will mention stories, projects and events that involve other conservation groups. If you know of a good story or are affiliated with another conservation group or other worthy organization, please send me the details of your upcoming event or your story and I will post a link here.
This week's link is to a story about Mill Creek a tributary to the Yellowstone just upstream of Livingston. In a too familiar story, this creek which arises on the east of the Yellowstone in the Absaroka Mountains often runs dry due to agricultural diversions. The stream is home to a population of Yellowstone cutthroat, a species of special concern, and a little bit of water left in stream during the driest part of the summer would make a big difference.
An agreement was forged in the late 1980s that built a long pipeline with the intent of leaving a fair amount of water in stream. But according to Pat Byorth of the TU Montana Water Project, that water is also being taken. So after several years of failed negotiations, TU went to court. The outcome is uncertain.
The story is really interesting and touches on several other more successful efforts. It is worth a read.
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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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