Beavers, fish and cows: Restless co-existence

The complex and sometimes controversial role that beavers play in the lives of fish in Oregon's John Day River System.

State and federal biologists usually tout beaver dams as good for fish passage under the right conditions. Ranchers, on the other hand, sometimes worry the impoundments will shrink steelhead runs, leaving cattle to catch accusations of environmental damage.

LINK (via:Oregon Live)

Judge Orders Grazing Halted on Quarter Million Acres to Protect Steelhead

Some good news for steelhead out of Oregon.

Federal judge Ancer Haggerty has barred livestock grazing harmful to endangered steelhead. Haggerty ordered the U.S. Forest Service and National Marine Fisheries Service to reconsider the effects of the federal agencies' grazing plan on native steelhead streams before grazing can resume.

The Malheur National Forest is located in eastern Oregon's Blue Mountains. It includes portions of the Upper John Day, Middle Fork John Day, North Fork John Day and Malheur rivers. The 281-mile long John Day River is the second longest undammed river in the continental United States.

LINK (Via: YubaNet)