TAKE ACTION: Protect Wild Rivers & Native Fish From Strip Mining!

An important call to action from the Native Fish Society.

Dear Wild Fish Supporters,
 
Mining companies want to develop nickel strip mines in the delicate headwaters of the Smith, Illinois, Pistol rivers and Hunter Creek. These headwaters play a critical role in providing the cold, clean water necessary to support the wild, native fish that call these watersheds home. Despite overwhelming opposition, the archaic 1872 Mining Law prioritizes mining over all other land uses!
 
Thanks to the leadership of Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley and Representative DeFazio of Oregon and Representative Huffman of California, the Interior Department is considering a proposal to protect these wild rivers and their native fish by temporarily withdrawing them from mining while Congress considers legislation—the Southwestern Oregon Watershed and Salmon Protection Act—for more lasting protection.  

What’s at stake?

• The Wild and Scenic North Fork Smith River
• Baldface Creek
• Rough and Ready Creek
• The headwaters of Hunter Creek and Pistol River

The Interior Department is taking comments on the proposed mineral withdrawal now. Please join us in sending a letter of support. It’s the best way to protect the crystal clear, salmon-studded waters of these wild rivers from damaging pollution.
 
Thank you for taking action! 

TAKE ACTION NOW! 

N.F.S. 20 for 20

To kick off their 20^th year anniversary celebration, Native Fish Society has partnered with their longtime friends and supporters at C.F. Burkheimer Fly Rod Company and Catch Magazine to launch the “20 for 20” campaign with a big goal: raise $20,000 toward Native Fish Society’s community-driven, wild fish conservation efforts.

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Low Flows & Wild Steelhead

Follow River Steward Doug DeRoy as he walks through his recent work to protect threatened wild steelhead during low flows on California's Mendocino and Sonoma Coast. Working with local stakeholders, anglers, the National Marine Fisheries Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife Doug helped improve the low-flow closure trigger on these coastal streams to provide protection for threatened wild steelhead during low flows, while still allowing for angling opportunity.

(via: Native Fish Society)

TAKE ACTION - Protect Native Fish from the Jordan Cove Liquid Natural Gas Pipeline

An important call to action from The Native Fish Society.

Dear Wild Fish Advocates,

The Native Fish Society is asking you to voice your concerns over the proposed 230-mile Jordan Cove/Pacific Connector Liquid Natural Gas pipeline. This energy project would traverse over 400 different waterways in Southwest Oregon, including the Klamath, Rogue, Umpqua, Coquille and Coos Rivers on its path to the coast. 

Its 36” pipe would carry fracked liquid natural gas from Malin, OR to an export terminal in Coos Bay. Construction would require removing streamside forests and 5.8 million cubic yards of material (enough to fill nearly 200 Olympic sized swimming pools), which would be dumped in watersheds in the region.

Currently, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is accepting public comment as they weigh the impacts of the pipeline with their responsibility to protect Oregon’s water resources under the Clean Water Act. If these agencies determine that too much harm will result from the pipeline’s construction, they have power to halt the entire project by refusing to grant the necessary permits.  

Native Fish Society is asking its members and supporters to participate in this comment process because many threatened and sensitive wild, native fish species inhabit the watersheds in the path of the pipeline and would be negatively impacted including: Rogue and South Umpqua Spring Chinook, Oregon Coastal Coho, Southern Oregon/Northern California Coho, Oregon Coastal Steelhead, Pacific Lamprey, Green Sturgeon, Pacific Eulachon, Lost River Suckers, and Umpqua Chub.

Tell the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality why the Jordan Cove LNG pipeline does not represent the best public interest and your concerns about how the project would negatively impact water quality and wild, native fish.

Take Action Now!

Comment deadline: Friday, March 13. 2015

Strong Runs - Winter 2015

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Come on in, the water is fine!

Yes Virginia, steelhead are trout too.

Today is the launch day for Wild Steelheaders United.

From TU:

Wild Steelheaders United was established to educate and mobilize the numerous wild steelhead advocates wanting to engage in the Initiative. It is a place where anglers can become more informed about wild steelhead biology and ecology, keep abreast policy issues, and learn about Trout Unlimited's conservation work.

We may not always agree. We may not always have the answers. But we steelheaders share a common vision and for the future of wild steelhead. Together, we are a community with strength.

With millions of dollars invested on the ground, Trout Unlimited supports this vision through the Wild Steelhead Initiative.

Learn more at wildsteelheaders.org and tu.org

TU's commitment to putting some real skin in the steelhead conservation game is a very good thing.

That said, this launch is also a great opportunity to recognize and celebrate the tireless work of the organizations and individuals, many of them just volunteers who, have for decades been on the front lines fighting on behalf of wild steelhead. The work at times has been frustrating, and there have been disagreements along the way. But there has always been one singular focus; it's about the fish. Even more importantly those same individuals and the groups they represent have inspired many like myself to also take up the cause. I'd hate to think what the state of wild steelhead would be today as TU officially enters the fray without all of their efforts.

I look forward to seeing my fellow wild steelhead advocates both past and future at Earl's place in Seattle this evening. The water is indeed fine.