Landmark Water Sale Near Sisters Could Help Steelhead

A Sisters-area development group Wednesday announced it would sell 63 acres of "pioneer" water rights to a central Oregon water conservation group.

The deal will restore a small, but significant, amount of water to Whychus Creek – a tributary to the Deschutes River. Instead of using the water on farmland or golf courses – the water will now be left in the stream.

LINK (Via: OPB News)

What If?

Whitefish Can't Jump serves up your 2011 New Year's resolution.

What if every fisherman who values wild fish gave up 10% of their fishing time to tackle conservation issues?

Amen brother.

Set Gold Standard for Ocean Health Care

Yvon Chouinard recently wrote a guest opinion piece in the Santa Barbara Independent advocating for the approval of the Marine Life Protection Act in Southern California that restricts fishing in designated protected areas.

The MLPA takes us a step towards making the 21st century the Century of the Environment, as Edward O. Wilson calls for in his 2002 book, The Future of Life. Government, the private sector, and science need to come together and cooperate to find ways of solving the major environmental challenges we face. All of California’s ocean users, from surfers and environmentalists to fishermen and scientists, have been called in to take part in the public process of establishing this important network, which in addition to safeguarding some of our priceless ocean habitat, will make the ocean more resilient to additional stress.

LINK

The act was just narrowly approved by California State Wildlife officials. The 3-2 vote in Santa Barbara by the California Fish and Game Commission bans or restricts fishing in dozens of protected marine areas designed to replenish depleted fish populations and protect marine life.

LINK (Via:The SLO Tribune)

Camp Meeker Dam Removal

Story of how a community, centered around a summer swimming pool created by their creek dam, came together to tear down that dam, turning one of the strongest fish barriers in the watershed into a new model for how to restore a creek that's good for both fish and people.

Those of you who know a thing or two about the bike biz will recognize Gary Helfrich who appears in this video.. A former Aerosmith roadie, Gary was the founder of the titanium bike industry and was the first to design and build a titanium mountain bike. He was also a founding partner of Merlin Metal Works, the first company to successfully manufacture titanium mountain bikes on a commercial scale. He's also a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.

Interior Department opening Colorado's North Park to gas and oil drilling

The North Park area holds a special place in my heart. It's the home of some wonderful fishing, but more importantly a place full of memories of great times with family and friends. It is also a place of unspoiled beauty which is now set to to be scarred by drilling pads, truck traffic and all the associated noise and dust.

Over the protests of conservation groups, federal land managers are moving to open 11,160 acres of North Park for gas and oil drilling.

The valley between the Zirkel and Medicine Bow mountains sustains antelope, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, raptors, trout and sage grouse.

LINK (Via: The Denver Post)

Conservationists criticize California's costly efforts to help endangered steelhead

Say what?

In hopes of luring the endangered steelhead trout into the Santa Monica Mountains, California's transportation agency is planning to spend $935,000 to pave over part of a popular beach with cement and boulders to build a freeway of sorts for fish.

The problem, even some conservationists say, is that there is little evidence construction efforts since the 1980s have done anything except absorb taxpayer dollars.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: LINK