Your Public Access Being Taken Away - Starvation Lane

Update
No decision was officially made but the talk was that the boat ramp should exist and the proper arrangements need to be made, to do so.  

Overwhelming input from the public (also private land owners) was in favor of keeping this road and ramp open. The Sheriff was great and advocated keeping open. Vowing to respond to any legal issues. The local ranchers were great (they like to fish too). The judge was understanding. State Park agreed to work with Sherman County to plan a legal boat ramp.   There was zero input from the other side. No one spoke in favor of closing the county road to the public river. 

Yesterday was a victory, but a process is ahead to make sure everything stays on course.


If you are passionate about recreation and public land opportunities, you must be informed of what is happening right now on the John Day River. A locked gate has been implemented at an important access point to launch a boat, or take a boat out, on the lower John Day River, managed by the BLM. This is unacceptable and we need your support to not lose this critical and strategic access point. This locked gate takes away the ability to do a day trip in the lower river. It takes away public access and guiding opportunity. Having negative economical effects, on local, rural communities. I have been guiding this stretch of rivers for over 10 years and have regular clients that have grown to love and expect this particular float. In fact, I have trips booked for Friday and Saturday on this now, suddenly, closed section of river. What am I to do? 

The Sherman County court is having a special meeting regarding the issue. Please attend or call in your grievance. Please ask them not to close this public boat ramp!

Special Meeting Wednesday 9am to 11am at the Sherman County Courthouse. Directions here

Call State Parks  541-394-0002 or email: here

Call Sherman County Courthouse 541-565-3606 or email: here

General Advisory From Oregon State Parks:

05/28/2016 to 05/31/2017 

Boaters launching at Cottonwood Bridge (J.S. Burres) will need to take-out at Rock Creek or McDonald Crossing as there is no road access to the river at Starvation Lane. For more information please call the park at 541-394-0002

http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkNotices&parkId=195

From the BLM boaters pass website:

Notice: Boaters launching at Cottonwood Bridge (J.S. Burres) will need to take-out at Rock Creek or McDonald Crossing as there is no road access to the river at Starvation Lane.

https://www.blm.gov/or/permit/index.php

Taken from the Sherman County Court minutes 5/04/2016:

"Motion by Commissioner Smith, second by Commissioner McCoy, to approve Judge Thomson contacting Oregon State Parks not to install a gate at the river at this time, to not put up a fence on the south side, to use existing fence to allow for large enough turn around, and to recommend State Parks mow the grass down."

Read from the link below starting on page 6 to see how the county got into this predicament in the first place:

http://co.sherman.or.us/documents/CountyCourtMinutes542016_005.pdf

 A couple years ago we guided Governor Ted Kulongoski, on this stretch of river, he was instrumental in signing the initiative, "park a year" which paved the way for Cottonwood Canyon and opened the boat ramp at Starvation Lane. 

Western Rivers Conservancy conveyed the sale (acquired in 2008) to the State of Oregon, leading to the opening of Cottonwood Canyon State Park in September, 2013.  What a shame it would be, to spend millions of dollars that essentially takes away recreational opportunity. Why? Evidently one landowner complained about county zoning codes, trespassers, illegal campers, and too many people. Interestingly enough, the landowner is new and the old land owner never had a complaint. Also, there is law enforcement to deal with any illegal activity and three separate agencies (BLM, State Police, and County Sheriff) could have been called . They were never contacted! Instead the  court house was contacted to close the road . It seems Mr. Landowner wants all the fun to himself at the expense of us taxpayers and public land owners, us!  The County Road and State Park at Starvation lane are now locked. Bullshit I say! What about you?

Restoring Juvenile Habitat

The Middle Fork of the John Day River is critical habitat for Chinook salmon, steelhead and bull trout. Dredge mining severely channelized the riverbed in the 1940s leading to a straightened channel and disconnected floodplain. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs teamed up with the Bureau of Reclamation and a variety of other partners to restore two miles of river. Wonderful to see people working to gether to bring back a river. 

Blazing the Storm

Storm a Brew'en

Avery lands a Beauty. 

Nelly ready to hit the coach. 

S'MORES on the River

The best treat on the river, S'MOREs! These kids showed us how to do it!

Recipe for the perfect smore: First, set a chunk of chocolate on a graham cracker to be ready for the application of the marshmallow. Roast two or three marshmallows till golden brown, when the marshmallows are sliding on the stick and just about to fall off, transfer the mellows on top of the graham cracker, add the chocolate, then add another mellow and sandwich the goodies with a graham cracker on top. ENJOY!

Catfish Fry

Catfish Fry
Not for purist, obscene content.

If yer a kid at heart then some times ya still go fishin. I’ve always wanted to catch a catfish on the John Day River but have never had chicken gizzards, treble hooks, or split shots in my fly box. When camp has been set up and ya have nothin better to do; heck, why not break the catfish code. Well; ya start by lookin through a fly box full of poppers, damsels, and whooly buggers because yer on the river catchen bass not thinkin of fryin up a catfish. Ya figure, take a couple wooly buggers spaceem apart for weight and look through a cooler to find the smelliest meat. Well, yer not a bait fisherman but’ve used a few worms in yer childhood years, but bacon sure sounds good to a catfisherman. So ya cut a slab of bacon, fold it up and push it through the hook. Then it’s time to chug a PBR, row across the river and anchor up in a little back eddy.

After a couple casts and feeding line to the bottom of the river ya hook a few bass. Ya think, “bass must taste good to a bottom feeding cat fish.” Ya sacrifice the next bass caught, slice off a chunk, find a #6 Gamakatsu hook in yer tackle box, tie it on with nothin less then a perfection knot, and fling out the line give’in the catfish another chance. The line swirls around in the back eddy, more green line gets sucked into the currant. Ya reel in and make one more attempt at casting this heathenistic set-up of wooly buggers and bait. The bait lands in the foam line, on the outer edge of the eddy. The line gets sucked down an’ya feel the bass bouncing off the bottom and then the line comes tight and the reel starts spinning. Yahoo, fish on! The fish feels like a Spring Chinook on a 6 weight. Rod tip bent, line running out, ya reel in and it takes more line. Can’t be a bass, bass rise to the surface and cartwheel a few times. After a few minutes of playing the fish, ya get it to the bank and see long whiskers protruding from the face, and a big, wide mouth like Aunt Jemima ready to give ya a big smack on the lips.

Blackened catfish by the river is a treat. Ya sacrifice two cats and let one go, no need to take more then ya need. Ya row back to camp, fillet the two cat fish, dippem in egg. Next, ya coatem with flour, mixed with paprika, chili powder, and garlic salt. Ya wait for the oil to get hot then plunkem in the pan. The spices tingle yer nose hairs and yer mouth waters. Ya wait till they’re golden brown then slidem to a plate and squeeze fresh lime over the cooked flaky fillet. The meat falls apart between yer fingers, so ya lick yer lips and fingers while thinkin about that next catfishin you’ll be doin.

This ain't chicken.

Catfish Fry.

Bass Fishing on the John Day!

Juniper on the John Day

Bass are fun to catch!

The Eckland clan.

Cougar on the John Day

The wildlife on the John Day is spectacular, and what an opportunity to see a cougar stalking Big Horn Sheep. Photo by Alan Christensen Western Rivers Conservancy .

The Tug is the Drug

" Holy Bass" Ann with another.

We got our bags ten minutes ago.
Sorry. I was calling your work number.
Coffee cake?
John Day box.
The tug is the drug.
Are we there yet?
Stop for the view? No consensus on that.
So what gets you excited about steelhead?
[Unprintable.]
Are we there yet?
Wasco has it all!
There’s the river.
That was the takeout.
Two hours to go.
Sure is hot.
Why don’t you open the gate?
Where are the cows?
How many six-weights?
Dan has a fish on.
Park the car.
Shove us off.
Where’s my John Day box?
Holy cow!
This is stupid good.
Jigs and grubs.
Bass in the boat.
Holy mackerel!
Look at that!
Dan has a fish on.
Holy mackerel!
Unbelievable!
My neck hurts.
There’s another one.
POPPERS!
TEGAN!
Yin and tonic.
Spanieisms.
You mean you didn’t bring the sleeping bags?
Bugs in hat.
Marinara on hat.
Whipped cream with that?
Layering with tablecloth.
Roasting.
Tablecloth off.
Still roasting.
More layers off.
OK. ZZZZZ.
Where’s the coffee?
This is a stupidfest!
FOAMER poppers!
Was that thunder?
Don’t panic. Keep working.
That’s a double.
That was lighting.
Count the seconds.
That’s a triple.
Row faster.
How many triples was that?
How many hundred was that?
Fried chicken?!
Key lime?!!!
Where’s my headlamp?
My fiancé…I guess.
You fish. I’ll row.
Bass-o-matic.
I won’t fish. You can’t make me.
Hawks.
Eagles.
Scudzilla.
Sheep.
Relentlessly spectacular.
Dan has a fish on.
Turk’s Tarantula.
Turk’s jerk.
Scotch.
Watch the hills.
Cigars.
MyfiancéIguess’s house.
Snakes?
ZZZ…
Bass before breakfast.
You slept with your headlamp on.
Ibuprofin?
All streamers, all the time.
Bass on.
Double.
Sculpzilla.
Bass on.
Bass on.
Triple!
Majic juju fly.
DEER HAIR POPPERS!
Wail on them stupid.
ALL POPPERS, ALL THE TIME.
Bass in the shade.
Bass lost in the boat.
All y’all.
Bass in the sun.
PA (personal aroma) building in non-linear fashion.
Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla.
Loudly singing Wagner.
Don’s steelhead run.
Quick dip.
Big eddy.
Position A.
Another triple!
There’s the bridge.
Damnit.
Pack up the rods.
That’s that.
Next time…..
Hey…Dan has a fish on!

words by: The Gang Wester River Conservancy