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?

Public Land your Playground

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." Aldo Leopold

Public lands are my play ground and if you hunt or fish in the west, it’s probably your playground too. 

If you have an adventurous spirit; at your fingertips you can walk for miles in solitude and grace, finding rocks unturned and spectacular views. 

Places wild and free, without judgment.  

It's up to us to give this land the highest standard deserved for fish and wildlife.

It's up to us to protect these special places so our kids can experience wild places like we do.

Cedar on high ground

Find the chukar!

Get involved to protect your Public Lands! 

Why Fishpond Founder supports Land and Water Conservation Funding

As an angler and bird hunter, I cherish opportunities to explore wide open spaces and float Oregon’s beautiful rivers. Sometimes these places are hard to access. I am constantly looking at maps, using my GPS to navigate the polygons of private and public ownership,  this is also the fun of exploring my backyard. Some places, wouldn't be accessible without Land and Water Conservation Funding. Until a couple years ago, I didn't know what LWCF was and why it was so important to fish and wildlife and public access. This critical fund is due to expire.  Read on, to find out more and why Fishpond Founder, Johnny Le Coq supports LWCF.   

A Brief History on LWCF:

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was established in 1965 as a bipartisan commitment to a simple idea: Invest a small portion of federal offshore drilling fees towards protecting important land, water, and recreation areas for all Americans to support the outdoor economy.   Since its inception, the fund has been used to invest over $16 billion in conservation and outdoor recreation, including the establishment of new public fishing areas, new corridors into previously inaccessible public lands, conservation easements and the acquisition of new public land parcels for the benefit of fish, wildlife, and the sporting public.  

Find out about projects funding in your state here.

This fund is due to expire and without reauthorization from Congress by September 30, 2015, we lose critical conservation dollars.

 This July, I attended IFTD for TRCP to build business support for LWCF.  At the show, I met  Johnny Le Coq, founder and CEO of Fishpond and Lilypond, brands designed and manufactured for the fishing and outdoor enthusiast. They created the company with the philosophy and inspiration, that innovation, design, and a responsibility towards the environment is critical to their success.  

Johnny knows why LWCF's is so important and why Congress needs to fully fund it.  This is what he had to say at the North American Wildlife Conference last year.

"The economics behind LWCF demands that we get the full funding appropriated for our natural resources. It is critical to my own business that depends on our watersheds, and just as important to every individual that values our open space, and public access for so many forms of recreation and enjoyment. The public access component of LWCF is crucial for the future of our hunting and fishing industry." 

     

The shared vision we need to foster for the next 50 years of the LWCF, which is teetering on a tight rope at the moment, is one of collaboration.  No longer can Washington or our State governments pave the necessary path for a sustainable future.  We need to create private/public partnerships that leverage the strengths of each.  From businesses like Fishpond, to private landowners who are willing to place their farmland or ranchland into conservation easements, we need to find the valuable synergies to help educate and tell the story of how our land, rivers and public places are the link to a vital economic future and a quality of life. The Outdoor Recreation Industry, a vast group of thousands of companies, must equally participate in raising the additional and critically important funds to augment the current conservation funding by the Federal and State governments. The Outdoor Recreation Industry must help lead the push for the full funding of LWCF, but they can’t stop there.  It is the responsibility of these American businesses to use the power of their consumer reach to raise additional funds to augment the shortfall of the hundreds of millions of dollars in conservation needs.  Government and taxes alone will not be enough to get us through our environmental challenges, and it will be important for companies like Fishpond to creatively join forces with government and non-profit groups to collaboratively reach our goals." 

We need your support to request that Congress fully and permanently reauthorize the LWCF to protect hunting and fishing and the recreational industry for years to come.  Tell your congressmen to fully fund LWCF by clicking on this link.  

Don't Get Locked Out

Do you value public lands for hunting and fishing? 

www.sportsmensaccess.org

A couple years ago, I met a hunter in Southest Oregon who believed the balance between federal and local control of public lands in Oregon was skewed in the wrong direction. As we talked about public lands in Malheur County, he said, “We need to take back the management of our land from the federal government.” 

At the time I wasn’t aware of the debate over public lands management that was happening in Utah and other Western states, where  legislative efforts were under way in an attempt to turn federal public lands over to the states.

 I replied, “Are you sure that is a good thing? Malheur is the poorest county in the state. How is this county going to manage your public land if there are no funds available? What will happen to our wildlife and habitat? Will that impact our access to hunting and fishing?” 

His simple response: “We’ll still be able to do all that.”

The federal government holds our public lands in trust so current and future generations can enjoy the rich beauty and resources that they offer.Federally managed parcels provide access to popular fishing destinations like the Deschutes, Klamath and Grande Ronde Rivers. As a professional guide, we depend on the ability to share the beauty of our public lands with folks from across the nation.

Public lands rightfully belong to all Americans. In an increasingly crowded West where open space is rapidly becoming one the rarest and most valuable assets of the Western lifestyle, ensuring that these lands stay in the public trust is more important now than ever before.

Request that your elected officials actively pledge their support for our public lands legacy and reject efforts to transfer federal public lands to individual states. Find out more and sign the petition > www.sportsmensaccess.org

Last Chance to tell the EPA to Protect Bristol Bay

Your voice counts! - click here to take action.

Photo courtesy of Maeva and Allison - Bristol Bay Fisherman

Look Snazzy

For a limited time, Simms will contribute 50% of all Ebbtide LS Shirt sales to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, an organization devoted to guaranteeing Americans quality places to hunt and fish bu influencing federal policy. 

Purchase Here

What Steelheading Taught Me About House Hunting in a Sellers Market

The last three months Marty and I have been looking for a house to buy,  every free moment is spent  on the computer looking at the same places over and over; waiting for something new to pop up. We have limited ourselves to the little town of Corbett because we transferred Tegan to Corbett Grade School after spring break. The school is ranked 2nd in Oregon, for good reason, every student participates in music, art and the style of teaching is a continuous progress model .(Not to create more competition) the Corbett school district is  incredible and the location is very desirable,, the Sandy River is minutes away and Portland is a 30 minute drive. This is not a buyers market so we have started looking else where.

We have heard of houses selling that never hit the RLMS and never had a chance to look at. We've looked at crack houses listed for 185,00 and fixers for 325,000. We've made offers on two places; outbid once and the second is pending (found out the septic was bad but still put in an offer for 20,000 less) discouraged .. yes...and...

This house hunting is cutting into our fishing time. 

In the quest to buy and keep my sanity I started thinking about the strategies of house hunting and how similar they are to hunting steelhead.

This is the conclusion:

* When inventory is low (or steelhead numbers) don't get discouraged... keep searching there's one out there. 

* If a house comes on the market be the first one there, get yourself in position to make the first offer...  Watch dam counts (for summer steelhead) watch for a dropping river and when you see the opportunity, be ready and be the first one out there to grab the prime spot. 

* Don't force it, if it's meant to be it will happen. Some people say a steelhead picks you. 

We're ready, anytime...    Do you have any house hunting tips?

National Fishing and Boating Week

Marty stays cool and calm in a full boat. 

This is National Fishing and Boating week. In a perfect world we would all get the week off to de-stress, promote conservation and go fishing.  Take a day and get on the water this week with family and friends or participate in a local activity that promotes fishing, conservation and having fun.

This is a week to:

• De-stress: Boating is ranked as one of the top 3 of all stress-relieving activities
• Connect with Nature: 90% of Americans live within an hour of navigable water
• Help Conserve: The funds from your fishing licenses and boat registrations go towards the conservation of our natural aquatic areas

 Oregon it's Free Fishing Weekend June 7th-8th. Check out whats going on in your state HERE.

Little Fish, Big Deal

The return of smelt to the Sandy River over the last few weeks brings back memories of my childhood; dip netting for the herring sized fish with ease with my family in the late 70's.. It also reminds me of the rich and diverse ocean food web that is so crucial to steelhead survival. Salmon and steelhead spend 3 or 4 years feeding in the ocean and rely on an abundance of oily, protein-rich forage fish like smelt to survive their long journey back to their spawning grounds.

A healthy ocean ecosystem is important to anyone who fishes the many salmon bearing streams and rivers in Oregon. Unfortunately, we are not always aware of what’s happening outside of the river system. Forage fish are dynamic species and many factors affect their abundance including water temperature, fishing pressure, and shoreside development.

The smelt have been noticeably absent over the past few years and were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2010. It’s not uncommon for these fish to disappear for years and then return in huge numbers. This year’s run looks to be at least 20-miles-long containing millions of smelt. Many anglers are reporting partially digested smelt in the stomachs of spring Chinook and Marty witnessed  sturgeon in the Sandy mowing down on the smelt buffet this week  as well as bald eagles and other birds of prey. It is one of the most incredible sights to see.





It’s ironic to witness this considering we just signed a petition last week to protect these small bait fish.

The Pew Charitable Trusts works with the Pacific Fishery Management Council to protect forage species in the ocean to help ensure that they are accounted for as an important part of the ecosystem and a critical food source for predatory fish such as salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and tuna. The Council will be looking at how to manage these critical species at their meeting in Vancouver, Washington on April 10th and they need to hear from anglers like you. To learn more about their work and take action to protect this vital food source for our steelhead, click here. 

By Mia Sheppard and Tara Brock - contact Tara- Campaign Associate for Forage Fish for additional info 503-221-7922 x 224

Has the Government Shutdown Impacted your Fishing and Hunting

Morning Cast photo by Bryan Husky

October is prime time for fishing and hunting.  Summer steelhead are lingering in rivers and waterfowl, upland bird and big game hunting seasons are open.  This time of year a lot of sportsmen rely on access to public land for hunting and fishing. 

Last week when I heard about the government shut down I didn't think it would affect me to much.  But when I called the Vale District BLM office to confirm a meeting an answering machine said the office would be closed until the government shutdown was resolved. My meeting was canceled. 

As the weekend approached I thought, this will be over by next week but how is this affecting other people, especially sportsmen that hunt and fish on public land.  As I talked with friends I heard stories of BLM rangers trying to kick campers out of campgrounds on the Deschutes, closed signs placed at boat ramps on the Madison River and places such as Hart Mountain Refuge are closed to visitors.

Due to congressional dysfunction and failing to pass a new budget, federal government agencies such as the BLM, National Forest and Nation Wildlife Refuge System have been shut down and over 80,000 federal employees furloughed and sportsmen opportunities are being impacted.

Southeast Oregon public land.

Millions of sportsmen rely on public access such as BLM land, national wildlife refuges and nation forest to access prime hunting and fishing areas. The closures will not only hurt sportsmen it hurts the communities that depend on dollars spent by sportsmen and other outdoor enthusiasts. Hunting guides and others make most of their annual income during hunting season. "Unlike federal furloughed employees who are going to get paid whenever this shutdown ends, these communities are not," said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. "The hunting season ends when it ends. The animals leave when they leave. So this is forgone revenue that they won't be getting back."

Impacts on Hunters and Anglers by TRCP:

Until the shutdown is resolved, hunters and anglers will have access to some, but not all federal lands. Immediate impacts come in the form of facility closures and the closure of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Non-developed destinations without controlled access remain largely open. 

National Wildlife Refuge System Closures: Just days after the Interior Department announced expanded hunting opportunities on national wildlife refuges, all 561 - including those that allow hunting and angling - were closed to public access. The national wildlife refuge system totals over 150 million acres, which is nearly twice as large as the national park system.

 Notable National Wildlife Refuge Closures: 

Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (1.1 mil acres) in Montana, where hunters spend more than 100,000 visitor days in fall months, is currently closed due to the shutdown. 

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (1.92 mil acres) in Alaska, attracts 1.1 million annual visitors and is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Kenai Peninsula. Popular fall hunt programs are currently on hold. 

 Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (57,000 acres) in Nevada and Oregon, where hunters wait years to draw a bighorn sheep tag, is closed due to the shutdown. 

 Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge (59,000 acres) Hunters who have drawn one of its coveted elk tags are being turned away due to the shutdown. 

National Park Closures: Fall is a popular time for anglers to visit national parks like Yellowstone, Glacier and many others. Many anglers hire licensed outfitters, whose livelihood depends on access to these parks. All national parks have been closed due to the shutdown. 

 BLM Closures: Outfitters, hunters and anglers will not have access to 4,000 visitor centers, facilities, campgrounds, boat ramps and other recreation sites because they are closed. 

 Corps of Engineers Recreation Areas: Campgrounds, boat launches and other facilities have been closed due to the shutdown. 

 Forest Service: Recreational activities such as Forest Service cabin rentals have been suspended during the shutdown. Certain campgrounds have been closed due to the shutdown. 

 State Lands: The shutdown has led to friction between federal land management agencies and some state governments. For example, though the Fish and Wildlife Service has closed refuges to hunting in Wisconsin, state officials have refused to adhere to a directive from the National Park Service to close certain state parks and other recreation areas operated with joint state/federal funding. 

 Approximately 7,825 of the USFWS's 9,551 employees; 24,000 of 28,700 Forest Service employees; and 10,250 of 10,800 BLM workers have been furloughed. As a result, resource management planning, NEPA reviews, and other critical natural resource management activities have ground to a halt. 

Has the shutdown affected your fishing or hunting? Please share your stories. 

Time for a Jet Boat Cover

Marty and I have been away from home since beginning October. I rolled in to Welche's two days ago, needless to say we've accumulated a little rain and found the jetboat filled with water and leaves. A boat cover is on the Christmas list, any recommendations for a 16 foot G3?

ODFW releases new definition for "Bobber" and more

 The ODFW Commission adopted rules for the 2013 angling regulations and here are a few I thought were interesting.

1. New definition for "bobber"  as part of proposed new anti-snagging rules on Trask and Salmon rivers. Currently there is no definition for bobber.

New Definition: Bobber: A hook-less, floating device that is attached to or slides along the mainline or leader above the hook(s) for the purpose of suspending hook(s) (which are part of the bait, lure or fly) off the bottom of the stream and visually signaling (from the surface of the water) a fish’s strike at the hook(s).

Glad to get this clarified, so those indicators on double handed rods are "bobbers."

Bobbers Photo by Field and Stream

2. Clarification of the definition of “Take” Redefine definition of “Take”.
Existing Rule: Take “To kill, reduce to possession or control.”
Proposed Definition: Take “To kill, reduce to possession or control or attempt to possess or control which includes catch-and release angling.
Rationale: To clarify that an angler needs to have a Combined Angling Tag to fish for sturgeon, salmon, steelhead or halibut whether he/she can keep it or not or is catch-and-release angling. (ODFW Staff)

You need a Combined Angling Tag even if you intend to catch and release.  I thought this was always the case??

Snagging Gear photo by Lambton

3. General Statewide Regulation: Adopt new Statewide Anti-Snagging Rules to be applied to individual waterbodies to curtail snagging activities
 Existing Rules: Existing hook and weight regulations, along with special gear restrictions for specific stream reaches. There are no statewide “Anti-snagging” regulations that can be applied to specific stream reaches. Proposed Rules: Anti-Snagging Rule. Except when fishing with a buoyant lure (with no weights added to the line or lure), or trolling from a vessel or floating device, terminal fishing gear is restricted to artificial flies or lure, or bait with one single-point hook. Hooks must measure ¾" or less from point to shank, and must be attached to or below the lure or bait. Weights may not be attached below or less than 18" above the lure or bait.
Rationale: Help to reduce snagging levels as they relate to the use of treble hooks. This rule will not be employed as a statewide regulation, but would be used on specific water bodies where the use of treble hooks on terminal gear has led to high levels of snagging.

This would be a great if it was a statewide regulation. Maybe something to push for next year??

To see more on the regulation changes view here. I also have the PDF version if anyone would like I can email it to you just contact me via email.

Conversations with Water

Conversations with Water is a blog written by a Hannah Sohl. She is a recipient of a 2011 Watson Fellowship and will be spending 12 months traveling around the world studying migratory fish and the communities that depend on them. Her travels are taking her to British Columbia, Brazil, Boliva, Bangladesh, India, Mongolia and Laos, and who knows where else in-between. Follow her amazing journey to these countries, you'll wish you where there.

Photos by Hannah Sohl

Fall Fever

This is my favorite time of year. Crisp air fills my lungs, water temperatures are still warm enough to swing hair-wing flies, and upland game bird season starts tomorrow. The dogs and I were to anxious to wait for the opener and I wanted to see Nelly work, so I set out on a hike along the river to swing a fly and let the dogs run (without a gun). Nelly held a point on a rooster and Cedar found a hen and I found a Steelhead. What a good day!

Time to Go Fish!

We have about a week left of being on "vacation." If you can call working on the house a vacation. As a fishing guide you might think taking time off to go fishing is a bit redundant. We were going to go to Baja but decided Alaska would be better. We wanted to see friends, our small shack in Wasilla (home to the famous Palin) that we haven't seen in quite a while and we wouldn't have to spend money on hiring a guide. Making it even more tempting to go on a trip, a good friend gave us "buddy" passes to fly, making a trip more affordable.

As the time got closer to leave, we decided against any travel at all, and decided to put our energy and $$$ into house projects would be a wiser, and more responsible thing to do with our small travel budget.

You know how projects ad up the dollars? We actually could have saved money going on vacation.

So here we are! Off we go on a family float with some friends to try and skate one up!

See you later...

High Water and Lake Trout

A car parked a little to close to the river.

Going on day 30 of continuous rain in Welches, I packed up and headed East, hoping to find sun and less rain. The last few days of relentless down pours have flooded most rivers in Oregon including the John Day River, which peaked at 20,000cfs and closed the river to floating until the level drops. In times like this, take to the lakes.

Kathy's first time fishing, Way to go!

Shelley out fished us all.

Make a few cast with friends and catch a couple Trout, a great way to start off the summer!

How Big was that Fish?

Convincing an angler how big the fish was. And it got away!

What is a Rotary Screw Trap

Tegan and I caught up with Katy and Christine from the Zig Zag Forest Service yesterday. We checked out the screw trap and looked at smolts captured in the trap, on a tributary to the Sandy River. A screw trap captures smolts migrating from their home waters out to the ocean. Katy and Christine are collecting fish data such as weight and length of fish to monitor the overall health of the river or tributary, and estimate a population return for future years.

Coho

Cutthroat

Steelhead

Paying Your Dues

Its happened to us all at one time or another, whether we're wading out to a deep run, standing in swift water, carefully walking on moss covered rocks, or chasing a fish that's taken us to our backing, we've had a little encounter with the river. Sometimes a wading staff might brace your fall or a rock sticking our of the water; if your lucky. As soon as you hit your waders fill with frigid water guaranteed to get you back on your feet; quickly, as if nothing happened.

We love ya!