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Conservation Corner
by Bill Templin
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Meetings:
We are now holding our Conservation Committee meetings every 4th Thursday starting at 7 p.m., at the Raley’s on San Juan at Sunset Ave. However, that would put us on Thanksgiving Day this year, so I propose that we change the meeting until the 5th Thursday this time, so we will meet on Nov. 29th. Please RSVP to let me know that I won’t be the only one attending.
Activities Past:
On October 25 we had 4 members present at the meeting at Raley’s on San Juan at Sunset and you might want to send a letter of support for the new Cal Fish and Game Commission appointment. Mike Laing attended our Conservation Committee meeting last month and suggested that we support Jim Edmondson, former Director of Cal Trout. Mark Rockwell would like to hear from us if we support Jim. Hopefully our November 29 meeting and December 27 meetings will continue our increasing attendance! Happy Holidays to you all!
Activities Future:
Dry Creek Salmon Count: The Nov. 9 planned date for the event was delayed for lack of salmon and rain. We’re still hoping to have the right combination of flow in Dry Creek and response from Salmon to tie in with GBF member David Baker for the annual Dry Creek Conservancy Salmon Count. This is a very popular event with GBF members because it can be very interesting to wade in a narrow, shallow creek with salmon from 10 to 30 lbs. sharing it with you. Let David Baker know at the next meeting or by phone/email if you are interested in helping this year.
Angler Access to Navigable Streams - there are things that we can do to help the legal system enforce their existing laws and cut down on special interests/favors being provided by local sheriff's departments. The question is, “What role do we want to play in this?” Let me know if you have an interest in this.
"Adopt a Watershed" - What do you think about that? It was proposed at the last Conservation Committee meeting that GBF adopt the North Fork American River Watershed through the U.S. E.P.A. "Adopt Your Watershed" program, http://www.epa.gov/adopt/ Like Bill Carnazzo has said many times, "We need to focus on an area and make it ours!" This might do it, if you think we can get the members to support the idea. Obviously, many of us have a lot of inside information on this area, and it’s close!
Placer Nature Center's outreach program needs our help. They want to continue to teach watershed conservation and they need some volunteers from GBF to show the teachers & students the connection between the natural hatches and the artificial flies that are so important to our fisheries and our enjoyment of the fisheries. We’ve received a request from Linda Desai and Leslie Warren for volunteers and $3,000 to help expand their outdoor education to meet the need they have from teachers and students in the region.
Trout Telemetry on the North Fork American River - the Upper American River Foundation project that has been on hold since we didn’t get funding from the CalFed Watershed Program is still alive and Lisa Thompson (U.C. Davis) and Tim Horner (C.S.U. Sacramento) are working on proposals for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy support. They will need our help catching fish to telemeter. This is a fascinating idea for tracking the wild Rainbows and Small Mouth Bass to see where they go to survive the hot summer low flows. This idea came from a successful project on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River in Idaho and could help provide some very useful information for us to use to help protect important spawning areas as well as cooler places that our fishery needs to survive. Anyone interested in Adopting A Trout or Bass? If you know of the Henry’s Fork project you know that they have donors who name their fish and donate towards the project to help it continue to be successful. The donors get to name their fish and get the information on their website linked to a map that tracks the fish movement over time. If we get the funding, the adoptions will follow! Let us know if you might be interested!
Earth Day Events at Roseville, Sierra College and CSU Sacramento - David Baker offered to lead the GBF display-tabling effort for this year’s Earth Day in Roseville and Bill Templin mentioned that opportunities always exist at the big CSUS and Sierra College Earth Day events too. These events will all happen in April 2008, but it’s not too soon to start planning now! (About 5000 people attend the CSUS event alone). This would be a good follow up to our annual showings at the ISE Show in January that will be here before we know it! It’s a lot of fun to get involved with these events, you should try it.
Trout Unlimited "Embrace A Stream" - proposals are being considered as a collaboration with the UC Davis/CSU Sacramento projects and would tie in well if we "Adopt the Watershed". Dave Lass, TU, suggested that we work with Barbara and Joe Bania to make it happen. Got any suggestions?
Bob Simms “Where’s the Salmon?” – Bob’s talk at the North Area Sportsmen’s Association annual membership meeting on Thurs. Dec. 6 should be very interesting. Bob Simms from the KFBK Outdoors show on Saturday mornings 5 to 8 a.m. will be speaking at Zigato's Restaurant off Highway 16 at Canterbury Lane in Sacramento. All GBF members interested in a good evening out are welcome to attend. The dinner is only $30 and is for a good cause since this group has been actively encouraging "responsible fishing, hunting and networking” by outdoors enthusiasts in this area since the late 1940's when WWII veterans returned and decided the area needed a group like this. For more info, contact Bill Templin 916-601-9954 wtemplin@surewest.net.
December 27: Conservation Committee Meeting (see above for location).
Significant Issues:
San Joaquin River Restoration Agreement - H.R. 24 and S. 27 - Thanks for your continued contacts to your U.S. Senators and Congressmen on funding for the “San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act” – “This legislation is needed to fully authorize and approve a landmark Settlement agreement between the parties to NRDC v. Rodgers, an 18 year case concerning the restoration of flows and native salmon populations to the San Joaquin River, and it’s tributaries. (H.R. 24 http://www.house.gov/writerep/) and Senate (S. 27) http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm).
Thanks and Happy Trails to you for many good fishin’ spots,
Bill Templin Bill Templin VP Conservation |
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