Deschutes Redbands TU

Some good news...

Fish Reintroduction Update Salmon and steelhead have started to acclimate and be released at Land Trust Preserves.

Meeting past but FYI on this planned Conservation Fund.

Open forum event planned for conservation fund Almost since its inception, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has been primarily supported by people who hunt and fish. Each year, they would purchase fishing and hunting licenses

Feeling cheery? Please donate to support the great local conservation work and advocacy by Deschutes Redbands Trout Unlimited! Thank you!

All donations received through this year’s holiday ask letter will go toward the youth watershed education program.

https://www.paypal.me/deschutesredbandsTU

Happy Holidays & Best Wishes for Great Days on Our Rivers
from Deschutes Redbands Trout Unlimited Chapter
We’re excited to share this end-of-year update on current and future Chapter activities. We are also requesting your financial help in 2020. Donate now or read on for more about the amazing things happening with Deschutes Redbands TU:

Every year we toot our own horn and recap the things we have done as the Redbands Chapter to further the cause of protecting and restoring coldwater fisheries in the Deschutes Basin. 2019 was no different with activities ranging from road-to-trail conversions at Fall River, to riparian restoration at Canyon Creek Campground on the Metolius, to in-depth review and comments on the Deschutes Basin Habitat Conservation Plan. But this year’s “ask” letter is different. For this year’s donation request, we are focused solely on our youth watershed education program headed up by Darek Staab. Over the last ten years, Darek has built a model watershed education/stewardship program for students in the Bend-LaPine, Sisters and Jefferson County School Districts. This year the program engaged over 1,500 students (grades 2 - 8) during 56 field trips to places like Fall River, the upper and lower Deschutes and Metolius. This program has been offered at no cost to the schools and families. In the past, support has come from grants that Darek successfully secured. Unfortunately, many of the grant sources are no longer available and that means support must come from our Deschutes Redbands Chapter members. All donations received through this year’s holiday ask letter will go toward the youth watershed education program.

Why? Kids need to see and experience our rivers in the Deschutes Basin. They need to know how wild rivers work, why bugs matter and how fish populations survive. They need to get their hands dirty planting a willow stake, wax currant or sedge plug and see how that affects the health of the river. They need to be invested by understanding their role in protecting these special places throughout their lives. This education program gives them that opportunity. It is one of the most important things that our Chapter does, and we hope you will help continue this work through your contribution.

How much? When you tally the cost of personnel, travel for students and educators, journals, equipment and plantings, each field trip costs about $700 to run. A field trip has about 25 students, which allows for small, low-impact learning groups. Field trips are led by 3 educators with fish and wildlife backgrounds. Our Chapter also works with the STREAM Girls program under the Girl Scouts of America. This program is targeted at middle school-aged girls emphasizing river stewardship, conservation, fly tying and the serious art of fly casting. For many of these young women, it is their first opportunity to actually be in a river and will promote a better understanding of their role in protecting these resources…and yes becoming future fly anglers.

Please support these important and meaningful education programs. We are a 501 (c) 3 organization and all contributions are tax deductible. Donate online by clicking the button below or mail your check payable to: Deschutes Redbands TU, c/o Bend Environmental Center, 16 NW Kansas Ave. Bend, OR 97703.

Pay Trout Unlimited - Deschutes Chapter #552 using PayPal.Me

https://ktvz.com/community/2019/12/16/deschutes-river-conservancy-salutes-tumalo-irrigation-district/

Deschutes River Conservancy salutes Tumalo Irrigation District

Deschutes River Conservancy salutes Tumalo Irrigation District - KTVZ Tumalo Irrigation District’s water stewardship responsibilities may have already come to an end for the year, but they have not gone unnoticed by the Deschutes River Conservancy, which said "the district "set the bar quite high for 2019 Tumalo Creek water restoration efforts."

Sen. Wyden is coming to Bend to hear your thoughts on Wild & Scenic Rivers!

This is a rare opportunity to speak directly to Senator Wyden about the need to protect wild rivers east of the Cascades. We hope you will join us!

Senator Wyden will be in Bend next Saturday, December 14th, at Bend Parks and Rec to host a “Wild & Scenic Rivers Forum” at 10:00am.

With the strong support and involvement of people across Oregon, this has the potential to be one of the most significant land & water conservation bills in our state’s history. Let’s make sure Senator Wyden knows how much we support his efforts! Please join us on Saturday, December 14th for his Wild & Scenic River Forum.

Of course it is still important to nominate rivers for protection by emailing Senator Wyden before Jan. 20.

How to guide - https://oregonwild.org/about/blog/how-nominate-wild-scenic-river?ceid=4000932&emci=b3f55372-5118-ea11-828b-2818784d6d68&emdi=f90e2c57-5b18-ea11-828b-2818784d6d68

How to nominate (if you can't make the forum) (cut and paste link into your browers) - https://secure.everyaction.com/_Ye1M-xFF0658UxabGdnAg2?emci=b3f55372-5118-ea11-828b-2818784d6d68&emdi=f90e2c57-5b18-ea11-828b-2818784d6d68&ceid=4000932

Speak up for Oregon's Rivers! Senator Ron Wyden will be in Bend on Saturday, December 14th to hear which rivers should be included in his next Wild & Scenic Rivers bill!

Help us get over the 20K mark for signers to support wild steelhead in southern Oregon.

Protecting Wild Steelhead

This affects rivers outside the Deschutes Basin but, for those of us interested in the protection of wild steelhead, we are providing the following information with thanks to the Central Oregon Flyfishers for alerting us to this:

On Friday, December 6, 2019; the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider a proposal to require the release of all wild steelhead in southwest Oregon during the 2020 season. Right now there are twelve rivers in the lower 48 states and Canada where sport anglers can still legally harvest wild steelhead. All twelve of these rivers are in Oregon, and ten of those rivers are in the Southwest Zone. If you’re interested in supporting this proposal, here’s a link where you can sign a petition: http://chng.it/JpgQvwvgj6

Pls Note: if you sign the petition using this link you will get more petitions to sign! And you will be added to other email lists. You can opt out of them by unsubscribing once you submit the petition.

The other option is to email your thoughts directly to the Commission at: [email protected]

Thanks

Help Bret Campbell grow this petition! 🚀 Catch & Release for Wild Steelhead in Southwest Oregon

Great News from the Opal Springs Fish Passage Project on the Crooked River



This fish passage project addresses the 2nd highest priority fish barrier in the state of Oregon. Led by the Crooked River Watershed Council (CRWC), it has been an equally high priority project for the Deschutes Partnership. The Deschutes Redbands Chapter of TU contributed toward the purchase of photography equipment to document the construction process. After nearly a dozen years of planning, the project broke ground in May 2018 and is now complete with the fish ladder operational…and it works! This film clip was taken from the new Vaki Riverwatcher system installed earlier in the week. Almost exactly 12 hours after installation, the Riverwatcher system recorded the first steelhead using the ladder and moving into the upper Crooked River.



Hope springs eternal and congratulations to CRWC!

The Deschutes Redbands Chapter of Trout Unlimited is doing important work at Fall River. You have seen the riparian improvements, our school education field trips and roads-to-trail projects along this beautiful spring creek. Now we are launching into a wetlands rehabilitation project adjacent to “The Tubes” at Fall River. If you have fished there lately you have seen the need. We have a chance to win a share of $45,000 in match and prizes from Orvis to restore these wetlands. Will you please help us get there by donating $10 or more at https://www.embraceastream.org/organizations/deschutes ?

The power of being a member of Trout Unlimited and political action for coldwater fisheries conservation at the local, state and federal levels. This is TU National getting it done.

Trout Unlimited sues EPA over removal of Bristol Bay protections | Trout Unlimited October 9, 2019  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Contact:   Chris Wood, Trout Unlimited CEO, (571) 274-0601  Nelli Williams, Trout Unlimited Alaska program director, (907) 230-7121  Trout Unlimited sues EPA over removal of Bristol Bay protections  Sportsmen argue EPA ignored sound science, prioritize...

Bend Bulletin post on the upcoming fish rescue the chapter is helping with this weekend.

Fish rescue planned for Deschutes shallow channels A rescue operation in the Upper Deschutes is planned for this weekend — but it’s not the kind involving distressed kayakers, boaters or swimmers. In need of help are trout, kokanee, sculpin and other fish that will soon be left high and dry in channels connected to the river, due to a seasonal r...

Please join us for a panel discussion about "The Deschutes River: A Path Forward"

Where: St Helens Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, 231 NW Idaho St, Bend 97701
When: Wednesday, October 23, 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Door at 5:30 pm
Free: Register here. Suggested $5 donation at the door to help offset costs
Panelists:
o Jason Gritzner – Hydrologist, Watershed Program Manager, US Forest Service
o Ron Nelson – Deschutes River Conservancy Executive Director
o Bridget Moran – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bend Field Office, Field Supervisor
o Craig Horrell – Chair Deschutes Basin Board of Control; Central Oregon Irrigation District, Managing Director
o Mike Britton – North Unit Irrigation District, General Manager

The issue

From fish to families, kayaks to carrot seed, ecology to economy, a lot is asked of the Deschutes River.

Today’s Central Oregon communities are built on actions taken more than one hundred years ago to entice settlers to the region. Just as people coming here now are profoundly changing the landscape, so did those early arrivals. Water was diverted from the Deschutes to promote agriculture, and dams were built on the river to store water through the winter for the growing season. Over the decades, how the river functions as a hydrologic and ecological system has been highly altered.

Today, we are faced with many challenges that include: the current condition of the river; threats to endangered species; archaic and inefficient irrigation infrastructure; policies that inhibit water sharing; the impacts of growth and climate change.

How should we plan for a future that includes a healthy river, sustainable agriculture, and vibrant communities?

The Deschutes River is a perennial topic. The convergence of activities bubbling to the surface now makes this a particularly active and pivotal moment. Among the actions that are underway, most of which have been years in the making and that are in the spotlight are:

o The 3-year Basin Study is wrapping up and the Deschutes Basin Water Collaborative is in the formative stages.
o The Habitat Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement are in their final draft stages and are now available for public comment.
o Senator Merkley has secured tens of millions of dollars for water-conserving irrigation modernization projects in Central Oregon.
o Watershed plans for irrigation modernization through piping leaky canals have been developed or are in process by seven of the eight irrigation districts in Central Oregon.

Join our panelists for a discussion of the Habitat Conservation Plan for endangered species, water conservation and irrigation modernization, and community engagement in crafting a future for the Deschutes that meets the needs of fish, farms, and families.

Presented by the Coalition for the Deschutes, Deschutes Redbands Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Juniper Group of Sierra Club, and League of Women Voters of Deschutes County.