Conservation

Conservation

Stream Clean-up Day on the Lower Illinois River

The Oklahoma Chapter of TU board of directors voted to have their stream clean-up day on Saturday, June 26 in conjunction with the National TU dates. (April 17 was to early and we always stand a greater chance of a wash out in spring on the LIR.)

The Oklahoma Chapter will also be having their monthly outing on that day and wish to invite all members of the 89'er Chapter to join them on the 26th for a morning clean-up session, 8 to 11, then lunch (they will supply the meat and a drink) and then an afternoon of fishing.

Any members that plan to attend, please RSVP to Scott Hood (SHood91849@aol.com) so to be sure that there are enough food and drinks for everyone.

And if you're still not sure about going, check out these trout Scott caught on the LIR on 6/5/10. They weighed 4.5 and 5.5 pounds, respectively, and each were released.

TU's Sportsman Conservation Project Video

This is a direct link to a youtube video outlining some of the conservation programs and accomplishments TU national has worked to do over the past several years and those that they are currently working on. This video has a great message an is only about four minutes long. Enjoy!

THE SPORTSMAN CONSERVATION PROJECT

Lost Creek Repairs Underway - Curtsey of the ODWC

Recent flooding of the Lower Mountain Fork Rivers Lost Creek trout fishing area did damage to the fishery, but anglers came to the rescue by funding a renovation that should wrap up in March.

Lost Creek is a stretch of pristine stream in Beavers Bend State Park that makes up part of the Lower Mountain Fork River year-round trout fishery. The quarter-mile stretch was completed in 2006 when, with support from anglers groups, fisheries personnel from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation revived a relic floodplain stretching across a bend in the Lower Mountain Fork River. Lost Creek has since been managed as a trophy trout fishery with unique regulations conducive to trophy fishing opportunities.

When the largest flood releases since the construction of Broken Bow dam occurred in 2009, the fishery once again was in need of renovation.

According to Jared Vanderpool, streams management technician for the Wildlife Department, the flooding was destructive and brought significant damages to the area, including the loss of a highway bridge. Sediments stemming from the highway failure and upstream bank erosion deposited in Lost Creek and filled the new channel, Vanderpool said. In all, about 1,000 feet of Lost Creek was drained and became unusable for angling.

Outdoor groups and angler organizations including the Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation and 89ers Chapter of Trout Unlimited rallied their membership and donated over $10,000 to the Wildlife Department for the renovation of Lost Creek. Donations were then matched with Sport Fish Restoration funds, derived from excise taxes on sporting goods. These donations are used exclusively to cover the direct cost of the project such as heavy equipment rental and the purchase of construction materials such as boulders and logs.

Renovation efforts began on Feb. 8. According to Vanderpool, the project should conclude in March when the Wildlife Department will resume stocking the reach with rainbow and brown trout.

Year around trout water is a limited and precious commodity in Oklahoma, said Jay Barfield, also a streams management technician alongside Vanderpool. While unfortunate, the flood damages provide us an opportunity to improve the original project. The newly designed Lost Creek will be about 200 feet longer, provide deeper pool habitat and feature cutting-edge trout habitat.

Brown Trout Introduced to Spillway Creek

The pictures below are of the November Lower Mountain Fork River installation of Whitlock Vibert Boxes, organized by the Lower Mountain Fork Foundation. The goal of the project is to introduce brown trout into the Spillway Creek area, above Sid's Fly Shop, in Beavers Bend State Park. Special thanks to Tony Kirk who was responsible for educating and ram-rodding the 20 volunteers.

The volunteers, who included Main Hutchinson TU 89er Chapter and Jim Durham and Mike Scott from TU Oklahoma Chapter, filled the 13 boxes with 5,000 eggs. The volunteers then inserted the boxes in wire mesh frames (built by Tony Kirk), and "planted" the frames in the creek bed. The site will be revisited in January to monitor the effectiveness of hatching the eggs and providing shelter for the fry. Approximate cost of the eggs, materials, and freight was $356.

Special thanks to Linda and Jessie King at Three Rivers Fly Shop for the use of their shop, tools and labor.

Also, thanks to the Foundation for their support of trout fishing in Oklahoma.

Lower Illinois Cleanup Report

The LIR cleanup on June 13, 2009 was a great success. We were able to make a positive impact on the waters we fish while enjoying the fellowship of the Oklahoma Chapter of TU and other organizations. Pictured below is just a few examples of our "finds." Besides showing our success, they also highlight the need for continued attention to the waters we fish. Thanks again for all those that came out and made the day such a success.

Potential Consequencences of Climate Change to Persistence of Cutthroat Trout Populations

The CSI team's "recent broadscale analyses of how climate change may impact trout population persistence. For our group, this is one of a number of papers that we will produce in the next year on impacts to at-risk western trout species as part of the larger project with USGS. Some of our take home messages are as follows:

1. disturbances, such as floods and wildfire, associated with climate change are likely to pose more of a problem for trout populations than increasing temperatures alone

2. the existing condition of many native trout populations, as evidenced by smaller, isolated populations, greatly increases risk associated with climate change

3. risks from climate change are not evenly distributed or evenly shared among trout species and subspecies.

"We -- Amy Haak, Helen Neville, Warren Colyer, Dan Daulwalter and I -- have been working on additional analyses, including drought, which is a major limiting factor for western trout. We presented these findings at the Western Division AFS meetings last week in Albuquerque. Obviously, much more to come. --Jack"

Proposed Stream Restoration on LIR

Proposed stream restoration project for the Watt's Property on the Lower Illinois River has been distributed. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) Stream Biologist Paul Balkenbush will discuss this project at our December, 2009 meeting.

Proposal - doc

89er TU Impact

Since 2001, Eighty Niner Chapter has provided the ODWC with $18,483.50 dollars for the following conservation projects. This money has been matched by 3-1 federal funds, providing over $73,934 for conservation work on the Lower Mountain Fork River and the Lower Illinois River.

Lower Mountain Fork Cold Water: $2135

Streams Habitat: $3673

Public Outreach: $1425

Trout Pens/Stocking: $3500

Spillway Creek Creel: $1250

Evening Hole/Lost Creek Restoration: $5000

Lower Illinois/Watt's Property: $1500