For decades the Upper Deschutes River (above Bend) has been dewatered when irrigation season ends and water is held back to refill Crane Prairie and Wickiup Reservoirs. The dewatering is less severe now that the Deschutes Basin Habitat Conservation Plan has been finalized and 100 cfs of water is kept in the river through the winter, a dramatic improvement from the previous 20 cfs. Nevertheless, there are places where fish still get stranded and volunteers now organized by the Deschutes River Conservancy work to rescue them. This effort is lauded in local media. As with all things in water world, there are passionately held viewpoints from a different perspective, as evidenced in this recent column and the comments it generated.