The Deschutes River Conservancy recently had their second “Raise the Deschutes” seminar of 2024, this one titled “A River Runs Through It: Collaborative Strategies for the Future of the Crooked River”. It provided a brief history of agriculture and dam construction in Crook County, a hydrology overview, and the basics of how water is managed in the Lower Crooked River. As you would expect, I have criticisms which begin with the opening remarks claiming that the dams on the Crooked River and Ochoco Creek provide benefits to fish. Dams benefit fish in the Crooked Basin? Only if you want to promote invasive species. Clearly, dams benefit people while harming wild, native fish. While actions may be taken to provide some water for fish, at the end of the day they lose. The presentation made no mention of the lethally low or high flows that occur in the Crooked River. The massive use of water by the data centers in Prineville was falsely characterized as being benign. There was no discussion of planning for a drier, warmer future. I understand that fish and wildlife will always lose the battle for water, but we should acknowledge this, not gloss over it.
I have dozens of posts that cover the negative impact on fish from water management in the Crooked. Below are a few. Discussion of these topics would have been a welcome addition to the talk.
Central Oregon Informed Angler 