A couple of press articles recently came out claiming that salmon and steelhead returns in the Columbia Basin have held steady over the past 10 years.  Both stories acknowledge that returns are far lower than historical numbers but state they are an improvement from the 1990s.  The data is from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, a group that works with the Bonneville Power Administration to “ensure, with public participation, an affordable and reliable energy system while enhancing fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin.”  Of course, federal courts have ruled repeatedly that the BPA is not doing enough to recover wild fish and is primarily focused on the delivery of power.  

I hope you have been having a good steelhead season on the Lower Deschutes. I certainly have. Things might not be as good next year. NOAA Fisheries recently sent out a report that contains the heading “A Potentially Tough Year Coming for Pacific Salmon”. Last year, “wind-driven upwelling delivered cooler-than-average ocean temperatures, and higher-than-average biomass of lipid-rich copepods.” In other words, a rich food web. Unfortunately, NOAA states that they are seeing “mixed signals” about 2025.

The current issue of The Osprey has an excellent article that all wild fish supporters should read. While the title is unwieldy, “Reflections of American Conservation and Economic History in Relation to Wild Salmon and Steelhead”, the contents are well written and expansive hitting on many of the topics I like to cover. I’ll give a very brief summary, little more than a teaser, and encourage you to read it yourself. It begins on page 16. Of course, if you love wild salmonids you should subscribe to this free publication and make a donation to support it. As an aside, I really dislike the way the issue is displayed on their website, but you can download it as a PDF for much easier reading.

On October 30th a judge denied a request to order ODFW to continue to release summer steelhead into the North Umpqua river. This is a long saga that I’ll summarize below, but it appears that the ODFW Commission’s April 2022 decision to stop these hatchery releases may finally be implemented, at least until the next legal maneuver. Here’s a blog post from The Conservation Angler with the announcement. Keeping reading for some background.

Yesterday I returned from a 10 day fishing trip to Brazil and have a number of posts to catch up on. Here’s a start. While away, I was contacted by a reader asking my opinion on the Deschutes Soil & Water Conservation District’s ballot request to get additional taxpayer funding. In short, I think they do good work, and could support additional funding in the future with a few changes, but there are issues voters should be aware of. For more on this see below and two recent opinion columns in the Bend Bulletin from current DSWC board members. One argues against additional taxpayer funding, the other is in support.

Contrary to the disinformation that continues to seep out from the tin foil hat crowd, last week a federal report stated that the Lower Deschutes River below the Pelton Round Butte hydroelectric project has very high water quality. As stated in this news article,

“Warm Springs Tribes have been engaged in restoration efforts on the Deschutes River for decades, not only to ensure clean, safe drinking water for the Reservation but also to improve fishery health. The report’s findings are positive signs for both objectives, as the lack of PFAS points to clean drinking water, the absence of 6PPD-Quinone supports fish health, and the water’s low turbidity and high clarity also correlates with fish health.”

As I have been writing for years, the science clearly shows that the Lower Deschutes is in great shape.

The Deschutes River Conservancy recently announced a tour of a North Unit Irrigation District patron who practices “water wise farming”. Clearly, there are farmers who should be applauded for utilizing good irrigation practices and understanding how they do this is valuable. Unfortunately, according to the US Department of Agriculture, there are only 1,542 farms (those with typical revenues over $1,000) in Central Oregon. (No, that’s not a typo, you only need to make $1,000 to be considered a farmer.) At the same time, there are over 7,600 irrigation district patrons. These other irrigators are commonly called “hobby farmers” and they frequently use practices that could not be called “water wise farming”. It would be great if the DRC would talk about this as well. Below is a picture of a field close to where I live that uses flood irrigation, a water delivery method first used in Mesopotamia 5,000 years ago. Even wheel line sprinkler systems lose around 45% of the water that is sprayed into the air before it reaches the ground.

You can probably skip this post, but if you have time to kill while avoiding the heat, keep reading. As I recently wrote, I have joined the board of the Oregon Hatchery Research Center and attended my first meeting where one of the PhDs recommended this article, A commentary on the role of hatcheries and stocking programs in salmon conservation and adapting ourselves to less-than-wild futures, published May 31, 2024 in Fish and Fisheries. It was cause for contemplation and triggered a rant, below. If this is the sort of thing that we are going to discuss at OHRC meetings it will be an interesting board to serve on.

I fished East Lake two days ago with a friend and we experienced a really impressive callibaetis hatch in the morning. They were crawling over over us and the fish were eagerly rising. It was one of those fun but frustrating days as we had to perfectly match the hatch which kept changing. How many body colors and wing configurations does an angler need to have? Today my wife and I went back to kayak around the edge of the lake and we saw an incredible number of fish in shallow water including a really nice brown trout. It had to be close to 30″ and thick. We also took a close look at the tui chub nets that ODFW has deployed in the lake.

I was recently appointed to serve as one of two wild fish advocates on the board of the Oregon Hatchery Research Center, which you have probably never heard of. It’s a collaboration between ODFW and Oregon State University with a small budget, but doing some interesting research. I first became aware of the OHRC during my time on the board of ODFW’s Restoration & Enhancement program. Obviously, hatcheries, particularly those producing salmon and steelhead, are controversial but I think they have a role to play and with the current hatchery resiliency effort underway the timing of this appointment could be fortuitous.

At the urging of a collation of environmental groups, last year the Oregon legislature directed ODFW to review the state’s hatcheries and plans for the future. Hatcheries are a controversial topic with many opposed to current hatchery operations and many advocating for increases in production. That process is now kicking off and the public is invited to attend a meeting where the review plan will be discussed on June 27 from 10 am to 12 pm. Here’s a link to the press release with all the details.

The Source Weekly called me a few days ago to talk about my recent post, USDA: most local irrigators are not farmers. Yesterday they ran a decent story on the topic. There are things I would have included in the article, but I was impressed, especially given that the reporter had not previously covered water issues in Central Oregon. Frankly, it was refreshing to not feel compelled to write a criticism of local coverage like I do too often. I hope the reporter sticks around.

As a teenager my dream was to become a U.S. Senator. A few years of studying politics and philosophy as an undergraduate quickly dissuaded me from this ambition. For all of my adult life I have had little respect for politicians or political parties. Even at the local level it is rare to find candidates that deserve support. Even the ones who have called me and successfully wrangled a contribution after pledging to be a champion for water and environmental issues have failed to deliver. Needless to say, I am a deep skeptic. As Plato wrote over 2,000 years ago, the desire for office should disqualify you. Nevertheless, I am doing something extremely uncharacteristic and endorsing Phil Chang for Deschutes County Commissioner. I have lived in Central Oregon for 20 years and Phil is the only local politician who has educated themselves about local environmental issues, including water, and consistently advocated and voted accordingly.

As I posted last August, every five years the US Depart of Agriculture conducts a “Census of Agriculture“, which they claim is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches. “Even small plots of land – whether rural or urban – count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year. The Census of Agriculture, taken only once every five years, looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures.” Last week the 2022 census was released and it once again clearly shows that while there is some important local commercial agriculture, most Central Oregon irrigators are not farmers as defined by the USDA. Given the fact that approximately 86% of all local water is used by irrigators, understanding where water is going is important for all of us.

ODFW is the only state agency that actively solicits public input when developing its budget. That process for the 2025-2027 biennium is now underway. I have been attending these meetings for many years. They have been illuminating and frustrating. If you want to understand how ODFW works, I encourage you to watch the video of the first public budget meeting which occurred last week, review the listed materials, and perhaps submit written comments. The good news is that a perennially underfunded agency has seen its budget grow recently and they have been able to undertake some good projects. Of course, much more needs to be done with a potentially smaller future budget. Side bar: For years, I have been an ODFW volunteer in a variety of ways and think they could improve in many areas, but am saddened by how often I hear department criticism that is mostly uniformed. Watching this video is a great way to start to understand how they make decisions.

You probably saw a lot of press in December about the Biden administration making an agreement with the “six sovereigns” that creates “a path” toward removing the Lower Snake River dams and hopefully restoring anadromous fish populations which are near extirpation. Here’s an example. While widely framed as a major step forward, I am disappointed in the agreement. It does not contain a commitment to remove the dams, which is the fundamental requirement for restoring anadromous fish populations. It increases hatchery production of anadromous fish, further weakening the genetic integrity of wild stocks. That being said, American Rivers is hosting an interesting series on Zoom that discusses the agreement and acknowledges its shortcomings. The agreement may only represent “a sliver of opportunity”, but the negotiators believe it is the best that can be done now. The recording of the first talk is worth watching. I remain disappointed, but understand the desire to make some sort of progress.

I’ve stopped writing much about the Snake River dams as there are so many other good sources of information regarding them. Of course, science and the courts have been clear for decades that the dams will cause anadromous fish in the Snake River Basin to be extirpated and no longer provide any real economic benefit. Politicians, agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation, the uniformed, and those who profit from the dams simply ignore the truth. Today, the Bulletin ran a good column on the topic from local resident and aquatic ecologist Dr. Jerry Freilich. Last Friday the Association of NW Steelheaders sent out their February Newsletter with a great article on the topic that addresses the half truths and lies being said by so many. I’ve reproduced that article below, it’s worth a quick read.

Fresh steelhead for Christmas Eve dinner anyone? I spent the past 2 days on the Lower Deschutes. It was cold but I have warm clothes and only saw one other boat both days. What’s a little ice on your rod, reel, and line? Just put it all back in the water. It’s really nice to have the day stretch pretty much to yourself. The first day was productive for multiple hookups and species, the next day was subfreezing in the morning and very slow. That’s fishing. Some of you might notice that’s a 6wt single hand rod and a small trout fly in the steelhead’s mouth. After mastering them, I have mostly stopped using 2 hand rods. They really are overkill if you are an experienced angler and I like the thrill and challenge of using lighter gear. Over the past year I have landed many steelhead and even chinook on various rivers using my 6wt single hand rod. It’s more sporting and a great feeling of accomplishment. I hope you have good fishing in 2024!

I arranged a tour of the hatchery operations at Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery for Central Oregon Flyfishers earlier this week. In my 8 years on the ODFW Restoration & Enhancement board I toured many hatcheries and this tour was the most interesting. They were in the middle of “propagating” fish and I saw something new to me. Like many, I have mixed feelings about hatcheries. Clearly, intermixing wild and hatchery fish is a bad thing. On the other hand, if we want to fish lakes where trout do not naturally occur then they must be stocked with hatchery fish. I know I enjoy fishing those lakes.

As I detailed last August in “Who uses all the water?“, the majority of irrigators in Central Oregon are hobby farmers having less than $10,000 a year in revenue (not profit) and often losing money on operations. As I wrote in that post, “Real agriculture is important, but our local economy is diverse and primarily driven by people attracted to Central Oregon for the outdoor lifestyle.  Shouldn’t water use support our current economy and rules governing its use be forward looking?  Why should taxpayers provide massive support for hobbies?  Perhaps most important, we are facing a climate crisis and can no longer afford the waste.  It’s time for fundamental change.”

Last February Central Oregon LandWatch, the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance, and Central Oregon Community College surveyed Central Oregon Irrigation District patrons. The results of that survey were published on September 28. It’s a short and interesting article and I encourage you to read it. Earlier this month I asked COLW to see the raw data from the survey and was struck by the answers to two questions which reinforced my position.

ODFW issued a press release today announcing a $27.6M (!) “claim of recovery” against the Winchester Water Control District (WWCD) and their contractors, “one of the largest damages claims for illegal killing of wildlife that has been filed in the state”. I have no idea how this will wind its way through the courts, but based on what I have read, it’s an amount that will be next to impossible for WWCD to pay. Perhaps a settlement can be reached that includes dam removal. Keep your fingers crossed. Use the search bar above and enter Winchester Dam to learn more.

Almost 3 years ago, a coalition of groups filed suit to require repairs to the failing fish ladder on Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River. The Native Fish Society has been doing an excellent job posting about this topic and the pathetic and potentially illegal actions taken by the dam owners. You can learn much more about this on the NFS news page. I am far from an expert on this topic, but it does appear shocking how state agencies like ODFW are not taking action to safeguard wild anadromous fish on the North Umpqua. NFS is now asking people to speak up at the ODFW Commission meeting in Bend on September 15. Learn more here and sign their petition, but attending the meeting is far more powerful.

A benefit showing of the 50 minute film, “Dammed to Extinction“, will occur on September 14th, 7 pm, at the Sisters Movie House. “The Columbia River basin was once home to the world’s most productive chinook salmon runs. Now, they are blocked from reaching their home waters by dozens of dams along the Columbia, Snake, and other rivers in the watershed. Along the Pacific Northwest coast, pods of orcas have hunted chinook salmon. Yet wild chinook salmon here are increasingly scarce. The orcas are going hungry; their numbers dwindling along with their primary source of food. Extinction looms for both species. Following the film showing, we’ll be joined by Filmmaker Steven Hawley and other special guests to discuss the issues with the Lower Snake River dams and the hopes for a future of thriving salmon runs.”

It’s not always a popular position, but I am a big fan of using the legal system to advance environmental causes. The judiciary is one of the branches of government and if the legislative and executive branches won’t protect our environment then we need to use the legal system. This seems simple and obvious to me.

Advocates for the West does exactly this at no cost to environmental groups who need help. They have had amazing success. They will be in Bend at Worthy Brewing next Tuesday, August 22nd, from 5:30 to 7:30. I’ll be there to hear the latest from their attorneys on legal battles to protect public lands, water, fish, and wildlife in Oregon. And drink a free beer too!

This afternoon I bought a quarter of a cow raised a few miles from where I live. Of course, I asked about the seller’s operation. He has a few cows but does not make a profit, he hopes to break even at some point, but the cows are simply a hobby at this point. He has 17 acres of COID water rights, but some of it is for extremely rocky land. COID has told him he needs to water it all or lose some of his rights, so he is going to do it. He is on a lateral where he and his fellow patrons have their gates open all the time, constantly filling their ponds, and run their wheel lines pretty much nonstop. He has old, leaky wheel lines and can’t afford to fix them. Even the less rocky land where he has wheel lines is not good enough to raise hay, whatever grows is what the cows eat, and he supplements with hay he buys. To be clear, I have no problem with people pursuing their hobbies and look forward to eating this locally raised beef, but clearly this is problematic. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual story.