The Other Water

YOU'VE SEEN IT

Now Fish It

less pressure = better catching

DISTRIBUTARY CHANNEL ON NOTELLUM RIVER

-------

.. Scuttlebutt. tradition, local wisdom, expert opinion, and whispered tips combine to dictate fishing patterns on oceans, rivers, streams, and lakes.
..  Of course there are other places to fish but fishers tend to walk, run, or row right past them. Too small. Too dirty. Too tangled. Too far. There are many excuses but few reasons for avoiding the other water.
.. A pair of river features that are very often neglected, (even on the glory waters of Yellowstone National Park,) are the "SIDE CHANNEL," and "DISTRIBUTARY CHANNEL."

FULL OF FISH, LOTS OF COVER,

 FULL OF NUTRIENTS,
DEVOID OF FISHERS - YUM

.. Rivers, (should they be able to express themselves,) want to flow in a straight line.
.. Side channels and distributary channels are the manifest efforts of rivers and streams to maintain as straight of a course as possible.

.. Obstructions in  rivers thwart only the momentary conditions of a less linear course. Of course  fish enjoy the funnel effect of concentrated food in the narrow channel, especially with heavy bankside cover.

.. These are good places for catching. Notice that the side channels, (in the images above,) are geomorphically maintained and enhanced by the fallen trees.
.. The rivers will eventually, (without additional intervention,) erode the small island on the right, (in the top image,) and become as straight as the bedrock allows.
.. Given enough time these portions of the NOTELLUM RIVER in Yellowstone National Park will even straighten their course in the bedrock. Of course, we won't be around to see it.

.. Just a passing suggestion from those of us that seem unable to fish the same old holes on the same old rivers and lakes, in the same old ways - successful and conventional though they may be.
.. Yes, Nancy, the other water  does hold fish in abundance. It also holds fewer fishers as well.

-------

.. We're taking another brief respite from our catching to enjoy the "OLD TIN HATCH" in West Yellowstone, Montana. It could be 400 strong this year.

Orange Hooded, Rubber Footed, Detroiter, (dumped variety.)

We All Knew It

.
.

FONSI

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=30504

Just Plain Scary

CLICK FOR INFORMATION

HB 309 Poop

do it now or forever hold your tongue

-------

.. Despite the outcry from fisher folk this obnoxious bill is trundling along like an out of control steamroller. Opponents of the bill have noted that the response from the interested public is "satisfactory."
.. "SATISFACTORY" is not what is needed! Words like 'enormous' and 'overwhelming' would be more to our liking.
.. Send a letter now. Make a telephone call now. Send an email now. This insidious push to remove  access to the public-owned waters of Montana will continue if the response is only "satisfactory."
.. Below are listed some recent blog posts, news articles, and other information that will help you understand the issue. Also listed are a few key addresses for your use.

-------

==> Interview with Montana T.U. Conservation Director Mark Aegenes @ Chi Wulff.

==> Dirty Dozen threats to Montana's rivers and access still alive in the current legislative session @ Chi Wulff.

==> Ranchers Strike Back At Stream Access in The Flathead Beacon.

==> The debate in Helena: from KPAX.com.

==>Passage of the ditch bill from the Helena Independant Record.

==> Representative Welborn's rationale for sponsoring the bill and what the language "really" means. From his lips.

==> Post from The Shooting Head in Washington - good plan of action.

-------

.. Now that the senate has the bill we need to let the senators in Helena know our feelings. Provide them with the sane and rational reasons to defeat this bill. Here's a list:

.....

SD 01: Chas Vincent (R)
34 Paul Bunyan Lane
Libby, MT 59923

293-3839 / Cvvincent@hotmail.com

SD 02: Ryan Zinke (R)
409 West 2nd Street
 Whitefish, MT 59937

862-0823 / Ryanzinke@yahoo.com

SD 03: Bruce Tutvedt (R)
2335 West Valley Drive 
Kalispell, MT 59901

257-9732 / Tutvedt@montanasky.us

SD 04: Jon Sonju (R)
PO Box 2954
 Kalispell, MT 59903

270-7113 / Sonjumt@yahoo.com

SD 05: Verdell Jackson (R)
555 Wagner Ln
 Kalispell, MT 59901

756-8344 / vjack@centurytel.net

SD 06: Carmine Mowbray (R)
PO Box 1202 
Polson, MT 59860

883-4677 / clarity@cyberport.net

SD 07: Greg Hinkle (R)
5 Gable Road
 Thompson Falls, MT 59873

827-4645 / ccwhi@blackfoot.net

SD 08: Shannon Augare (D)
PO Box 2031
 Browning, MT 59417

450-0020 / Shannonjaugare@aol.com

SD 09: Rick Ripley (R)
8920 Highway 200
 Wolf Creek, MT 59648

Ripleys@3rivers.net

SD 10: Bradley Hamlett (D)
PO Box 49 
Cascade, MT 59421

264-5885 / Wranglergallery@hotmail.com

SD 11: Anders Blewett (D)
PO Box 2807
 Great Falls, MT 59403

231-8618 / Anders.blewett@gmail.com

SD 12: Mitch Tropila (D)
PO Box 929 
Great Falls, MT 59403

899-3474 / tropila@mt.net

SD 13: Edward Buttrey (R)
27 Granite Hill Lane
 Great Falls, MT 59405

250-5103 / ebuttrey@cteq.com

SD 14: Llew Jones (R)
1102 4th Avenue South West
 Conrad, MT 59425

271-3104 / Lcjones@3rivers.net

SD 15: Jim Peterson (R)
1250 Buffalo Canyon Road
 Buffalo, MT 59418

374-2277 / jpranch@ttc-cmc.net

SD 16: Jonathan Windy Boy (D)
Box 269
 Box Elder, MT 59521

395-4718 / Windyboy_j@yahoo.com

SD 17: Rowlie Hutton (R)
2 Lila Drive
 Havre, MT 59501

hutton4senate@yahoo.com

SD 18: John Brenden (R)
PO Box 970
 Scobey, MT 59263

783-5394 / senatorbrenden@gmail.com

SD 19: Donald Steinbeisser (R)
11918 County Road 348 
Sidney, MT 59270

433-2187 / Donstein@midrivers.com

SD 20: Frederick Moore (R)
487 Signal Butte Road
 Miles City, MT 59301

234-3562 / elmoore@midrivers.com

SD 21: Sharon Peregoy (D)
PO Box 211 
Crow Agency, MT 59022

639-2198 / apsaalookewoman@yahoo.com

SD 22: Taylor Brown (R)
775 Squaw Creek Road
 Huntley, MT 59037

348-2070 / Taylor@northernbroadcasting.com

SD 23: Alan Olson (R)
18 Halfbreed Creek Rd 
Roundup, MT 59072

323-3341 / Ajolson@midrivers.com

SD 24: Kim Gillan (D)
750 Judicial Avenue
 Billings, MT 59105

248-6063 / Glonky@aol.com

SD 25: Kendall Van Dyk (D)
PO Box 441 
Billings, MT 59103

690-1728 / Kendallvandyk@gmail.com

SD 26: Lynda Moss (D)
552 Highland Park Drive 
Billings, MT
59102
252-7318 / Lyndamoss@imt.net

SD 27: Gary Branae (D)
415 Yellowstone Avenue 
Billings, MT 59101

245-2127 / Garybranae@gmail.com

SD 28: Jeff Essmann (R)
2101 Grand Ave #5 
Billings, MT 59108

259-8404 / Jeff@jeffessmann.com

SD 29: Edward Walker (R)
4221 Rimrock Road 
Billings, MT 59106

697-6967 / ewalker@edwalker2010.com

SD 30: Jason Priest (R)
PO Box 743
 Red Lodge, MT 59068

425-0674 / jason@priest2010.com

SD 31: Ron Arthun (R)
285 Shields River Road
 Wilsall, MT 59086

578-2340 / ronarthun@gmail.com

SD 32: Larry Jent (D)
506 East Babcock 
Bozeman, MT 59715

587-1210 / larry@imt.net

SD 33: Bob Hawks (D)
703 West Koch Street
 Bozeman, MT 59715

587-1403 / R_hawks@imt.net

SD 34: Joe Balyeat (R)
6909 Rising Eagle Road 
Bozeman, MT 59715

539-5547 / Joebalyeat@yahoo.com

SD 35: Art Wittich (R)
3116 Sourdough Road
 Bozeman, MT 59715

585-7418 / art@wittich4senate.com

SD 36: Debby Barrett (R)
18580 Highway 324 
Dillon, MT 59725

681-3177 / Grt3177@smtel.com

SD 37: Steven Gallus (D)
2319 Harvard Avenue 
Butte, MT 59701

494-3914 / Steve.gallus@gmail.com

SD 38: Jim Keane (D)
2131 Wall Street
 Butte, MT 59701

723-8378

SD 39: Terry Murphy (R)
893 Boulder Cut Off Road
 Cardwell, MT 59721

285-6937 / murphter5@yahoo.com

SD 40: Mary Caferro (D)
PO Box 1036 
Helena, MT 59624

443-4066 / Marycaferro@gmail.com

SD 41: Christine Kaufmann (D)
PO Box 1566
 Helena, MT 59624

439-0256 / Kaufmann@mt.net

SD 42: Dave Lewis (R)
5871 Collins Rd
 Helena, MT 59602

458-5511 / Davelewisd@aol.com

SD 43: Gene Vuckovich (D)
1205 West Third Street
 Anaconda, MT 59711

563-2313 / genev@q.com

SD 44: Bob Lake (R)
PO Box 2096 
Hamilton, MT 59840

363-4091 / Lakemill@montana.com

SD 45: Jim Shockley (R)
PO Box 608
Victor, MT 59875

642-6647

SD 46: Carol Williams (D)
3533 Lincoln Hills Point
 Missoula, MT 59802

728-8735 / Cwilliams@montanadsl.net

SD 47: Ron Erickson (D)
3250 Pattee Canyon Road
 Missoula, MT 59803

549-4671 / Nancron@aol.com

SD 48: Tom Facey (D)
418 Plymouth
 Missoula, MT 59801

728-6814 / facey_tom@hotmail.com

SD 49: Dave Wanzenried (D)
903 Sky Dr
 Missoula, MT 59804

543-2775 / daveew@gmail.com

SD 50: Cliff Larsen (D)
8925 LaValle Creek Road
 Missoula, MT 59808

728-1601 / Cliff@larsenusa.com

.............

.. If you need inspiration for a letter or email check out the one written by Wayne Mumford over at WILL FISH FOR WORK.

..........

.. Fishing and catching ends on the wade section of the Madison River today, (February 28, 2011.) It's time to let the fish cavort and indulge in sexual shenanigans. Only the section between the lakes is now open. With the return of a few sunny & warm, (20's,) days the midges should return with a vengeance. We'll let you know.

-------

.

Short Time Coming

KISS YOUR FELT GOODBYE

And Your Ass Too ?

will you sterilize your rubbers ?

-------

.. Briefly: Montana introduces legislation to ban felt soled waders. Check out the posts at The Trout Underground and comments at The Headhunter. Read carefully the comment by Earl James. We're not home free yet!

.. The tons of soil and supposed included micro organisms moved around by wading fishers is documented in a masters thesis from MSU, (LINK.)
.. The proposed amended Montana Legislation is HERE. And, just like the U.S. Congress exempts itself from many of the laws it makes, Montana exempts it's employees and emergency personnel from the ban. Is there a message here?
.. We're sure that this is not a cure all; and, further believe that the wader manufacturers still need to go a long way into providing better gripping rubber, (or whatever,) soles.
.. We predict that sales of the wading staff will skyrocket in the near future.
.. We also predict that there will now be less cleaning of wading gear, (including the newly-sold wading staffs,) than prior to the legislation
.. How about some legislation mandating the cleaning of wading gear? See how far that boat floats!

-------

.

Short Fuse, Comments Needed

20 YEAR EFFORT

Comment Now

no whiners

-------

.. The NATIVE FISH CONSERVATION PLAN is designed as a major effort to respond to the diminished stocks of native fish in Yellowstone National Park.
.. The Environmental Assessment is now open for public comment.

.. Mark your calendars; only two public meetings are scheduled:

* Bozeman, Montana: January 5th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Comfort Inn, 1 370 North 7th Avenue
* Cody, Wyoming: January 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Holiday Inn, 1701 Sheridan Avenue.

.. Written comments may be submitted through the project web site, in person, by mail, or at either of the scheduled public meetings. Comments will not be accepted by phone, fax, or e-mail. All public comments must be received or postmarked by midnight, January 31, 2011.
..  Here are the important Links:
==> Project Home Page,
==> Project Plan Process,
==> Meeting Notices,
==> Project Links,
==> Document List,
==> Comment Form.

-------

.. The scoping meeting in West Yellowstone last April was poorly attended. No feather merchants were present, one local guide was present, and a handful of concerned fishers attended.
.. Input by these few interested parties helped shape the current document that is now open for review.
.. The EA addresses Lake Trout in Yellowstone Lake, other invasive species throughout the rivers in the park, the effects of climate change on native species, and disease.
.. Conservation efforts addressed include: increased gill netting in Yellowstone Lake, establishing barriers and weirs, removing non native species, restoring native populations, and a host of other actions including poisoning fish populations.
.. The key concept is conservation. The actions taken to implement this can be extensive, varied, and vast.
.. It's important that input at this time be concise, reasoned and rational. It will help steer the project and will certainly affect the fishscape of the future.
.. Please understand that, at base, this addresses the question of "What Is The Purpose Of Yellowstone National Park." Several guides have remarked that it does no good to replace one trout with another. They are just concerned with catching any fish.

.. Many guides and fishers of the park will be voicing opinions that catching fish, (the more - the better,) is what the park should provide.
.. There are others that feel it's important to remove all invasive species such as Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Brook Trout to foster the recovery of native Cutthroat Trout & Grayling(?).
.. Many feather merchants feel that the role of Yellowstone National Park is to provide fishing opportunities for recreational fishing, (and an economic base for their enterprise.)
.. Some conservationists believe that the only way to enable preservation of native fish is to "restore" the park to "natural" conditions, including removal all planted stocks of fish, (which is a large segment of the current fishable populations.)
.. Definition of terms and concepts will be argued and explored at the public meetings and in the submitted comments. Many oxen could be gored by this project.

.. The subtext of comments will be interesting to observe, as will the rationale behind the proposed actions in those comments.
.. Some fishers of Yellowstone have opined that since Brown Trout have been in the rivers for over 100 years that they are "native."
.. Does that make Lake Trout native if they survive another 70 years?
.. In another 100 years what will the descendants of those fishers say about Rock Snot, New Zealand Mud Snails, and other yet unforeseen invasive species?

.. As the waters warm will we see Yellowstone become a trophy fishery for Carp and Chubs and Largemouth Bass?
.. What will happen if some fool decides to dump Northern Pike or Muskellunge or Lake Trout in Hebgen Reservoir, right at Yellowstone's door?
.. Your input is necessary for the decision making process. We're talking about the future and how history will view the legacy that we leave.
.. Make no mistake about it, this is a significant project. It will last for 20 years, (1/5 of the next 100 years.) It will significantly affect the definition of Yellowstone National Park and it's role in species conservation and recovery.
.. It will also determine who fishes where and for what in the park. It is an historic effort that demands you input and your concern for how Yellowstone is defined: a fun and profitable fishery for visitors seeking "non-native," invasive trout or a refuge for indigenous species - or both.

-------

.

Very Important Download

NATIVE FISH CONSERVATION

EA Available

3-part PDF

-------

.. In Rapid fashion Yellowstone National Park and the National Park Service have completed the Environmental Assessment for the Native Fish Conservation Plan.
.. We just received notification and downloaded the files. We'll study them and let you know our thoughts.

GET THE EA & APPENDICES HERE.

-------

.

A Pair Of Sweethearts

NOT FOR HEADHUNTERS

Avoided By Braggarts

browliners don't even pause
your 2-wt. is too heavy !

beautiful rare fish

(click on all images for high resolution views)
-------

.. It's not that we're secretive. It's not that we're selfish. It's not that we enjoy wildflowers, vast meadows, or wildlife to the exclusion of fishing. It's just that some places are so near and dear that they must be discovered to be appreciated.
.. There are a pair of streams, (trickles really,) about an hour or so from home that we visit a couple of times a year.
.. The are in the high country. They are spring fed. They parallel each other and, at one point, are less than 200 yards apart, and oh so different - one from the other.

-------

.. One of them is in the open for most of it's length, (not quite 2 miles.) It runs in the sun with only an occasional tree or bush on it's banks.
.. Tall grass is the cover for shade. The banks are hardly undercut at all, and the shade is as important as a bowling ball sized boulder.
.. The other is shrouded in mystery. Thick brush overhangs the banks. Trees and their roots contort the stream into surprising convolutions as it wends it's way through an incised bed.
.. Deep, (up to two feet,) holes are always productive - if you can get to them. Ants and other bugs rain on us as we sneak through the growth. The fish are there, and hungry, and willing.
.. Neither is a fertile stream. Neither is full of bugs. Neither is inviting to the fisher folk of today. They are intimate, quiet, clear, cold, and pristine. The fish are uneducated, diminutive, and spooky as can be.
.. The feather merchants don't know their names. The guides never heard of them. Some neighbors think they are devoid of fish. Fishers drive past them and never even know they are there.
.. There is wildlife everywhere: not the moose or elk or bear, or deer, (though they are here,) but ducklings, meadowlarks, ground squirrels, shrews, voles, flies, moths, ants, beetles, and such.
.. The birds have the usual high altitude habit of fluttering from bush to bush and hide to hide.
.. It's comical and occasionally surprising, (like a covey of huns bursting through your legs as you scan the horizon.)

-------

.. We stalk the stream banks with a hand line, (5 feet of 5x tied to a golf tee - the fly is a bit of thread wrapped around a size 20 or 22 hook.) On the open creek, we crawl on our belly in the wet ooze of a perched water table. If nothing else it keeps us cool.
.. We turn over the cobbles at the edge of the water. Granite and quartzite, are predominant here; not the volcanic's of Yellowstone.
.. These mountains were here long before Yellowstone. They were here before the enormous eruptions of the super-volcano. The fish have endured glaciation, vulcanism, earthquakes, fire, drought, and other forces of nature: tough little scamps they are.
.. The food is sparse and very small. We recognize some of the fodder; most we don't. The green ones are easy. The stillborn neotenous forms are difficult!
.. We sometimes are so good at this creeping and crawling that we can tickle a fish in the belly. Most of the time a squadron of small fish zings ahead of the small silt plume that we cause. They are fast little devils: dark, glinting shadows in the water so clear it seems to disappear.
.. We fish for them downstream with a calculated drift. Little swirls, eddies, cobble pillows and other currents must be taken into account.
.. We place the fly in the water by hand. It takes some stealth and time. A long drift is three feet. We scare a lot of fish. There are a lot to scare. Monsters run to 6 or 7 inches. They leap and splash and we net them and turn them loose.
.. There have been occasions when we just look & watch. Little fish, with colors and patterns to cause a bit of wonder. They are so bright out of the water. They disappear in the water. It's tough to see these little jewels. It's really a shame to catch them. We limit ourselves to two per creek per visit.
.. These are wild, indigenous trout. Westslope Cutthroat of the purest sort. A handful of biologists know that they exist. Some of the neighbors have visited them. No one goes to these creeks to fish, (save a couple of us crazies.)
.. It's as much about the place as the fish. Untrampled meadows, wildflowers, green's that defy description, and solitude are the attractions. There is a road nearby. It even has a forest service number.

-------

.. We don't know if what we do is fly fishing. There's no vest, no fly rod, no fly reel, no waders, no fly boxes, no forceps, no accouterments from major catalog companies, and certainly no question of keeping the fish.
.. There is no false casting. Neither is there a chance to mend the fly line. Hell, there is no fly line. We use a large net designed for home aquariums - does this qualify?
.. What ever it is we are doing it gets us out of a crowded tourist town. It lets us breath air thin, cold, and pure. It gives us the opportunity to visit with descendants of ten thousand or more generations of successful adaptation to a very harsh, pristine and beautiful part of the world. That's plenty good enough.

-------

Neighbors Marking Calendars

NATIVE FISH
CONSERVATION PLAN

NPS To Tackle Problems

some rivers exempted

-------

.. Via National Parks Traveler / NPS: Public meetings for input into scoping for the conservation plan have been announced.

--> Bozeman, Montana: April 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Comfort Inn, 1370 North 7th Avenue.
--> Cody, Wyoming: April 13, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 1701 Sheridan Avenue.
--> Jackson, Wyoming: April 14, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Snow King Resort, 400 E. Snow King Avenue.
--> West Yellowstone, Montana: April 15, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 315 Yellowstone Avenue.

.. The Madison River and the Firehole River will be exempt from the plan. This is understandable since these two rivers are beloved by feather merchants and fly fishers alike for their large populations of invasive species.
.. After the public meetings the park staff will work on the Draft EA during the coming summer. You can find details in the brief scoping brochure HERE.
.. The initial scoping document can be found HERE, (PDF.) Public comments will not be accepted by email or FAX.
.. To see how it was, click HERE. To see how the park got so full of invasive species there is an excellent online note by John Byorth (HERE.)

-------

.

Gold Fever *

JUST THE THOUGHT HURTS

We've Been Snookered

go anyway ?

-------

.. Via Moldy Chum, we learn of a sneak attack on the Chetco River.
.. Last November we ventured that way to dance with some fins in the CALGON corner of the world.
.. Catching was spectacular, access varied from easy to suicidal. The fish were strong, willing and beautiful.
.. Places like the South Fork of the Smith River and the remote sections of the Chetco River, and even the less accessible parts of the Coquille River rival the Yellowstone backcountry for wild fish and wilderness.

---

AND NOW THIS

.. An old mining claim combined with a clever developer in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness of southern Oregon, has resulted in the bringing in of helicopters, gas-powered dredges and paying customers to a remote location on the Chetco River. We fear for the fry.
.. Read the blood - Guts - & - Gore --> HERE.

-------
*an abnormal condition of the body, characterized by undue rise in temperature, quickening of the pulse, and disturbance of various body functions.

Before You Know It

FINAL CALL FOR PAPERS

Wild Trout Symposium

in beautiful west yellowstone, montana

-------

.. Believe it or don't: just six months until WILD TROUT X arrives in West Yellowstone, Montana. It will be here before you know it. The final call for papers and posters was announced today. There are just 15 days to get your submission in.
.. You can find The details at WILD TROUT X. The symposium is to be held at the Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone, on September 28 - 30, 2010.

---

MONEY QUOTE:

Wild Trout X will offer a unique forum for professionals and trout anglers to interact, to get to know each other in an informal setting, and to be exposed to the latest wild trout science, technology and philosophy. These conferences equip participants to better manage, preserve, and restore these magnificent but declining resources. They focus on the needs of working-level wild trout professionals, conservationists, and trout anglers.

---

.

WANTED: Fishless Lakes

NO FISH = MORE OF

EVERYTHING ELSE

Yellowstone Missed The Boat Once

will they miss it again ?

.. A note at HDW-Mobile caught our attention. We looked at the article in the New York Times. It piqued our interest.
.. The state of Maine has over 6,000 lakes. Only about 107 of them were historically fishless. Now, about 50% of the previously fishless lakes contain fish. Of course the dedicated and rabid fishers amongst us rejoice at facts like this.
.. It has been estimated that at one time more than 70% of Yellowstone's waters were fishless. However, as we've mentioned before, the 19th and early 20th century mentality could not abide a statistic such as that. Our desire to fish demanded that we stock, stock, and stock some more.
.. Researchers in Maine have discovered an interesting phenomena that exists in fishless lakes. The assemblage of critters in fishless lakes is completely different than in lakes with fish.
.. Fishless lakes are "hubs of biodiversity," according to biologists. The variety and abundance of species far outstrips that in lakes with piscine predators.
.. California and Washington have taken note of the fact that not only are amphibians such as frogs toads, and salamanders present in greater abundance and diversity in fishless lakes, (#1, #2,) but that the general health of the lakes suffer when non-native fish are introduced.
.. Recently we have been alerted to the double threat facing Yellowstone Salamanders. A change in the climate and the expanded populations of invasive fish. The Crystal Salamander and the Tiger Salamander are both affected.
.. Yellowstone National Park is often touted as a natural wilderness. It is often touted as an intact ecosystem. Neither is true - particularly from an aquatic standpoint.
.. The Bambi-ecologists love the large and cuddly and tend to ignore the complexities of the ecosystem. "If it's furry it's fine, if it's finny it's useless."
.. Wolves and bison have friends that have rearranged management priorities. Salamanders, however, have fewer friends than do the invasive trout of Yellowstone.
.. Feather merchants and rabid fly fishers have also rearranged management priorities. Whereas the friends of the bison and wolf have concentrated their efforts on what should have been or what can be; the rabid fly fishers have concentrated their efforts on protecting invasive species for their own selfish sport.
.. It's time to reexamine the management priorities of the aquatic landscape in Yellowstone National Park.
.. Currently, fishless lakes are probably not in danger of receiving "officially planted" fish stocks. But it's time to seriously address the rivers.
.. We have seen the damage done to the native Cutthroat Trout population in Yellowstone Lake by the introduced Lake Trout. What we haven't admitted is the damage done to the Firehole River, Slough Creek, the Gibbon River, or Grebe Lake.
.. The balanced dynamic ecology of the evolutionary history in lakes and rivers visa viz their inhabitants, be it 10,000 years or 10,000,000 years, is easily and quickly modified by the introduction of invasive species. We have demonstrated that.
.. Brown Trout & Brook Trout & Rainbow Trout, (in most waters,) in Yellowstone are invasive species. It's time that the public servants that manage Yellowstone acknowledge it. It's time that they treat them in the same way that they treat Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa).
.. As much as we would miss the eager Brook Trout and the reclusive Adfluvial Grayling of the upper Gibbon River, we would feel better about the park if they were eradicated.
.. You will not find any mention of the damage done to Yellowstone rivers and lakes in respect to the invasive fish - other than Lake Trout - in the park literature. Managers have accepted these interlopers as a fact of the "new ecology."
.. As pointed out by the New York Times article: fishless lakes and waterways could serve as refuges for species during the impending and present swing in the climatic regime.
.. It's way past time for the managers of Yellowstone's waters to decide just what it is that they are protecting - and how.
.. Are they protecting the feather merchants and rabid fly fishers along with their invasive trout? Or, are they protecting a National Park that is touted as an intact ecosystem - but isn't?
.. Many decried the reintroduction of wolves as impractical. Many believe that the battle against invasive weeds shouldn't be continued. Many cry foul when the restoration of rivers is mentioned. We hope that the managers of Yellowstone are not among them - fly fishers though they be!

-------

RESOURCES

--> National Parks Conservation Association: Invasive species in National Parks. Does not address invasive trout in Yellowstone.
--> Wang Fang Database: Invasive trout impacts in the Frank Church Wilderness.
--> SpringerLink Database: Invasive trout impacts on distribution of amphibians in the Frank Church Wilderness.
--> USGS Data Sheet: Impacts of introduced trout on mountain lakes and ponds.
--> Conservationevidence.com: The recovery of amphibians after the removal of invasive trout species in California.
--> Conservation Biology: An evaluation of restoration efforts in fishless lakes stocked with exotic trout.
--> USGS Data Sheet: Ecological Impact of Introduced Trout on Native Aquatic Communities in Mountain Lakes.
--> International Journal of Wilderness: A Study of High Mountain Lake Fish Stocking in the U.S. Sierra Nevada Wilderness.

--> NewsReview.com: UC Davis predicts a fishless future for California Waters.
--> Yellowstone Science: Biodiversity and the "Crystal" Salamanders of Yellowstone.
--> Science Daily: Global Warming Is Killing Frogs And Salamanders In Yellowstone Park, Researchers Say.
--> National Park Traveler: Creature Feature: Yellowstone National Park, Home to Wolves, Grizzlies, Elk, Moose, and ... Crystal Salamanders.

-------

.. Well it's time for a mid morning snack. We'll clean out the fridge before the neighbors with badges get here.
.. The starters should include smoked Cutthroat fins with salamander roe dip, and sauteed salamander tail with Firehole mushrooms.
.. Stuffed spotted owl with sage gravy will be the main course. A sandwich of tomato and fresh Yellowstone dandelion greens will be thinly sliced and dipped in the broth of bald eagle feet and beaks, followed by fricassee of swan.
.. Dessert will most probably consist of candied wolf liver and jellied moose nose - both favorites of us rabid fishers.
.. We should probably follow the meal with a digestive aid such as a bit of toad-mint pudding and an El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme cigar. Of course it will be accompanied by a light Bacardi cocktail swirled with Brookie milt and decorated with chum salmon eyes on a toothpick, (imported from California.)