Slowing Down

 THE BIG WATER

THIS AFFECTS US ALL

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WALLPAPER: CHEDDAR CHEESE OMELETTE & BACON

From The TCRP

 CARE ABOUT SALMON ?

Want Possible Solutions ?

noteworthy posts

SAY GOODBYE  ??

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COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN

 .. A bold and innovative plan to address the dwindling Pacific Salmon resources is put forth. This is a deep read from the TCRP and United States Congressman Mike Simpson from Idaho.

.. The proposed plan has money, insight, stakeholders, and vision. It is only a proposal but it aims to be comprehensive.

.. There is too much to detail here. It ranges from dam removal through alternative energy sources to agricultural and recreational realignments.

The THEODOR ROOSEVELT CONSERVATION TRUST alerted us to the plan. This is a plan for a solution. It is NOT A SOLUTION per se.

Over three years of time and with more than 3oo meetings held this is a broad initiative to attack the problem of the extinction bound salmon of the Columbia River Basin. There are a myriad of problems and probably several possible solutions. Below the video there are resource links for your exploration and edification.

..

RESOURCES

>>  TCRP ANNOUNCEMENT

>>  MIKE SIMPSON WEBSITE

>>  NORTHWEST IN TRANSITION - SALMON

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WALLPAPER:  BACON AND EGGS (& SPUDS)

Special Interests

THAT'S US

That's You

madison river spotlight

WALLPAPER:  ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE

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.. The common phrase "follow the science" is insidious in it's pretense that science is somehow a magic arbitrator of decision making.

COINCIDENT INTERESTS

.. Science is as political as any other human endeavor. Is medicine political? Ask the AMA! Are refereed scientific papers political? Ask the referees! Is particle physics political? Ask Einstein! (oops - Franklin D. Roosevelt.)
.. Special interests of all stripes influence the human existence at all levels. From the personal level, family level, neighborhood level, town level, state level, national level, and international level - all are influenced by competing interests.

SOCIAL FISHING

.. Special interests need not be organized into formal groups of people. In all the the world the success of special interests is directly proportional to the political power and money of the interest. Deny it if you choose but it's how we do things.
.. Politics can be based on personal or,  religious or,  magical or,  transcendental or,  artistic or,  any other internalized human belief system. Alliances with other like minded individuals for political parties: Democrat, Republican, Baptist, Islamist, Dental, Medical, etc. are associations of interests that can and do form political groups.

SOLITARY  FISHING

.. Right now there is a political morality play dancing before our eyes. The concerns, (real or imagined,) about the use of the Madison River are being litigated politically in the press, the state house, the DFWP, and pubs in our neighborhood. Special interest groups, (including the supposed professionals of fish,) are jostling each other for priority positions in rule making about river usage.
.. So far the political clamor has centered around fish and fishing issues. Groups of fishers, guides, outfitters, and such have become amalgamated and disbanded for personal, cultural, social, economic and even religious parameters.

YAK-YAKERS

.. The 'United Kayak Paddlers' have not been heard from - yet! Nor indeed, have the beaver lovers, alfalfa irrigators, tube bobbers, bathers, been heard from in any organized fashion. Probably not enough religiosity or money.
.. We will continue to watch the hi-jinx as the most interested political group, (the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks.) tries to herd the cats into the corral.
.. Our state has agencies and departments that could realistically address the supposed concerns of the interests involved in this business, (LINK.)

MADISON DOG DAY

.. Some of these could probably do a better job than the politically motivated localized one that is trying to tame the current cage of lions. We would suggest the following would do a better job and allow the FWP to be a competing voice rather than a politically vested special interest:
>  Department of Natural Resources and Conservation,
>  Department of Environmental Quality,
>  Department of Labor and Industry.
.. It's time for the locally owned FWP personnel be removed from their pseudo-role of arbitrator. It's time for them to get in line with the other special interests and submit to a more politically sane process to deal with Madison River public usage.

FAMILY FISHING

.. There are more stakeholders in this matter than just a few hundred guides and outfitters. There are more stakeholders than the few thousand local fisher folks. There are more stakeholders than the land owners along this publicly owned water resource. There are more stakeholders than the boaters and tubers. There are more stakeholders than the many thousands of tourists that use the river.
.. The most important stakeholders  in the Madison River are the residents of the State of Montana. These are the folks that pay taxes for the state agencies. These are the folks that matter most. These are our neighbors and they treasure this and all of our waters. These are the people that own the water. It's the law. It is written into the constitution. It's use does not belong to a single interest group - no matter how well organized or, well funded.
.. The Madison River is a Montana treasure. This is the "Treasure State" and the treasure of the Madison River is in its multiple uses and, it's attractive setting: no matter what the fisher folk believe. There may even be room for some science  -- as well as sociology, conservation, visitation,etc.

ON RIVER INSTRUCTION

.. Although the manifestations of competing usage are delivered locally, the real problems are impacting all of the treasures of our state. Our state has the opportunity to address the current situation with a view to the future. The population of Montana is growing. The visitation of folks from around the world is constantly increasing.
.. Broad principles of inclusive use need to be applied. Neither private nor state agency interests should be given priority in the decisions or rule making. It's time for the Governors office and the State Legislature to step in and provide the leadership necessary. All of our state treasures deserve no less.
.. We suggest that the situation be evaluated in the broadest of terms. We take this opportunity to thank MOLDY CHUM, (LINK,) for highlighting an article in the Missoulian, (LINK.)

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WALLPAPER:   BUTTER/GARLIC SHRIMP ON PAPRIKA BROWN RICE

.

Greta

..

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The Other News

LABOR DAY NEWS

Expand Logging

salmon love tongass

MORE LOGGING, MINING, DRILLING ??

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.. Since last July a bit of news seems to be flying under the radar. It's a simple story. USDA has been ordered to expand logging and open the Tongass National Forest to mining and, drilling for oil and gas.
.. Earth Justice has continued to champion the "Roadless Solution" eliminated by the ninth circuit court in the Bush administration. The roadless solution keeps logging out of areas with no roads.
.. Now, expansion of roads and more logging are proposed by the current administration in order to increase the logging of old growth forest.

.. There should be no need to point out the damage to streams that is done by road erosion. There should be no need to point out the effects of removing carbon sponges from the world's largest temperate rain forest (it's in Alaska folks.) We know these things.
.. We did not know that:

"From 2008 through 2013, the Forest Service spent $139.1 million for timber sales in the Tongass that brought returns of only $8.6 million. In short, taxpayers are losing 93 cents for every dollar spent selling ancient Tongass trees." {{LINK}}

.. It is estimated that 40% of he wild salmon left in Alaska use the headwaters of streams in the Tongass National Forest. These are streams in roadless areas in the forest. There are about twenty wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest.
.. The current administration is actively working to exempt all of the forest from protections currently in place. We thank MOLDY CHUM for pointing out this other news[LINK.]

RESOURCES

Earth Justice - 1
Earth Justice - 2 
127 Lawsuits for environmental salvation
USDA Description

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.. So, this Labor Day weekend promises to be the warmest in recent memory. Temperatures in the mid to upper 80's are going to bring additional hoards of visitors to Yellowstone National Park.

THE FUZZY JOHN

.. Fish will be in the dark and shady waters of our west side streams.
.. We suggest that you avoid the park for fishing and catching: have a picnic, hike a little, visit geysers, eat ice cream.
.. Should you choose to indulge in the practice of torturing trout in a heat wave please keep them wet LIKE THIS, and THIS.

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WALLPAPER:  HAVE SOME ICE CREAM

Fire Fighter

The Beyond

BEYOND FISHING

Beyond Fly Fishing

beyond 'right' or 'left'

WATCH ME NOT

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WATCH ME NOW

.. We're pleased to note that MoldyChum is keeping us informed about how to avoid being investigated for questionable acts while serving some of the American People, [LINK.]
.. We would suggest that there is much more to this story than meets the eye, (or ear.) Check out the threats to the people's property, (it is ours - you know!)
-> https://www.outsideonline.com/2281851/trumps-budget-will-destroy-national-parks
-> https://www.outsideonline.com/2266216/man-flies-his-own-flag

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BLOND FEATHER DUSTER

.. The West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park will close soon and with it the end to legal fishing in the park.
.. Today might be a good day to visit the Firehole River and avoid the elbows at the conga lines where there might be runners.
.. Think we'll try it.

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WALLPAPER:  ORANGE RHUBARB RAISIN LOAF

Palm Trees, Figs and Dates ?

MARCH OF TIME

Longer Summers ?

some shorter winters ?

WINTER PARADISE ON YELLOWSTONE LAKE - nps photo

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.. Of course we've noticed that the snows come later and leave earlier.
.. Certainly we've seen the entrances to Yellowstone National Park change their seasonal opening and closing schedule.

OUR CHERRY BLOSSOMS

.. We've not been foolish enough to confuse weather with climate. We've enjoyed the increased growing season and the increased yields of our postage stamp garden.
.. We even have cherries and plums for pies. This coming Spring a couple of apple trees will go into the ground.
.. These are the only fruit trees in town. Some folks refuse to see the coming changes.
.. We are not afraid to accept the fact of a climate change toward the warm side.
.. For more than the last quarter century our little village has grudgingly come to accept the economic cycle that has reduced winter commerce and increased summer commerce.
.. We just came across an interesting note in the WyoFile. Good fodder for the popular mind. They have discovered that the winters in Yellowstone National Park are getting shorter: yawn.
.. In broad strokes the article hints at the changes in future environmental scenarios within Yellowstone National Park. Might be worth a read if you are so inclined.

OUR CHERRIES - TWO YEARS ON

.. We note, from this article, that there is an effort by the NPS to stockpile seeds from the current vegetation species.
.. The NPS has expressed a worry that "invasive" species, (like cheatgrass,) will gain a foothold.
.. My, my, my! Terms like 'native species' and 'invasive species' fail to recognize the time-transgressive nature of landscapes and biological communities.
.. The native species alive in one place today are the invasive species in another place tomorrow as the parameters of the environment change through time.
.. No Melania, they don't march down the road to invade their neighbors pasture. They do, however, move inch by inch and foot by foot toward environmental situations that are more conducive to their survival and reproduction.
.. With their supreme dedication to saving today's environmental expressions the NPS will, in 100 years, have failed to accept the inevitable changes that occur.
.. They will, on the other hand, have the opportunity to take their sack of seeds to a place where they will grow - provided that they can find the soil, bedrock, erosion cycles, climate and, other factors to suit the plants.
.. Maybe they will move a few voles and some Richardson's Ground Squirrels too. Bison? Rattlesnakes? Cutthroat Trout? At what time depth and what place are they going to preserve?
.. For those, in this world, that can plan past the third quarter and, enjoy a perspective beyond their own generation and, have an honest concern for their grandchildren it might be well to invest in palm tree plantations in Bozeman. OR, think through plans for your offspring's future. Or not!

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.. We are currently enjoying our Spring Mix of weather. Rain, snow and hail, (sometimes graupel,) in the same day: keeps the visitors guessing.
.. When the sun pops out and, the wind lays down the midges are still providing fodder for the fishes. The neighbors are exhibiting their tying skills and tying down to size as the generations of midges recede toward invisibility.

SIZE 28 ROYAL COACHMAN & MATCH HEAD

SIZE 32 MINI MIDGE & MATCH HEAD

.. Out of the goodness of their hearts the neighbors tie a few of these dinkers on to a bit of tippet for us to use. We certainly couldn't achieve this task. It's hard enough with cold wet hands to tie the line tippet to fly's tippet.
.. The Notellum Backwater is getting crowded. Somehow word has spread. Loose lips and all . . . .
.. Happily, over at Leapfish Rapids, the neighbors have staked out some fine holes. It takes clever navigation of a boulder field and dodging some icy patches - BUT, the catching is even better than elsewhere.
.. With the longer daylight we'll make it just in time!

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WALLPAPER:  RIB EYE, TOMATOES, FONDANT SPUDS

Stealth War Emerges

IT TAKES TIME

No Superficial Reads

our earth is complex

NOT IN THE HEADLINES

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.. Just as a trophic cascade takes a considerable amount of time in both plant and animal communities; so too does the environmental repercussion of societal and political decisions.
.. Most folks believe that if there is no immediate effect from political behavior there will not be any at all. Our society is rooted in instant gratification and, this mentality permeates a wide spectrum of belief.
.. The introduction of the wolves into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 is still being felt today. Hunters and ranchers bemoaned the immediate result of fewer elk and their predatory behavior on domestic livestock.
.. The cascade effect is ongoing with the resurgence of beavers, willows, and aspen trees. There are both 'immediate' and long term results. This will continue for some time to come.
.. The supporters of our current administration say that the sky has not fallen given the 'immediate' results of political decisions and rule making. Therefore, (they say,) it's not as bad as they were led to believe.
.. Of course not. Those folks have no concept of the intertwined nature of our planet's ecosystems. If it hasn't happened this week  -- THEN it probably won't happen. Yippee Shit: we can ignore the decisions and behaviors of the administration.
.. It does take a certain semblance of intelligence, education, and concern for the future state of our environment to appreciate a trophic cascade or a political cascade.
.. Be you a Fisher or, a Hunter or, a Tree Hugger you are under siege by a stealth war. If you are an industrialist, real estate developer, energy company, or extractive tycoon; you have been given your dream of instant gratification.
.. American business defines long term planning as results for the third quarter. A political cascade takes longer to manifest itself. Woe be us come the third decade. [[ As an aside; there is even some lend/lease debt from WWII still outstanding.]]
.. Fixing, (should we choose to,) will be a monumental task. It will be beyond the resources of any single nation: especially our nation with a giant debt.
.. Commercial fishers have some idea of the impacts of over fishing and the length of time it lasts and the time it takes to partially recover.
.. However sport fishers enjoy the non indigenous species that proliferate all across our nation. "Hey, y'all, lookee here at the big fish!" The impacts of the trophic cascade in this arena are ignored by most sport fishers. Just catch 'em while on vacation.
.. We, here,  are in the minority. We have no advertisers to placate. We have no trinkets to sell. We have no giant ego or cute phraseology to bolster this little newsletter.
.. We only have a vested interest in gentle wanderings in the woods and meadows and an occasional fish to catch. We have, over the past 50+ years seen changes that are the result of decisions long gone and applauded.
.. The changes are interrelated and a combination of the environmental, social, political, cultural, and educational milieu that we partake of. Some we like some we don't. They will continue as our society continues our paradigm of short term gratification;  well into the future.

RESOURCES 

>> Short read with headlines,
>> Detail of ongoing stealth attack, (longer - PDF.)

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.. Getting a good dump of the white stuff. It has fair moisture content and is building up nicely. It's warm enough to fish a little and maybe catch some - if we can avoid the sledheads.
.. Some visitors are firmly ensconced in the few soft chairs in the dusty aisles of a couple of feather merchants. Many neighbors are gathered around barrel stoves telling stories. Time enough to shovel some and take a nap.

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WALLPAPER:   Strawberry Crêpes For Brunch

Righteous Indignation ?

YOURS OR MINING ?

Smith River Mine Meeting

see before it's pulled

..

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Resources:

>> KTVQ, Billings,

>> Missoulian,

>> Great Falls Tribune,

>> Montana Cowgirl, READ THE COMMENTS !

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WALLPAPER:   ROAST BEEF

Stand With The Best

YOUR RESPONSE ?

Montana Preserved ?

worth your time

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.. Thanks to the sharp eyes of Riffles and Slicks we have quickly learned about an impassioned response from our neighbors to a major threat to our way of life.
.. The threat is to our values, history, heritage, and our pride.
.. The threat is about the theft, sale, and give away of our public lands. Local, State, or, Federal: they are ours. It's time to TAKE A STAND!
.. Now, 40 of Montana's best loved and cherished writers have joined forces to take a stand to preserve our public lands and values.
.. It's worth your time to see this and read it. Here is a small sample:

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"Ryan Zinke knows better, has seen the glaciers shrink with his own eyes,  but he has entered a world where pandering is the coin of the realm, serving an administration virtually at war with the natural world."  . . .  Tom McGuane

 "In Montana, our right to step into a river or stream at all depends on access. Publicly owned and managed land provides most of that access." . . .  David Brooks 

 "I don’t worry so much about losing our wilderness areas and national parks. I don’t think the takers could stand up to the fight if they tried to grab those jewels. It’s the smaller chunks of land that I fear for, the places with scars and without fame or constituency." . . .  Scott McMillion

 "Our tea among secretive
Rocks — soak away the meanness
Of a year’s duplicity — no one can reach
Us here — no human noise — A river will gentle the cruelest voice" . . .  Sandra Alcosser

 "Word has reached me from a number of reliable sources, men and women who would sacrifice their lives for the right causes, that our illustrious chief executive is hatching some evil plans to sell off our birthright, that of public open spaces still pristine, to the highest bidders." . . .  Russell Chatham

 "It’s that kind of sneak attack that always gets us in the end. It’s the way they tell you what you want to hear, offer a few tokens while they’re drawing these lines behind your back. They’re clever that way, being able to create such beautiful lines. Lines you’d never think were possible." . . .  Russell Rowland

READ IT HERE

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THIS LAND WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME . . . Woody Guthrie

Sea To Shining Sea

YELLOWSTONE INVESTIGATED

Not Unique Park

jarvis under fire

CONGRESS: "SO THEN, TELL US ALL ABOUT IT."

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..The Interior Department on Thursday ordered additional harassment prevention training for managers and supervisors after an internal report found that men in a maintenance unit at Yellowstone National Park “created a work environment that included unwelcome and inappropriate comments and actions toward women.” [LINK-Y, LINK-B]
.. The report from the investigation cites sexual harassment in parks across our nation. Congress is apparently fed up with the culture of male dominated harassment.
.. From the beginning the National Park Service was constituted of market hunters, trappers, cowboys, muleskinners, and male military personnel from Fort Yellowstone.
.. By the time Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Yellowstone National Park the "ROUGH RIDER MENTALITY" had already taken hold.

FOUNDATIONS

.. The martial mentality of the frontier has persisted and been encouraged by both the National Park Service and the Interior Department since their inception.
.. The book HOW THE U.S. CAVALRY SAVED OUR NATIONAL PARKS details the underpinnings of the early social and martial milieu that established the male dominated traditions. [LINK-C]
.. Apparently, from the investigation, the most readily apparent dysfunctional National Park is Canaveral National Seashore in Florida. [LINK-F]
.. We'll be watching how Secretary Zinke addresses this situation at the Department level [LINK-ZZ] We know what Yellowstone's Superintendent says, [LINK-YP,] we'll be watching this too.

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MORNING MIDGES

.. Took a lowland road trip. Fished some. Caught some.
.. Enjoyed the humor of the lowland cultural morass. There is a distinct love of elbows, knees, feet, and mayhem down there. Report in the morning.

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WALLPAPER:  LOWLAND LAKE - MORNING

We Hardly Knew Ya'

PROTECT DA WATER ?

Upstream And Gone

more jobs for who ?

courtesy:    POLITICO

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.. Quick; before it's pulled from the website. See if you need the EPA CLEAN WATER RULE.
..  Secretary Scott Pruitt has suggested that the recently enacted "Clean Water Rule" may be gone as soon as next week.

OUR SECRETARY

.. After all, it has been claimed, the rule has stifled business and eliminated many jobs. So there!
.. We're not sure what businesses or what jobs. We never hear these details.
.. This is the rule that was enacted by the EPA and The United States Corps Of Engineers in 2015.
.. The rule was enacted after consultation with millions of stakeholders in our country over a period of several years. Public meetings, legislative conferences, public comments, etc. You know how it worked.
.. This is the rule that:
1.) Defines and protects tributaries that impact the health of downstream waters,
2.) Provides certainty in how far safeguards extend to nearby waters,
3.) Protects regional water treasures,
4.) Focuses on streams, not ditches,
5.) Maintains the status of waters within municipal separate storage systems,
6.) Reduces the use of case-specific analysis of waters.
.. This is the rule that also protects upstream spawning gravels for fish such as trout. My My My.

RESOURCES

>> Pruitt Statement - [#1, #2,]
>> EPA fact Sheet,
>> Final Clean Water Rule, [PDF]
>> POLITICO analysis, [05/27/15]
>> EPA CONTACT PAGE.
.. So it begins. Do what you can. Let your fishing buddies know.
.. This is bigger than local pooping in a waterway. This is bigger than cow flops in a pasture's spring. This is bigger than sluice boxes in the upland tributaries. This is bigger than spoil from coal mines in tributaries. This is bigger than arsenic from gold mines. This is bigger than mud pits from drilling rigs dumped into prairie upland drainages.
.. This is all of these and more.

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WALLPAPER:   SIERRA BRIGHT DOT