Trout Unlimited Praises Temporary Restraining Order On Jarbidge River Work

Trout Unlimited Praises Temporary Restraining Order On Jarbidge River Work

Conservation group urges Carpenter to respect judge's order

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10/8/1999 --  --  Trout Unlimited today praised the U.S. Attorney's office for obtaining a Temporary Restraining Order against Assemblyman John C. Carpenter's weekend plans to attempt to rebuild a stretch of road along the Jarbidge River. The TRO orders Carpenter, other named leaders of the effort, and anyone acting with them, to refrain from doing any work in or adjacent to the Jarbidge River, or on the road that runs along the river.

"We hope everyone will respect Judge Hagen's order," said Matt Holford, Elko resident and TU Nevada Council Chair. "We have said all along that if everyone cannot settle their disagreements about this road, that those disagreements should be resolved in court, not by a disorganized crowd with picks and shovels, determined to take the law into their own hands. This TRO will give Mr. Carpenter his day in court."

Carpenter had announced plans to lead a "work party" up the South Canyon this weekend to rebuild a portion of the road that washed out during a 1995 flood. In a permit application filed with the Nevada DEP, Mr. Carpenter indicated that, using manual labor, hand-tools, and horses, he intends to rebuild a portion of road bed, divert the river in two places, and repair a bridge. TU has contended that the proposed work would violated state and federal laws, and has been joined by state and federal leaders in urging Mr. Carpenter to abandon his plans. In the TRO, the court held that the proposed work posed a risk to the bull trout that live in the Jarbidge River. The river's population of bull trout has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and is currently in the middle of its spawning season.

"We are very pleased that the U.S. Attorney's Office has stepped in and obtained this TRO," said David Best, president of TU's Elko-based Northeastern Nevada Chapter. "If this work had been allowed to take place, it would have seriously damaged the river and its fish, driving bull trout ever closer to extinction."

Other press releases on this issue:
Nevada Public Officials Agree Carpenter's Plans To Rebuild Road Are Illegal [1]
Jarbridge 'Road Work' Spells Disaster For Bull Trout [2]

Trout Unlimited, the nation's leading coldwater conservation organization, celebrated its 40th Anniversary this year. TU's 500 chapters and more than 100,000 members nationwide, including TU Nevada's 650 members, are committed to conserving, protecting and restoring North America's trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.

Date: 10/8/1999