A lot of college internships have been cancelled this year because of the global pandemic. Bryce Larson, a senior at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, found herself in that boat but determined to explore her options. Her tenacity paid off by landing a Trout Unlimited summer internship working on a risk assessment for native Bonneville
At the end of May, a crew of spirited friends and I coasted out of Eklutna Lake campground with trimmed packs, tents and miscellaneous items strapped to our bikes, bound for the head of the glacial valley…or at least its vicinity. It was a fresh adventure for all, and for me, the opportunity to witness the East and West Forks of the Eklutna River beyond Eklutna Lake and set eyes on the glacier, where the Eklutna River begins
A few months into the global pandemic, I know that I’m not the only one disappointed by postponed or cancelled plans. While our team pivoted our organizing and communications work so we can still advocate for coldwater fisheries in Alaska, much of our summer programming is cancelled to protect the small villages and towns in the communities we work from COVID-19. Perhaps our most disappointing but necessary cancellation is the Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide
Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood will join Keith Curley and Rob Masonis, TU’s vice presidents for eastern and western conservation, respectively, this week when they all “sit down” for the American Fly Fishing Trade Association’s Conservation on the Couch series. The webcast is Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, and viewers can register to
“To repeat the obvious, that means in 2006 an estimated 42 percent of the spawners in this “wild” population were hatchery fish. Statistical modeling indicated the number of steelhead smolts barged in the Snake River in the previous several years was a strong predictor of PHOS (Percent Hatchery Origin Spawners).”
“Because native trout have adapted over centuries and millennia in specific environments, they are, in many cases, more likely to survive the extremes of those places. Having passed through the crucible of a specific system’s cycles of drought, flood, and wildfire a native trout species may be more hardy than non-native fish.”
Sawmill Creek is a tributary to the Lemhi River. The Lemhi River watershed is one of the highest elevation and farthest inland reaches for fish migration in the world, as the new signs point out. The watershed is also one of the most important spawning and rearing habitat areas for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.
