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Voices from the River: A father’s legacy
Sometimes the fishing is secondary to other priorities. The author of this fine reminiscence with his father, Gordon VeneKlasen. By Garrett VeneKlasen Feb. 5, 2018 Twenty years ago today, the single engine plane my father was piloting went down in the mountains east of Taos. I remember that day like it was yesterday. Dad was…
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EPA suspends Clean Water Rule — implications for clean water?
What does EPA’s suspension of the 2015 Clean Water Rule mean for water quality, trout streams and anglers? After several rounds of litigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced yesterday that it has finalized a rule that will suspend the 2015 Clean Water Rule for two years. Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled…
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Voices from the river: Cassie’s fish
The Steelhead Whisperer and his daughter with a jewel from the Big Sur River. By Sam Davidson On Martin Luther King Day three men and a diminutive young lady went fishing on California’s Big Sur River—a tiny but fierce watershed on the central coast with a bona fide steelhead run—and the smallest member of the…
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Voices from the River: The altruistic angler
The Steelhead Whisperer, on his home water, in his characteristic pose. By Sam Davidson Apparently I like to observe important fishing occasions by making other anglers feel better about themselves. 2017 was a case in point. I ended the calendar year, and the 2016-17 winter steelhead season (in March), in the same fashion: by going…
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Voices from the River: A man for all seasons
Dean Finnerty, man for all seasons. By Sam Davidson Many people working for TU did not start in trout and salmon conservation. Among the former corporate lawyers, loggers, resource age ncy staff, newspaper reporters, and outdoor educators now employed by TU, Dean Finnerty joins a select few who previously worked in law enforcement. Dean grew…
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TU statement on new recovery plans for Snake River salmon, steelhead
Recently NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency responsible for recovering marine and anadromous fish species listed under the Endangered Species Act, released new recovery plans for spring and summer Chinook salmon, and steelhead, in the Snake River. The Snake is the largest tributary to the Columbia River. Its runs of salmon and steelhead have declined dramatically…
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New rules enhance water quality protections for NF Smith River
The North Fork of the Smith River. Dean Finnerty knows good steelhead water when he sees it. Finnerty, a lifelong resident of Oregon and longtime fishing guide, says the headwaters of the fabled Smith River are "some of the best habitat for wild steelhead, anywhere." Indeed, the remarkably lucid green waters of the Kalmiopsis region…
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