Tillamook Needs Our Help

A good friend asked me to post some information about something going on north of here that we should all know about...

Dear Friends,

All of us who care about the rivers of Tillamook County need to get pumped up for a fight. We need to act, and we need to prepare ourselves for more action in the future. Here's the deal: A handful of county politicians, backed by the timber industry, are using the current recession as an opportunity to attack Oregon's State Forests. They have been effective at pushing the Oregon Department of Forestry to drastically increase harvest levels since 2001. But last November, ODF came out strongly against further increases, and recommended that harvest levels be scaled back based on their best science. The timber industry and Oregon's rural counties were outraged and moved to cut ODF off at the knees.

This week they introduced legislation that would redefine ODF's mandate for forest management by defining the value of state forests as only timber revenue. Their bill also includes a declaration of emergency upon passage, giving them an express lane to their goal of 90% harvest in 40 years.

Attached is the first in a series of articles designed to inform the public and call for action to help us kill this bill. I ask you to read it and distribute it to everyone you can. Post it on your blogs, print it in your mags. If you disagree with what I've written, or if you find errors, let me know. I'm happy to work on it until you are satisfied. And there will be more to come--more stories, more details, more photos. The next piece will focus on the positive, by showing off the world-class steelheading that Tillamook County offers, and emphasizing the need to protect her rivers. If the attached word file is not a format that works for you, let me know what you need. And lots more photos are available.

Also attached is a map showing current plans for logging the Wilson River watershed. It is this sickening sight that was the catalyst for this effort. House Bill 3072 came a few days later.

Thanks to Bob Van Dyk at the Wild Salmon Center for starting this dialog, to Jeff Mishler for stoking the fire and providing photography, to Dave Moscowitz for consulting on the house bill and political system, and to Guido Rahr, Jay Nicholas and Ivan Maluski for their commitment to the Tillamook.

Let's kick some ass

Estuary An Important Fish Habitat

When talking about healthy salmon runs, most folks know about the importance of good spawning habitat in streams and plentiful food sources in the ocean. There is another habitat that salmon use extensively, both as juveniles and adults. The estuaries along the Oregon coast are important transition zones where fish grow strong before making their ocean voyage. Young salmon and steelhead use the estuary to gradually acclimate to salt water. Returning adults take refuge from high water temperatures in the estuary, waiting for the river to cool down. Sea-run cutthroat trout (Bluebacks) may spend most of their adult life in the estuary, feeding on small fish and invertebrates. And the fish that feed the salmon depend on the estuaries – herring use Eelgrass as their spawning habitat, laying their eggs directly on the strands.

What Is An Estuary?
An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water, with one or more freshwater streams dumping into it. Examples of estuaries include Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay and our own Siuslaw Bay (and lower river). Estuaries are typically the lowest stretches of rivers, where tidal influence occurs. Depending on the amount of fresh water entering an estuary and the strength of tides, water can have a wide range of salinities. Typically on the Oregon coast, colder, denser salt water moves in a wedge along the bottom with an incoming tide. Lighter, warmer fresh water will be higher in the water column.

Estuary Habitat Changing Over Time
Though I wasn’t around in the mid 1850’s, I can tell you that our estuary would have looked a lot different that it does today. Marsh lands along the river were diked and drained for cattle grazing. Tidegates (a type of water control that open to let water out but close to prevent water from coming in) prevented free fish movement in the system. Large trees were removed, or were not allowed to gather as they might naturally in the estuary. There are accounts of early trappers being met with logjams that spanned the whole river. A big difference from today!

What We Can Do For Estuaries
Groups such as The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, state and federal fish and wildlife agencies and local watershed councils (plus many others) have undertaken many different projects to restore, conserve and protect estuaries, including land acquisitions, riverbank tree plantings, and in some cases, breaching dikes. County, state, federal and non-profit organizations offer tax credits, and, in some cases, pay money to landowners willing to help save this valuable fish habitat. Land owners would be wise to replace rusted and non-working tidegates with newer, fish-friendly tidegates, or remove the gate all together and allow natural conditions.

For more information on landowner programs or volunteer opportunities, give me a call or send me an e-mail and I’ll point you in the right direction.


See You On The Water,
Action Jackson

(Please send comments or questions to Action Jackson at 268-6944 or www.actionjacksonfishing.com)

Bad News For Sand Shrimp, Ocean Salmon Fishing

Scientists at Oregon State University are studying the huge decline in sand, or mud shrimp populations on the Oregon Coast. The problem seems to be an introduced parasite called Griffen’s isopod, which attacks the shrimp by entering through the gill chamber. Once inside the shrimp, the parasite sucks the host’s blood, destroying the shrimp’s ability to reproduce. Griffen’s isopod effectively turns the shrimp into a zombie, not killing them immediately. So many shrimp in Oregon’s estuaries are still alive, but unable to reproduce. Griffen’s isopod is non-native species that was probably introduced to the West Coast through ballast water from an Asian ship as the parasite occurs naturally in China and Japan.

The effect of the sand shrimp’s decline is not immediately known. The shrimp are an important food source for fish and birds, and losing a large amount of biomass has an effect on the entire system. How much of an effect is unclear. Sand shrimp are filter feeders, and their decline may mean lower water quality and silt build up.

In some areas of Oregon, the isopod has been less effective in destroying the sand shrimp populations, and researchers at OSU are currently trying to find out why. Researchers are comparing distributions from last year and previous years to determine patterns. Researchers add that some estuaries are more successful at larvae recruitment, which means not all hope is lost.

Ocean Chinook Season Probably Not Happening For 2009
Historic low returns of Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River system means the likely shut down of commercial fishing off Oregon and California for 2009. Biologists estimate a return of just over 66,000 fall Chinook for 2008, despite an ocean fishing closure. The Sacramento River fish are in trouble: recent poor ocean conditions when these fish went out, water draw-downs, introduced species and poor water quality all factor in to the low returns expected for this year.

Last year’s closure of commercial salmon fishing was the largest such shutdown ever. The State of Oregon estimated that the closure meant the loss of $45 million and over 750 jobs. Oregon applied for federal aid and probably will again this year. According to the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, the value of Oregon’s ocean salmon fisheries is about 3% of the average for 1979-1990. With closures looming, the value is not likely to change.

The bright spot in ocean fisheries will be the large number of Coho salmon predicted to return to the Oregon Coast in 2009. Recreational anglers aren’t likely to be as restricted as last year, according to ODFW. The Columbia River is expected to have a return of approximately 1.3 million fish.

See you on the water,
Action Jackson

(Please send comments or questions to Action Jackson at 268-6944 or www.actionjacksonfishing.com)