Dan Nelson's Adventures Northwest » Wilderness Issues

The Joys of “Summer”

Dan — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:10:20 +0000

Thursday, Donna and I headed up out of the Cle Elum River Valley to spend a few days in the high Alpine country of the Tuck and Robin basins. We hit Tuck by 11:30 a.m. Thursday, and Robin an hour later. But the high, granite basin which nestles Robin Lakes (6,200 feet elevation) was quickly filling with low clouds, and increasing winds. Recognizing the signs of an eminent mountain storm, we dropped back down to Tuck and Tucks Pot (5,300 feet) and set up camp between the two lakes around 1:45.

By 2:00 the rains started. We had a good camp site, with solid protection from the wind. Around 4:30, we popped out of the tent to take advantage of the switch from rain to light showers. Thirty minutes of casting a small (#16 I think) Royal Coachman into Tucks Pot resulted in several nice little (8 to 10 inch) cutthroats. By 5 p.m. the winds started to pick up again, making casting off the brush-lined lakeshore very difficult. (Sophie loved swimming in the frigid wind-chopped lake — she has developed a love of ducking her head through big waves as she swims — though she also appreciated diving back into the tent 10 minutes later)

We had a modest break around 6 p.m. that allowed us to cook dinner without getting soaked, then it was back into the tent. By 7 p.m. had a powerful hail storm pummeling us, and by 9 p.m., we had snow flurries (the next morning we could see a heavy snow line about 250 feet above us — Robin Lakes got a couple inches of snow overnight). The snow didn’t last at Tuck, but the rain pounded us all night long.

The next morning the rain continued until about 9 a.m. We had a leisurely breakfast in the tent, then spent a couple hours enticing cutthroat out of both Tuck and Tucks Pot. By noon, it was apparent the weather was coming back in, so we packed up and hiked out. We did stop and fish along the upper Cle Elum on the drive down from the trail head back to Roslyn and found a couple great pools with 10″ rainbows. A late lunch/early dinner of burger (mushroom-swiss burger) and halibut-and-chips at The Brick Tavern in Roslyn was a perfect ending to the trip.

Saturday, we decided to take advantage of the last weekend of Cedar River fishing. Knowing the best action occurs toward evening, we spent the afternoon chasing smallish rainbows and cutts up on the South Fork Snoqualmie (both ends of Exit 38, as well as down along Exit 34). We each had several fish in the 6-9 inch range and one nice cutt over 10 inches.

About 5 p.m. we drifted south to the Landsburg Bridge and walked nearly a mile downstream along the Cedar River Trail. We dropped into several holes and found the action slow, until the sun dropped low. Around 6:30, we started to draw fish up to #16 elk hair caddis (olive green bodies). For the next 45 minutes we had modest success, with Donna and I each netting fish in the 10-12 inch range. By the time we exited the river, there was a brilliant red hew to the evening light and we enjoyed a marvelous sunset on the way home.

All in all, a very enjoyable, though tiring, weekend with fish caught in two high Alpine lakes and three rivers, during wind, rain, and glorious red-glow twilight. With our joyously active yellow lab, Sophie, at our sides, we experienced warm sunshine, rain, wind, hail and snow while catching feisty rainbows and cutthroat trout. Though not exactly what we planned, this was a perfect late summer weekend for us.

Glacier Peak Wilderness Gains a Ridge

Dan — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:04:27 +0000

Start up the Suiattle River Trail and continue on past Sunnybrook Camp. Stay left at the next junction, and after climbing through some of the most spectacular hillside meadows in the North-Central Cascades, you’ll find yourself on Miner’s Ridge, between the old Miner’s Ridge Lookout (6,210-feet) and Image Lake (6,050 feet). That hasn’t changed in decades (the lookout was erected in 1938). What has changed is the status of the land.

After years of long battle, Miner’s Ridge is now officially part of the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. The ridge was the scenic of bitter fighting in the late 1960s, when then-owner Kennecott Copper Corporation proposed ripping open the ridge top and dredging up scarce copper in its core. That open-pit mine proposal was opposed by many locals and the growing environmental community of Washington. Wilderness advocated, led by no less than U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, launched a protest hike up the Suiattle Trail in 1966 to bring attention to the mine plans.

Shortly after that, as public opposition to the mine grew, copper prices tanked and Kennecott conceded defeat in the face of costly legal battles and low resource values.

The land remained in the mine company’s hands, though, until the late 1980s when Chelan County PUD bought it from the mine company, with an eye toward using it as a planning tool. The PUD routinely flew helicopters to the ridge – which is surrounded by designated wilderness – to measure snow packs and estimate summer water flow rates into Lake Chelan. When the US Forest Service called a halt to those flights into wilderness, the PUD was stuck with a parcel that had now commercial or agency value — but a great deal of wilderness value. So began the long, slow process of exchanging that wilderness in-holding for another piece of USFS property that has more fiscal value and less recreational value.

That exchange recently took place – the PUD received a small parcel near other PUD property and an agreement that permits limited helicopter access into a remote snow-pack monitoring site nearby – and the Forest Service quickly completed the paperwork to roll the ridge into the wilderness designation.

A bitter, hard-fought battle followed by a slow concession of practicalities yielded the long-sought objective of Washington’s favorite son, William O. Douglas: Miner’s Ridge will never be mined. Rather it will be enjoyed in its pristine condition by generations to come as part of one of Washington’s wildest Wilderness Areas.

Wild resources (fish, wildlife, recreation) under attack

Dan — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:30:41 +0000

Why do Washington’s politicians (of both parties) hate the Department of Fish and Wildlife?

Not all, fortunately, but enough to put our fish and wildlife resources in jeopardy.

First, the legislature slashed the WDFW budget by 30 percent last year. Everything from enforcement to salmon recovery suffered from that budget bashing. Then, this year, the legislature tried to completely dissolve the agency by “merging” it (along with the State Parks Department) into the Department of Natural Resources.

Putting recreation-focused interests under the management of an agency whose core responsibility is resource extraction makes no sense at all. Nor does it make sense to put fish and wildlife management in the hands of a single elected official who has no training in wildlife management issues. Preventing that type of mismanagement is exactly why the voters of Washington put substantial decision making responsibility in the hands of a Fish and Wildlife Commission representing all stakeholders.

Fortunately the public outcry over the proposed merger legislation (Senate Bill 6813) effectively killed the bill (at least the portion pertaining to the dissolution of WDFW). But now, those same bi-partisan legislators who were blocked from axing the department have turned their axes on to the department’s budget.

Last year, the general fund allocations to the department were slashed from $110 million to just $80 million. Now, the backers of the recently killed SB 6813 want to cut upwards of $10.8 million more from the already decimated WDFW budget. That means we’d see nearly 40 percent budget cuts for the department in the last biennium.

According to the Department, these additional cuts will jeopardize future salmon production with the closure of up to 5 hatcheries, impacting Grays Harbor, Coastal and Puget Sound fisheries. In addition, the number of enforcement officers will be reduced and staffing levels for important salmon recovery efforts will be lower. Many department facilities and public lands would be closed, popular lakes wouldn’t get stocked with trout, and youth education efforts would be reduced.

Bottom line: NO other state agency has seen cuts this deep, or this aggressive. The Senate cuts will cripple the Department’s ability to successfully manage our fish and wildlife resources and will have a long-term negative impact on all endangered species recovery efforts in our State.

If you care about public lands, wildlife and fisheries, now is the time to take action. Call, email or write your local state senator and/or representative and tell them you oppose these draconian cuts to our state’s wild resources.

Use this link to contact your elected officials:

Fishers Return to their Ancestorial Homes

Dan — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:34:33 +0000

Not a creature was stirring, except for the 40 or so fishers being reintroduced to the former habitat in Olympic National Park.,

Fishers, a small predatory mammal, rarely eats fish. These close cousins of martens and weasels are mostly nocturnal hunters of any small critters, including birds and occasionally fish, that live in the forest. Fishers are about the size of large housecats and are natives to the Olympics and Western Cascades. Fishers were valued for their thick, soft pelts so much that over trapping in the mid to late 1800s and rampant habitat loss through the first half of the 20th century led to their extinction in Washington.

Fishers were listed as a state-endangered species in 1998 by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission and were designated as a candidate for federal listing in 2004 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.

One of the new Olympic National Park colonists. Photo by ONP.

As part of a recovery plan developed in the early 2000s, about 45 fishers will be released starting next week in the third and final year of reintroduction of the species to the North Olympic Peninsula. The released fishers were captured in northern British Columbia. The capture and release program is part of in intensive recovery plan involving multiple agencies and public parties. The coalition of parties includes:

The first release of fishers occured two years ago, in December 2007, and the second took place last December. During each release event, the individual animals are each fitted with a small radio transmitter so biologists may track and monitor their movements. Of the 49 fishers released in the last two years, only 22 are still monitored. Only 15 of the missing fishes are confirmed dead. Others have somehow ditched their transmitters and other radios may have simply stopped working.

Despite the loss of monitoring opportunites for more than half the fishers, there are signs of hope for a population recovery. Biologists did find three birthing dens last summer with several kits in them. The goal of the three-year reintroduction program is to create a sustainable population of 100 or more fishers.

Holiday Gift for Washington Wilderness Enthusiasts

Dan — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:25:26 +0000

Thanks to a push from Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, legislation that expands Washington Alpine Lakes Wilderess Area moved one giant step closer to completion.

The Proposed legislation received Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approval and now awaits full Senate Confirmation. The legislation includes an Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions as well as protections of the Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers. The total package provides protection for 22,000 acres of wilderness adjoining the existing Alpine Lake Wilderness Area, as well as 10 miles of the Pratt River, nearly 30 miles of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, and 14.3 miles of Illabot Creek – a tributary to the Skagit – as Wild and Scenic Rivers.

The bills was simultaneously submitted in the U.S. House by Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash. and Reichert gathered several co-sponsors for bi-partisan support of the bill. The Wilderness Area was designated in 1976 by President Ford. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is one of the most heavily used wilderness areas in the United States since it can be accessed directly from Interstate 90, just a few minutes after leaving downtown Seattle. Several million people live within 30 minutes of the remarkable wilderness area.

Christmas comes early for conservation program

Dan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:06:48 +0000

In a move that would have made Tim Burton’s Jack Skellington proud, Congress gave conservationists a Christmas gift this Halloween!

After years of frighteningly low levels of funding, Congress gave an incredible gift this Oct. 30 to the Department of Interior – most notably, the National Parks Service and the vital Land & Water Conservation Fund – as well as the woefully underfunded US Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture. After decades of deteriorating funding levels, those agencies received a remarkable $4.6 billion funding increase for 2010.

The 16.8-percent increase cleared Congress on Oct. 30, passing both houses with wide majorities, and will help the USFS and Park Service address some maintanenace backlogs as well as launch some new intitiatives including research into how climate change will impact public lands. The funds also will help revitalize the the National Wildlife Refuge System and provide a boost to the Land & Water Conservation Fund, which helps promote outdoor recreation opportunities for our nation’s youth.

The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, which President Obama has already signed into law,provides that funding boost, and provides some specific recreational benefits. The Act protects thousands of miles of scenic, historic and recreational trails, and establishes an 807-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail running from the the Mexican border to Utah, through the state of Arizon.

Other specifics of the Omnibus Bill:

The bill also provides:
– $90 million for the Legacy Road and Trail Remediation Program to help protection and enhance recreational opportunities by decommissioning obsolete roads and maintaining trails on federal lands;
– $75 million for the National Landscape Conservation System, which protects some of the most spectacular scenery managed by the Bureau of Land Management;
– $306 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program that promotes outdoor recreational opportunities and preserves wild spaces in all 50 states;
– $77 million for the Forest Legacy Programto help promote true multiple-use programs that conserve open space, wildlife habitat and clean water while allowing for sustainable timber harvesting.

Washington’s Wolf Recovery Plan open for comment

Dan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:42:05 +0000

Gray Wolf Conservation and Management | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) titled: Wolf Conservation and Management Plan for Washington. This is a non-project review proposal. Non-project review allows agencies and the public to focus on issues that are ready for decision.

Gray wolves were classified as endangered in Washington at the federal level in 1973 and at the state level in 1980. They were delisted under federal law in 2009 in the eastern third of Washington, and remain federally listed in the western two-thirds of the state; they continue to be state listed throughout Washington. Expansion of a currently small breeding population of wolves in Washington is expected as a result of increased dispersal of wolves from recovering populations in Idaho and Montana, and dispersers from British Columbia.

In response to this, and in anticipation of the eventual return of all wolf management to the state, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife initiated development of a state wolf conservation and management plan. A determination of significance and request for comments on scope of an environmental impact statement (EIS) was issued August 1, 2007. WDFW appointed an advisory Wolf Working Group comprised of 17 citizens to provide recommendations on the plan to WDFW. The draft plan establishes conservation/recovery objectives for downlisting and delisting the species, and identifies strategies to address conflicts and achieve recovery. This draft plan and DEIS incorporate recommendations and suggestions from public scoping comments, peer review comments, WDFW reviews and the Wolf Working Group recommendations.

Gray Wolf Conservation and Management | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Red Rocks Wilderness Act Gains Ground

Dan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:57:09 +0000

It seems Utahns may get what they want, despite the stonewalling behavior their own congressional delegation.

Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representative’s Natural Resource Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands heard testimony concerning America’s Red Rocks Wilderness Act. This comprehensive wilderness designation package would protect sensitive wild areas of Utah from perennial threats of oil and gas drilling, hard rock mining, and other development sprawl.

The Red Rocks Wilderness Act would protect buffer areas around four national park units in Utah through the creation of officially designated wilderness. In short, this would prevent actions like those allowed under the Bush Administration (and later overturned in Federal Court) that would have allowed oil drilling on the boundaries of Arches National Park, with drill rigs in clear site of park visitors viewing iconic park features such as Delicate Arch. The act as written today would designate roughly 9 million acres of wilderness around Canyonlands, Arches, and Capitol Reef National Parks, as well as around Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Recent non-partisan polling shows more than 60 percent of Utah’s population supports the Red Rocks Wilderness proposal, yet, Utah’s entire congressional delegation opposed the bill, as did Utah’s Lt. Governor Greg Bell. Ironically, those same congressmen acknowledged the importance of protecting wilderness – just not this wilderness (or any wilderness that the oil industry has its eye on!)

Countering the Utah congressional delegations nay-saying was a broad range of speakers representing the people of Utah, the business community in Utah, and several political entities in Utah. Perhaps most vocal and persuasive was Peter Metcalf, the CEO of Utah-based Black Diamond Equipment. Metcalf has established himself as a politically savvy hard-hitter, frequently using his influence in the outdoor industry (he is currently Vice President of the well-respected Outdoor Industry Association) to affect legislation and policies related to wilderness and wilderness recreation.

The Red Rocks Wilderness Act was first proposed 20 years ago by Utah Representative Wayne Owens. Today, The bill currently has 137 sponsors in the House, and 20 in the Senate.

Review: PBS series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”

Dan — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:13:03 +0000

DISCLAIMER: As an historian and outdoor recreation professional, I’m doubly biased here. Still, I firmly believe Ken Burns’ newest documentary series represents his best work ever.

The six-part series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” covered the history of the national park service from the creation of the world’s first national park (Yellowstone, established in 1872) to the present. Today, the National Park Service includes 391 units, incorporating 58 national parks and 333 national monuments and historic sites, in 49 states (only the nation’s fist state, Delaware, lacks a National Park unit).

I was honored with the opportunity to view the entire series earlier this summer and I can honestly say, I was stunned by the depth of the document, in terms of research, reporting and production. The 12-hours of document includes remarkable photography – both historic and modern – and stunning cinematography throughout the product. The visuals are matched, though, but the details in the commentary and reporting. Burns and his colleague, historian Dayton Duncan, unveil stunning historical facts that few Americans knew about their park service and remarkable stories of individuals who help preserve these wild lands we take for granted at times today.

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park plays a significant role in the series, as it has in the history of the Parks Service (MRNP was the nation’s 5th National Park, established in 1899). Rainier also helped refine John Muirs wilderness ethic, and played a role in crafting the wilderness passions of Stephen Mather, the first director of the new National Parks Service. You’ll also see plenty of Yellowstone NP, Yosemite NP, Glacier NP, Volcanoes NP, Olympic NP, Crater Lake NP, Grand Canyon NP, Utah’s collection of stunning parks and others. You’ll learn about the role played by the US Army in protecting and preserve the parks early in their history, and the significant role of the African American cavalry troopers, the Buffalo Soldiers, in preserving the parks, especially Yosemite, when the parks faced serious threats from developers.

The new series launches on PBS stations around the country Sunday night (September 27) at 8 p.m. I encourage everyone who reads this blog to tune in, or TIVO, this series. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/

Protecting Montana Wilderness & Business!

Dan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:01:30 +0000

Rick Bass stands as one of the best western writers of the 21st century, and for my money, one of the greatest American natural history authors of all time– right up there with Abbey, Douglas, Leopold, Olson, Muir and Thoreau.

Below, Bass offers a well0-reasoned take on the novel new approach to wild lands management in Montana: The Forest Jobs and Recreation Act of 2009, offered by Sen. Jon Tester (D) of Montana. This bill would protect several blocks of wild country as designated wilderness, but it also opens the door for increased logging — in a sustainable fashion — on broader expanses of forest land.

It’s a novel approach, but it has the blessing of logging companies, environmental groups, hunters, anglers and local businesses. Check it out.

Finding Common Ground on Protecting Montana Wilderness by Rick Bass: Yale Environment 360.