Under new rules adopted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, Oregon’s sturgeon bag limit will be reduced to one fish per year beginning in 2013. The new rule covers all Oregon waters including the North Santiam, all other inland rivers, bays and estuaries. The ruling supersedes a two fish annual bag limit set last September as…
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The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife updated the sport fishing regulations and Winter Steelhead Guide for 2013 today. 2013 Sport Fishing Regulations The Willamette Zone Sport Fishing Regulations for 2013 on the ODFW website do not appear to have changed. Printed versions should be available at ODFW offices and from license sales agents by…
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The Steering Committee of the North Santiam Watershed Council will meet on Thursday December 13th, 2012 to finish their annual self-evaluation. North Santiam Watershed Council meetings are held at the Stayton Community Center at 400 West Virginia Street, Stayton, OR on the second Thursday of every month except July and August. Meetings begin at 7:00…
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Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) is holding Council Support Listening Sessions around the state to hear stakeholder ideas for how to achieve the future vision for council capacity. OWEB has posted materials for the Listening Sessions as well as OWEB’s ideas for process and policy changes on their website. The Listening Sessions is scheduled for:…
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The Willamette River has won the Thiess International Riverprize, an annual award given by the International River Foundation based in Brisbane, Australia. Riverprize recognizes outstanding, visionary and sustainable programs in river basin management and is the most prestigious environmental prize in the world. Meyer Memorial Trust entered the competition on behalf of the many groups…
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On a recent hike along Pamilia Creek, I came across this clump of Indian Pipe growing under a dense stand of large Douglas fir. It caught my eye, because even though it’s a herbaceous plant, it looks more like a fungus. In fact, I always assumed Indian Pipe, like many fungi, lived off of the…
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[box type=”alert” size=”large” style=”rounded”]The boat ramp at Shelburn is a little difficult to pull into from upstream because of two large branches sticking out in the waves just above the ramp. It is possible to see the branches from upstream and to row around them, toward the middle of the river, and then to cut…
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Devil’s club or devil’s walking stick is a large shrub native to the cool moist conifer forests. It is found from Alaska to western Oregon and eastward to western Alberta and Montana. This native shrub always catches my eye in the late summer. Those clusters of showy red berries remind me of Christmas. I’ve…
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Watching salmon spawn is not necessarily voyeurism. Scientifically, it is an interesting process and if we understand it we are able to help the salmon be more successful with their reproduction and also to be more successful with our fishing techniques. Some of the salmon started spawning the last week of August and the first…
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Liz Redon from the North Santiam Watershed Council and US Forest Service staff from the Willamette National Forest spent the day last Friday, September 7th, with specially selected forest products industry experts to help develop a new small diameter timber and special forest products stewardship program. The purpose of the work group was to explore…
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River flows volumes are excellent right now , currently around 1,160 cfs at Mehama on the North Fork with good visibility. Conditions are expected to stay at these levels for the next week. Most of the salmon and steelhead have moved into the upper river. Based on video monitoring at Bennett dam near Stayton, approximately…
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The weather has been great, and is likely to continue. Water temperature is in the mid-fifties both going into and coming out of Detroit Lake. Niagara water has been between 56 and 59 degrees, tolerable for steelhead and salmon. Water temperature at Green’s Bridge has been between 64 and 71, much too warm for sporting…
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