Fireside Environmental Speaker Series
The GGACC Conservation Committee is pleased to invite you to our Virtual speaker event:
"Wild North Umpqua River & the Removal of the Winchester Dam"
A presentation by Kirk Blaine and Jim McCarthy of the Native Fish Society
Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 6:30 pm PT
Hosted by Stephen Starke
Program: Kirk Blaine of The Native Fish Society and Jim McCarthy from Water Watch will come to talk about the legendary North Umpqua River and the opportunities to turn recent environmental tragedies like the Archie Creek fires and aging Winchester Dam into future boons for wild fish management on this iconic river. Please join us for what promises to be a fantastic conversation about managing the North Umpqua and re-splicing the ancient fish connection.
REGISTRATION: Members can register on this page by clicking on the “Register” button to be shown here following the formal announcement of this event via email blast to the club's membership. Registrants will receive an email prior to the talk with a Zoom link to join the presentation..
This presentation is for GGACC members exclusively. If you would like to invite a fishing buddy, they can sign up to become a member through our website at GGACC.org for access to this event, in addition to all of our programs and events throughout the year.
For more information about this event or for suggestions about future conservation speakers, please contact Stephen Starke, Chairperson, GGACC Fireside Environmental Speaker Series, at sstarke@comcast.net
If you are having difficulty in connecting to this Zoom meeting using the link emailed out to the registrants shortly before the event, email host Stephen Starke at sstarke@comcast.net
About the Presenters:
Winchester Dam – Jim McCarthy
Jim works from WaterWatch’s office in Ashland. Jim has specialized in Endangered Species Act, water policy, hydropower relicensing, and agricultural subsidy issues. He has published numerous op-eds, articles, and reports has testified before Congress and served as an expert witness before the Oregon and California public utility commissions. Jim has been involved with multiple dam removals in the Rogue Basin. Jim has led efforts to bring the rule of law to Winchester dam for over two years.
Winchester dam, a 130 year-old wood, concrete, and metal dam located on Oregon's iconic North Umpqua River, has been harming fish populations and the communities which depend on the North Umpqua for decades. Numerous longstanding holes, botched repairs, pollution spills, exposed metal spikes, and a failing fish ladder have made this dam a high priority for fish conservation and public safety in the Umpqua Basin.
Native Fish Society, WaterWatch, and a statewide coalition of other organizations have advocated for over two years, urging the dam owners to follow the law, repair the dam sufficiently to end harm to fish and water quality, and meet public safety requirements, or remove the dam. As a last resort, WaterWatch of Oregon and other organizations have recently gone to court to demand action.
Wild North Umpqua – Kirk Blaine:
Kirk is the Southern Oregon Regional Coordinator with the Native Fish Society and focuses on the Klamath, Rogue, and Umpqua Basins. He started his role in March of 2020, diving deep into conservation issues to restore free-flowing rivers, abundant wild fish, and thriving local communities throughout Southern Oregon and Northern California. Kirk lives in Roseburg, Oregon, and is fortunate to call the North Umpqua River his homewaters.
The North Umpqua River was recently affected by the Archie Creek fire that altered large portions of the mainstem and important tributaries, leaving them charred and barren. Though important parts of the basin’s habitat were burned, we know that these landscapes will rebound given the opportunity. From the flame, smoke, and ashes comes an unprecedented opportunity to reset and refocus on wild fish conservation, restoration, and recovery in the basin. One result of the fire’s destruction was the total loss of the Rock Creek Hatchery, which produced hatchery Spring Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Summer Steelhead. Today, we have the opportunity to write the next chapter in the North Umpqua’s story embarking on a new trajectory that envisions managing fisheries on the river, focusing on fostering abundant wild fish populations that support recreational fisheries, healthy ecosystems, and increased natural resilience to our changing climate.
For more information about this event please contact Host Stephen Starke at sstarke@comcast.net