Ted Trueblood Chapter News Ted Trueblood Chapter of Trout Unlimited ...... November 2005 P.O. Box 1971 -- Boise, 83701 -- www.tedtruebloodtu.org

President's Message A Creel Full of News and Updates on the Boise River, our Chapter, and a New Meeting Location

By James Piotrowski Alta Harris Creek

While the winter and spring were extremely busy In late March the Ted Trueblood Chapter broke for the Trueblood Chapter (several fundraising ground on the creation of Alta Harris Creek. This events including the joint Trueblood/Idaho Trout side channel to the Boise River will, when Unlimited banquet, as well as substantial work completed, provide critical spawning and rearing and publicity on our Alta Harris Creek project), habitat for wild trout in the lower Boise River. things slowed down only a little during the late Andy Brunelle has shepherded this project along spring and summer. Nonetheless, substantial for several years. Funding in excess of $200,000 progress continues on existing projects, and I am has come from a variety of sources including the pleased to see gain in the area of volunteer Edwards Mother Earth Foundation, National Fish recruitment and membership relations. and Wildlife Foundation, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. In-kind contributions have come from Idaho Department A New Location for Ted Trueblood of Fish and Game, Riverstone Community Chapter Meetings School, the Center for Ecohydraulics Research, and Harris Ranch. The Starting with the next November 9 chapter Harris Family has granted conservation meeting, we will be holding all of our member easements to the Trueblood Chapter and the Land meetings in the auditorium of the MK Nature Trust of the Treasure Valley. Center behind the Idaho Department of Fish and Game headquarters on 600 South Walnut Street. Several outings to place riparian plants were Future meetings will be held in the months of undertaken over the spring and summer. Sedges January, March, May, July (mid summer outing), and other riparian plant species planted in May September, and November. and June have exhibited vigorous growth through the summer. At this time the channel is not yet This facility offers an excellent venue with its connected to the river, though we expect this fall beautiful outdoor and indoor settings, a variety of to complete the first phase of channel equipment available for high tech presentations, construction with the placement of large woody adequate seating capacity, and plenty of parking. debris and excavation of several pools. Eating/drinking establishments are nearby to host our post meeting lying sessions. So plan to come As we move into the winter season we will as usual at 6:30 to catch a featured one-hour fly transplant cuttings of willow and other woody tying session with the regular meeting/program species. Our first stab at this work will be on scheduled to begin at 7:30. November 11-12. See the calendar for more information.

Lower Boise Spawning Gravel Placement Chapter Intern On July 16, 2005, more than 40 volunteers, including Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, placed 17 This fall the Chapter is being assisted by David cubic yards of spawning gravel into two side Cleverley, an intern from . channels to the Boise River. This event, like the David is monitoring our local projects in the field, Harris Creek project, generated great news assisting with newsletter publication, and coverage for TU and for the values of riparian completing a study on the implementation of the conservation. We appreciate the partnership of Boise River Resource Management Master Plan the Rotary Club of Boise, Idaho Fish and Game adopted by the city of Boise in 1999. Amy Harig, and Boise Parks and Recreation on this project. Trout Unlimited’s program manager for TU/BLM This fall and winter, our Chapter intern is cooperative native fish restoration, has kindly monitoring the channels to see if and when they allowed us to place our intern in her new office are actually used by spawning fish. space in downtown Boise.

August Chapter Outing Boise River Conference and Float In mid-August the Chapter held what may be its first fishing outing. Our prior outings have all On Friday August 20 the Idaho Environmental been designed around habitat projects. In August Forum hosted its 2nd annual Boise River Float and a small group of officers and members went to conference. A panel discussion was held at Boise the Middle Fork of the Boise River for some State University on the proposed Atlanta Gold camping and fishing, as well as an opportunity to project, and presentations on the Boise River talk about the threats to the river posed by the water management. Boise Mayor David Bieter proposed Atlanta Gold cyanide heap leach mine. spoke and commended Trout Unlimited for the Although turn-out was small, at least half of those habitat restoration projects, and for the in attendance were members we had never before opportunity “to participate in that project. seen at chapter functions. We’ve concluded that Spending a Saturday shoveling and hauling such outings are a valuable way to get more gravel in buckets isn’t really what most people members involved in the Chapter. would consider a good time, but for a too sedentary mayor, it was welcome manual labor.” Youth Involvement The Ted Trueblood Chapter assisted the IEF as a Over the summer, the Trueblood Chapter made sponsor of the event providing financial the decision to affiliate with the Boise Valley assistance for the conference and float with grant Woolly Buggers, a large youth fly fishing funds from the Edwards Mother Earth Foundation organization. The Woolly Buggers found and the Environmental Protection Agency. themselves without a home after the local FFF chapter concluded it could not accept the liability risk of affiliation. This large and successful youth organization is thrilled to become part of our chapter, and we are thrilled to have them. We will be coordinating their activities into ours, and vice versa over the next year. The fit is a natural one, since many of our chapter members have children who are members of the Woolly Buggers. Roaring River

The Roaring River Fish Passage Restoration Project proposes to replace a major (15 feet diameter) culvert with a bridge on Forest Road 255 near the Middle Fork Boise River on the Boise National Forest. The Ted Trueblood Chapter will be applying for an Embrace-A- Stream grant to assist in the replacement of the culvert. Recent Grant Awards The existing culvert is impassible to upstream fish migration and blocks 4.5 miles of spawning The Ted Trueblood Chapter has been awarded a and early rearing habitat for bull trout. There is $10,000 from the Environmental Protection an isolated local population of bull trout upstream Agency’s Five Star Restoration Program. The of the culvert. The existing culvert is also a grant will be used to assist the Chapter with two health and safety risk to vehicular traffic because projects along the lower Boise River. One project of road prism width and tight turn radius at the involves removing a 30-inch diameter culvert in crossing. The public uses Road 255 extensively Julia Davis Park and creating a 100-foot or longer throughout the summer and fall periods for stream with a modest flow of water that currently recreation and hunting opportunities in the flows into the Boise River in the pipe. We are Roaring River drainage. Road 255 is a major working with Boise State University to take on a access road to the Trinity Mountains Recreation monitoring project after the culvert is removed Area and is frequently traveled by vehicles and measure the colonization of the stream by pulling trailers. aquatic species.

Boise National Forest crews inventoried more The second stream project supported by the Five than 600 road-stream crossings in 2003-2004. Star grant is a riparian restoration project on a The Roaring River culvert was determined to be a small stream channel tributary to the Boise River total barrier to juvenile and adult salmonids, due near Parma. The channel flows through farmland to its slope (4.5%), an outlet drop of more than owned by TU member Jerry Glenn and Mr. Glenn one foot onto boulders, and 60% channel has initiated a conservation program on his land constriction. The Roaring River culvert was that involves wetland creation and a conservation identified as one of the Forest's top priorities for easement. replacement. The Boise National Forest land use plan and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bull Trout Unlimited has also received financial Trout Recovery Plan identified the Roaring River support for Mr. Glenn’s project from the Idaho sub watershed as essential to bull trout recovery. Conservation league, which awarded the Both plans specifically identified correcting the Trueblood Chapter $3,500 this past summer. fish passage barrier where Forest Road 255 crosses Roaring River as the most critical limiting Finally, the Ted Trueblood Chapter received an factor for improving bull trout habitat in the sub $800 grant from the Gannett Foundation to assist watershed. Roaring River is also identified as an in acquiring and growing riparian plants for use Aquatic Conservation Strategy priority sub in our projects. The award came just in time as watershed. Removal of the barrier would restore Gannett recently sold the Idaho Statesman to gene flow to the isolated bull trout population and Knight-Ridder. reduce the risk of local extirpation.

Ted Trueblood Chapter of NONPROFIT Trout Unlimited ORG. P.O. Box 1971 U.S. POSTAGE Boise, ID 83701 PAID

PERMIT No. 440 Boise, ID

TROUT UNLIMITED CALENDAR

Wednesday November 2, 2005 – Board Meeting 6:00 p.m., at Chicago Connection on 4th & Bannock.

Wednesday November 9, 2005 – Member meeting Board Meeting with fly tying at 6:30 p.m. and the regular meeting beginning at 7:30. Meeting Program: The Owyhee River is arguably our area's best quality, flowing water trout fishery. It can hold its own against any blue ribbon fishery in the Nation and the Owyhee is receiving more recognition all the time. You may recall our TU chapter joined with the Indian Head Fly Fishers in November 2004 to host a day-long conference on the Owyhee in Ontario, Oregon. The November 9 meeting will feature several key individuals that influence what happens to the Owyhee. Grant Baugh, heading the "Friends of the Owyhee" and Ray Perkins of the ODFW charged with the Owyhee fishery management program, will make presentations at our meeting. It will be an excellent opportunity to get caught up on the latest efforts to preserve this most impressive trophy brown trout fishery. We will have a fly tying session that focuses on Owyhee River patterns and maybe some expert fisherman testimonials. You don't want to miss this meeting.

Friday & Saturday November 11 – 12, 2005 – Willow gathering and transplant work on Alta Harris Creek in East Boise. If interested in helping email a note to [email protected] or call Andy Brunelle at 343-1510.

Thursday December 1, 2005 – Open house at Trout Unlimited’s new downtown Boise offices, 1020 Main Street, Suite 440, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. More information coming.