Conservation

Here are two great videos that describe projects focused on the destruction of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams on Washington’s Elwha River last fall. Above is the trailer for an upcoming documentary film that will show how the river recovers. Below is the teaser for an “interactive documentary” that explores the largest dam removal in U.S. history. Through video, audio, and photography, meet conservationists, researchers, fishermen and. . .

During my most recent trip to Washington, DC for the White House Conference on Conservation, I ran into Orvis Vice-Chairman, Dave Perkins. Dave was a speaker on the Restoring Rivers panel moderated by Interior Secretary. . .

Back in late December, we posted a gorgeous trailer for an upcoming film about fly fishing and conservation in the mountains of Patagonia. The video above is a second trailer for the same cause. At issue is a massive hydroelectric project that would dam some of the regions most pristine watersheds. Here’s a brief description of the struggle being waged in Chile: . . .

Four-year-old Sam Streb sits atop his dad’s shoulders at a recent rally to stop water diversions from the Upper Colorado River drainage. photo courtesy Bob Streb

From: Bob Streb

To: Gov. John Hickenlooper

Dear Governor Hickenlooper,

My name is Bob Streb, and my little family lives in Minturn, Colorado, on the banks of the Eagle River—just one of the incredible places we enjoy in the mountains we call home. One of the other places is the Upper Colorado River. I am a fly-fishing guide, and I spend many days showing friends, both new and old, this very special place. The Upper Colorado River has become part of me, and I often feel a deep need to be in a boat feeling her currents under me. The loss of this freedom is a very real possibility if any more of her water is diverted. I understand this situation has economic implications for everyone, but. . .

A growing number of anglers, concerned about the health of the upper Colorado River Basin, is putting pressure on legislators to stop diverting water to feed development on Colorado’s Front Range. A group of sportsmen, boaters, wildlife enthusiasts, and others rallied on the steps of the state capitol yesterday to draw attention to the problem and to show Governor Hickenlooper that there is broad-based opposition to the proposed water plan. The governor has gone on record claiming that the water diversion plan “comprehensively addresses impacts to Colorado’s fish and wildlife.”

As most people know, the mighty Colorado River is so dewatered in its lower reaches that it rarely makes it to the Sea of Cortez. So much water is sucked out to supply the needs of Southern California and cities such as Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas. . .

Here’s a cool video from El Pescador Lodge on Ambergris Key in Belize, which features my friend Lori-Ann Murphy (with whom I once spent a fabulous week casting to big trout in New Zealand). As a way to get a read on fish populations in the area, El Pescador hosted a tournament in which all caught fish would be tagged for further study. Here are the details: . . .

Through matching grants, Orvis and its customers work together to protect nature, support communities, and advance canine well-being.

The Orvis Company has announced five new recipients of its annual Customer Matching Grant program, the cornerstone of Orvis’s perennial commitment of 5% of its pre-tax profits to protecting nature. This year’s grants include more than $200,000 in direct funding, as well as an aggressive promotional campaign designed to solicit an equal amount or more in customer donations to these programs.

My friend Todd Tanner is behind the launch of a new conservation organization which aims to bring hunters and anglers together “to pass on a healthy natural world to the next generation of sportsmen, to defend our sporting heritage and traditions, and to educate hunters and anglers on the challenges and threats we face in the future.” Here’s the press release that went out yesterday: . . .

This diversion dam on Wyoming’s Salt River seems pretty low, but it was blocking access to vital spawning habitat for some trout and other native fish. photo courtesy Trout Unlimited

Across the West, many rivers and watersheds are fragmented by old diversion dams and other irrigation infrastructure. That’s a big problem for trout, which need access to the full range of river habitat in order to thrive. For Trout Unlimited, upgrading these obsolete or inefficient irrigation systems offers a tremendous opportunity to restore rivers. With the help of Orvis funding, TU recently completed an exciting “reconnection” project on the Salt River in west-central Wyoming that should boost both the fish habitat and the fishing.

The Salt River is home to native Yellowstone cutthroat trout, as well as wild rainbows and browns. But they faced a big obstacle: an aging, solitary diversion dam imposed a two-foot-high vertical barrier to fish movement. While adult fish could likely clear the hurdle most of the year, smaller trout and other native species weren’t able to move upstream.

Editor’s Note: One of the Orvis Commitment projects for 2011 involved working with the International Rhino Foundation to help save the black rhinos of Zimbabwe. Here is a good-news update from Maggie Moore, Program Officer for the IRF:

The fight against poaching is relentless and seemingly never ending in Zimbabwe at the moment. All efforts are being made to stem the tide of poaching, but unfortunately this is not always possible. Poaching stories are usually horrific, depressing, and demoralizing. Out of all these sad tales, it’s heartening to report that we have a happier ending for one particular rhino orphan, Bebrave.