The Middle River Group, LLC

fly fishing, conservation and politics.

tenkara, conservation, communications, politics

Key grip and trout wrangler at the Middle River Group, LLC. Playing Doc Holliday to the Wyatt Earps of the fish and wildlife conservation world. Deputy Director, Marine Fish Conservation Network. Guide and instructor, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing. Freelance outdoor writer.

Road trip to Mich.

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Shot a couple of images while i was waiting for the rain to stop.

I was in Michigan to teach fly fishing to some MSU grad students and their friends.

Had hope to fish the day before but it looked pretty wet out that morning.

This is where i spent the morning waiting to go fish.

The Super 8 in Houghton Lake, Mich.

Waiting out the raain
Waiting out the rain

That actually was probably just as well since i had a column due and it was little more than a rough draft at that point…

When the rain broke around noon i headed up to Grayling and over to Lovells.

Had time for a late lunch and a beer since the rain had started up again.

Gotta love a bar with “Welcome Fly Fisherman” banner

aka "the bar"
Lovells Riverside Tavern aka "the bar"

Seems my kind are welcome at the corner grocery too….

Caid's Corner Grocery
Caid's Corner Grocery

Finally made camp here for the next couple of days.

lookin out on Big Creek
lookin out on Big Creek

Filling the need to teach our youth

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The $70 million in funding for a new youth conservation education initiative proposed by the Obama administration recently got a bit of attention in Washington.

This new initiative, know as the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps, was included in the president’s 2010 budget request for the Department of the Interior.

On June 3, more than 140 groups, including many prominent hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation organizations, co-signed a letter to Congress urging them to support full funding for this initiative. The letter points out that the initiative “will bolster environmental education, recreation and service programs throughout the Department, and engage thousands of youth in the outdoors.”

On Monday, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the president, were on the National Mall in Washington to talk about the program. At the event, Salazar signed a Secretarial Order establishing an Office of Youth in Natural Resources at the Department of the Interior.

“President Obama and I believe that during tough economic times, a new national youth program is needed to provide jobs, outdoor experiences and career opportunities for young people — especially women, minorities, tribal and other underserved youth,” Salazar said.

This type of funding is long overdue. Education, especially when it connects young people with the outdoors, is a wonderful investment. It is the young people who will be the next stewards of out great natural resources heritage.

One of the challenges those of us who love the outdoors face is connecting, or in some cases, reconnecting our kids to the outdoors. Funding like this can go a long way to help support existing programs like Trout in the Classroom or the Archery in the Schools Program or high school fishing teams like the one at Orange County High School. It also means there will be resources for the states and local communities to start new programs.

Here in the Valley we are fortunate to have an abundance of outdoor opportunities and a rich heritage of hunting, fishing and conservation. But even the Valley is not immune from the distractions of modern society. Our young people need both guidance and opportunity to learn about and contribute to our rich natural resource heritage.

Unfortunately, fewer and fewer young people are being exposed to traditional outdoor recreation. They are out of touch with nature. They are missing the connection to hunting, fishing and the food on the table. They don’t learn about the connection of fish and wildlife habitat, natural resources conservation and economic activity.

We are facing an emerging “conservation gap”. As the population becomes more urbanized, the ties to nature and the value and need to conserve our fish and wildlife habitat is broken. The loss of this connection to our outdoor heritage poses a growing threat to conservation of that fish and wildlife habitat.

We must engage this and future generations in fish and wildlife related recreation and conservation. And, we have to do it on their terms and in a way that is relevant to them.

If Congress approves the funding, $40 million will be used to supplement existing programs at the Department of Interior. This will create greater opportunities to engage young people across all of the Department’s natural resources agencies.

The best part of this initiative is the new $30 million in funding for grants to state and tribal programs for hunting and fishing education and outreach. Special attention will paid to urban and minority youth programs.

The importance of reaching urban and minority youth cannot be over-stated. The model for wildlife conservation in this country is successful because it engaged hunters and anglers in conserving our natural resources. If that connection is lost because we fail to reach growing segment of our population then those of us that enjoy the great outdoors may lose the chance to pass it on to future generations.

You can read more of my columns at News Virginian.com

Learning on the Potomac

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I spend a fair amount of time in Washington, D.C. Recently, I was there for the Nation’s River’s Bass Tournament. The Nation’s River Bass Tournament is an annual event connecting students from Washington D.C. and nearby Virginia and Maryland schools with the outdoors.

The event is put on by Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The event takes place at National Harbor on the Potomac River in Maryland.

More than 300 students came out for a morning of fishing and education. The event helps raise money for Living Classrooms’ academic and workforce development programs. Last year the event raised over $40,000. Living Classroom uses a “hands-on” approach to education and job training. They use urban, natural and maritime resources as “living classrooms”.

Selected students had a chance to fish “tournament style” with volunteer bass “pros” from the local area. These anglers are organized by Captain Steve Chaonas of National Bass Guide Service. Chaconas, a former radio and TV talk show host, has been fishing on the Potomac for nearly forty years. He and his fellow “pros” make sure the kids learn while they are on the water.

Fishing from volunteer guide Peter Yanni’s boat, students Brennen Mayer and Kevin Brown boated the winning catch. Their five “keepers” total more than fifteen pounds with one “lunker” weighing five pounds and five ounces. Winmar Construction sponsored this winning team.

Students who did not go out to fish with the pros moved in groups to fifteen educational stations set up along the East Pier at National Harbor. They also had a chance to get out on the water on Living Classrooms’ ship, the Half Shell. The Half Shell, a Chesapeake Buyboat, is one of several “floating classrooms” that Living Classrooms conduct their shipboard education programs on.

The event much like the, Jim Range National Casting Call, helps highlight the Potomac River as an important economic, educational and community resource. The Potomac River is considered one of the top ten rivers in the country for largemouth bass fishing.

The Potomac is also home to both migratory fish like the stripped bass, American and Hickory shad and herring as well as freshwater fish like bass and sunfish.

If this event was any indication than I can personally attest to the excellent fishing. Twenty-plus boats went out Wednesday morning and by 11:30 a.m. everyone had returned with fish. Most boats returned with fish tipping the scales over three pounds.

Recreational Fishing is an important contributor to our national economy. In Virginia alone it accounts for more than $800 million in retail sales and 15,000 jobs each year. When anglers also make an important contribution by introducing fishing and conservation to young people who might not otherwise have a chance to participate in the sport then you have a real winning combination.

Last Thursday, representatives from the five federal agencies responsible for most of the federal investment in fishing and aquatic habitat provided a group of us an informal briefing on the funding they had proposed for fish and aquatic habitat programs.

Across the board, there was more funding proposed for the various fisheries programs than I have seen in a long time. There is also money included for more youth education including grants for programs to “educate and energize young hunters and anglers.”

Those investments are what will keep the wonderful outdoor recreation we have here possible.

You can read more of my columns at News Virginian.com

Roadless Rule gets a “time-out”

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The folks at TRCP have some good news from the Department of Agriculture!

Here is the Press Release:

Administration Takes Action to Safeguard Roadless Areas

Directive issued today defers backcountry management decisions to the secretary of Agriculture, helps conserve important fish and wildlife habitat and sustain outdoor traditions

WASHINGTON – A decision today by the Obama administration to issue a “timeout” on development of inventoried roadless areas was lauded by prominent outdoor-oriented groups that support responsible backcountry management and the exceptional sporting and recreational opportunities provided by these public lands. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association and Izaak Walton League of America support the move by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to issue a directive requiring high-level review of proposed backcountry development until permanent rules for these areas’ management can be resolved.

“We’re pleased that the administration has elected to undertake this action and affirm its support of responsible management of inventoried roadless areas,” said Joel Webster, TRCP associate director of campaigns, “and we look forward to working with Secretary Vilsack and the Department of Agriculture in ensuring that America’s outdoor traditions, including hunting and angling, are sustained by conserving these important backcountry public lands.”

Today’s memorandum from the Agriculture Department establishes the secretary’s “decision-making authority over the construction and reconstruction of roads and the cutting, sale or removal of timber in inventoried roadless areas on certain lands administered by the Forest Service.”

“Every American who appreciates and enjoys the vast range of amenities provided by our nation’s outdoors has reason to support today’s decision by the administration,” said Thomas O’Keefe, Pacific Northwest stewardship director for American Whitewater and OA roadless campaign director. “Whether they are climbers, hikers, backcountry skiers, mountain bikers or paddlers, outdoor recreationists agree that our national forest roadless areas play a crucial role in enabling and upholding our country’s outdoor traditions.”

Close to 60 million acres of roadless areas are encompassed within America’s national forests and grasslands. A series of conflicting court decisions regarding the 2001 roadless rule have left management of these areas unsettled for years. Many outdoors-oriented groups support national legislation that conserves America’s backcountry lands and the fish and wildlife, sporting and recreational resources they sustain.

“Thanks to decisive leadership by Secretary Vilsack, sportsmen and other outdoor recreationists can look forward to our continued ability to enjoy the irreplaceable fish and wildlife habitat and high-quality outdoor experiences facilitated by backcountry areas,” said Kevin Proescholdt, IWLA director of wilderness and public lands and member of the TRCP’s Roadless Initiative Working Group, “and we stand ready to assist the secretary in working to conserve these public lands into the long-term future.”

The secretary’s announcement also has implications for roadless areas located in Colorado, where the state has been engaged in developing a plan for their management. Specific projects proposed in Colorado roadless areas will be subject to secretarial-level review under the new directive because the Colorado roadless rule has not been completed.

“Today’s decision by the administration means that hastily finalizing the Colorado roadless rule won’t be in keeping with the way the rest of the national forests are being managed across the United States,” said Amy Roberts, OIA vice president of government affairs. “Responsible management of Colorado’s roadless areas will help maintain the billions of dollars annually generated by active outdoor recreation in this country. In today’s troubled economy, Americans are relying on sustainable forms of revenue like these more than ever.”

“Ultimately, America’s roadless areas are essential in supporting the range of public-lands outdoor traditions that form the bedrock of our national identity,” Webster concluded. “Every citizen has reason to applaud this reasonable and prescient move by the administration to guarantee that this unique identity will endure.”

RBFF Promotes National Fishing & Boating Week with Online Movement to Get Families Outside

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Here is some interesting news from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.

New Interactive Online Game Offers Chance to Win New Boat, Motor & Trailer.

ALEXANDRIA, VA (May 28, 2009) – There are tens of thousands of places to boat and fish in the U.S. – and for the 30th Anniversary of National Fishing & Boating Week (June 6-14), the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) is launching an online movement that encourages kids and their families to find one. RBFF is asking boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels to visit TakeMeFishing.org where they can learn, plan and equip themselves for a day on the water, find free fishing days and locate events in their area. Site visitors may also be eligible to win daily prizes and a brand new boat, motor and trailer when they play the new interactive game, “Catch A Boat.”

Since its 2005 reauthorization, RBFF has introduced more than 500,000 youth and newcomers to boating and fishing while raising more than $6 million for state conservation efforts. Beginning with National Fishing & Boating Week, RBFF is hoping to see families across the country get involved.

“I can give anyone three good reasons to go boating and fishing this summer,” said RBFF President & CEO Frank Peterson. “First, new research shows fishing is the number one gateway activity to get people interested in other outdoor activities. Second, it’s affordable and local at a time when many families are considering skipping their summer vacations all together. And third, participation in boating and fishing helps protect our nation’s waterways and fisheries, preserving them for future generations.”

To further encourage boating and fishing in 2009, RBFF has designed an interactive online game that lets TakeMeFishing.org visitors virtually “fish” for a chance to win a boat. Participants may be eligible to win daily prizes from one of RBFF’s sponsors – Dick’s Sporting Goods, Humminbird, Plano, Rapala, Simms, West Marine and Zebco – or the grand prize of a Triumph boat with an Evinrude motor and EZ Loader trailer. The Catch A Boat contest will go live at 12 p.m. CT on June 4, 2009, and run for seven weeks through boating and fishing season. For Official Rules and eligibility information, visit TakeMeFishing.org.

Catch A Boat is the latest online initiative from RBFF, which successfully re-launched its Take Me Fishing™ campaign Web site in April 2008. In its first year online, TakeMeFishing.org received 2.4 million unique visitors – up 129 percent from 2008 and 243 percent from 2007. RBFF also recruited more than 6,900 boaters and anglers to join its social network, Fishington – The Fishing & Boating Capital of the Internet – which debuted seven months ago and was recognized as an Official Webby Honoree in April 2009.

“Catch A Boat is designed to help RBFF meet multiple goals including increased traffic to our Web site and a boost in the number of Anglers’ Legacy Ambassadors and Discover Boating DVD requests,” added Peterson. “We hope our stakeholders will leverage the national Take Me Fishing campaign, which is now in full swing, to help inspire participation among their members and customers.”

National Fishing & Boating Week began as National Fishing Week in 1979 when industry and conservation leaders, state natural resource agencies and anglers organized a unified effort to introduce more young people to the sport and outdoor conservation. In 2001, responsibility for the week was handed off to RBFF.

National Fishing & Boating Week videos and images are available online.

About RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization established in 1998 to increase participation in recreational angling and boating. RBFF helps people discover, share and protect the legacy of boating and fishing through national outreach programs including the Take Me Fishing™ campaign and Anglers’ Legacy™.

The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act

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The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act, H.R. 2565 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 21, by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI).

The National Fish Habitat Partnerships are one step closer to congressional authorization. The legislation provides $75 million annually for fish habitat projects. The funding will help existing partnerships like the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture and the Western Native Trout Initiative do more on the ground projects. Future fish habitat partnerships will also be able to tap into these funds as well.

A companion bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate in early June.