Lower Columbia Fish Recovery

One of the yearly activities I engage in is site visits for projects proposed for funding by the Lower Columbia River Fish Recovery Board.   The projects that we are looking at are intended to help recover salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act.  Fish recovery boards were established by the State of Washington in the late 1990’s to coordinate recover actions and administer State and Federal funds for fisheries restoration.  Generally, the process works like this:

·        the recovery board announces the availability and timeline for applications for a new funding round;

·        meets with project proponents to explain the application process;

·        receives draft applications from applicants;

·        schedules site visits for proposed projects;

·        schedules a draft review with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC);

·        provides comments back to applicants to incorporate into final applications;

·        schedules a final project review and ranking with the TAC;

·        presents the TAC recommended project list to the board for approval.

There are a few other steps at the State level, but basically this is the process that starts again the following year.  Below are photos taken during this years’first-day site visits for proposed projects in May.

Rock Creek looking upstream from the bridge.  This is a preservation project to maintain good conditions in a productive stream.

Rock Creek in the Lewis River Basin.  Sometimes conditions can be hazardous.  Proposed project is land acquisition to protect existing habitat values.



This is a side-channel site on the East Fork Lewis River that is being proposed as a design project to improve habitat conditions.  The East Fork Lewis River can be seen in the background.

Upper Daybreak Park site on the East Fork Lewis River, site of proposed project to add cover and habitat complexity for fish.  Note the lack of features in the existing channel, as well as bank erosion on the meander bend.

This is a site on the East Fork Lewis River near the town of La Center Washington.  The project is a design project to augment fish habitat in the existing wetland.



Submitted by Ron Rhew

Smoked Salmon and Cheddar Cheese Biscuits Recipe

Salty and cheesy with an orange tint from the carrot juice; these biscuits are splendid as well as nutritious and a worthy replacement for cookies as an after school snack during this festive Halloween season. It’s fun to watch the kids decorate the biscuits and gobble them up fresh out of the oven!

Yield: 12 large biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 stick (2 ounces) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus more for brushing
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup finely diced smoked salmon
• 1/2 cup carrot juice2 eggs, beaten

Decorate:

• 12 black or green olives

Brush on Top:

•  2 tablespoons butter, melted
•  ½ teaspoon paprika powder

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour with the sugar, baking powder, salt and paprika.
3. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives, until it's the size of large peas.
4. Stir in the cheese and salmon and make a well in the center.
5. In a small bowl, combine the carrot juice and eggs. Pour the liquid into the well and quickly stir until the dough is well combined and holds together.
6. Drop dough in 12 equal mounds about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet.
7. Flatten with fork and decorate with olive pieces.
8. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
9. When biscuits come out of the oven, use a brush to spread butter/paprika over the tops of all the biscuits. Serve hot.

Submitted by Valerie Sinesky 

Christina Uh - Pathways Hire

I would like to introduce you to Christina Uh.  She began working for the Columbia River Fisheries Program Office in July of 2012.  She was hired through the Pathways program.   Pathways is a hiring program designed by the Office of Personnel Management for current students and recent graduates seeking careers with the federal government.    Christina is of Mayan and Navajo descent and is the first member of her family to attend college.   She is a student at Portland State University seeking a degree in Environmental Sciences.  Christina‘s anatomy and physiology teacher at Forest Gove High School, Dr. Romanick,  saw tremendous potential in Christina and encouraged her to further her education.  Although she was hired as an office assistant, Christina has had a variety of experiences working for the Fish and Wildlife Service.    Over the summer, she took the lead in a lamprey feeding study at Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery.   Some of her other experiences include volunteering to herd deer on the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge,  helping with electrofishing surveys, and even cleaning fish hatchery raceways.    In addition to working for the CRFPO, Christina also works at the Native America Student and Community Center while attending Portland State.    Christina has been a tremendous addition to the CRFPO and we support her in her pursuit of a career in natural resources.

 

 

Submitted by Larry Fishler

Stickleback Trivia

For those of us who have ever sampled fish, the three-spined stickleback is no stranger.  There have been times I have counted hundreds, sometimes thousands of stickleback in a day.  In honor of this little, sometimes often overlooked fish, I'd like to share some stickleback trivia with you. 

Trivia #1
 The common name of this fish is derived from the three sharp spines on the back in front of the dorsal fin.  The sides of the stickleback are usually covered with large bony plates.

Trivia #2
During mating season, the male develops bright colors and becomes quite aggressive.  They perform a courtship ritual to entice females to lay their eggs inside a hollow nest. After the female lays her eggs and leaves the nest, the male takes over parental duties, guarding the fertilized eggs, and if necessary, fanning them with his tail to provide them with oxygen.

Trivia #3
The colorful, aggressive male sticklebacks, became excellent examples of  fixed-action patterns of behavior when jealous stickleback males held in aquaria would try to attack red British mail trucks when they could see them through the glass of their tanks.  Read more.

Trivia #3
Sticklebacks can be found in fresh, brackish, or salt water and is native to much of northern Europe, northern Asia, and North America. 

Trivia #4
Catches of stickleback were once so numerous that the fish were used as fertilizer for farmlands in Europe.

Trivia #5
In Britain, the stickleback is sometimes referred to as a "tiddler", the first small fish caught by school children.  Charles Dickens wrote of the stickleback in the Pickwick Papers and called them "tiddle-bats".

Trivia #6
These fish have recently become a major research organism for evolutionary biologists trying to understand the genetic changes involved in adapting to new environments.
Nature:  Stickleback genomes reveal path of evolution
YouTube:  Stickleback Evolution

Blast from the Past: Rough and Tumble

Umatilla NWR was considering “creative” options for increasing revenue when this ad was posted. What’s really amazing is the estimate to how much they could make off of selling tumbleweeds. Just goes to show you… “one man’s trash….”

 On a side note, do not try and run over tumbleweeds. They may look like a brittle, little bush, but there’s a trunk in the middle of it and it will do a number on your car.

 

Submitted by Nadia Jones

Catch a Special Thrill

The weather could not have been nicer.  The fish were feisty and ready to bite.  Everything was in place for the C.A.S.T. (Catch a Special Thrill) event facilitated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The event was held at Bonneville Hatchery, a great location in the Columbia River gorge.  About 40 people, aged seven to adult signed up for the event. 

Just around 9am, the first waves of families began to arrive to claim their fishing pole, tackle box, t-shirt, and hat.  I met Sarah just as she arrived and decided to help her fish and enjoy the other activities.  We gathered our gear and headed directly to the fishing pond.  No, Sarah did not need any casting lessons at the casting station.  She was ready to catch her first fish.  No more than a minute went by after her worm hit the water when she got a bite.  Her fish was the first of many fish to be caught that day.

Fishing was by far the most popular activity of the day but other activities included a casting station, salmon migration mini golf, a water safety demonstration, and a wheel to spin and win prizes.  And of course, we can’t forget the biggest fish at the event either.  That would be Herman the Sturgeon and his friends.   The day ended with a BBQ lunch and a ceremony in which each individual was called up to receive a plaque with their picture.  A nice souvenir to remember the day. 

This event was made possible by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the C.A.S.T. Foundation, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kiwanis, and United Cerebral Palsy of Oregon and SW Washington.  

Tasty Trouble ...

  In a blind taste test, consumers rated this canned fish equal to or better than canned tuna and salmon.  What fish?  For the answer to this question (and many more), visit our aquatic nuisance species webpage.