TUCKASEIGEE RIVER CHAPTER # 373 OF TROUT UNLIMITED January 2014

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1 Tuck Tales TUCKASEIGEE RIVER CHAPTER # 373 OF TROUT UNLIMITED January 2014 Conservation Groups Reach Agreement with Forest Service on Logging at Courthouse Creek C Asheville, NC December 16, 2013! onservation groups reached an! agreement with the Forest Service that will allow the agency to move forward with the controversial Courthouse Creek timber sale. The agreement reduces the size of the timber sale, removing logging from significant ecological areas and steep slopes in the headwaters of the French Broad River. The agreement resolves an administrative appeal filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of the Wilderness Society, Wild South and the Western North Carolina Alliance. The project attracted considerable public concern, reflected in the volume of comments submitted to the Forest Service. Under the agreement, those aspects of the project focusing on ecological restoration, habitat creation, and old growth designation remain intact. We are pleased to find a way forward that protects the integrity of this special place, said D.J. Gerken, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. Todayʼs resolution will provide lasting benefits for this ecologically, recreationally, and culturally significant area. One of the most controversial aspects of the project involved logging in a state-recognized Significant Natural Heritage Area, widely recognized to be important habitat for rare plant and animal species. As a result of changes to the project under

2 Roads are one of, if not the primary cause, of water quality problems on the forest, said Hugh Irwin, conservation planner with the Wilderness Society. Decommissioning the road just makes sense. It saves the Forest Service money by reducing the size of its road system, protects important trout habitat around Courthouse Creek, and ensures that this road stops causing environmental damage. this agreement, logging previously planned for those areas will be significantly reduced. I could go on about how important the area is ecologically. The bottom line is people in Western North Carolina understand that some places are just too special to log and develop said Josh Kelly, biologist with the Western North Carolina Alliance. Weʼve been asking the Forest Service to leave this area alone for years. Today we made important steps towards protecting this Significant Natural Heritage Area. A key piece of the agreement involves decommissioning approximately five miles of Forest Service Road that ran through the State Natural Heritage Area. Decommissioning includes returning the road to a more sustainable state by removing culverts and artificial stream crossings, re-grading the road to a more natural contour and seeding the roadbed. This work will be completed by the Forest Service in a partnership with the Western North Carolina Alliance who, along with partners, will explore opportunities to provide recreational access. Roads are one of, if not the primary cause, of water quality problems on the forest, said Hugh Irwin, conservation planner with the Wilderness Society. Decommissioning the road just makes sense. It saves the Forest Service money by reducing the size of its road system, protects important trout habitat around Courthouse Creek, and ensures that this road stops causing environmental damage. We want people to experience the beauty and ecological richness that this area provides, said Ben Prater, associate executive director of Wild South. Our goal was to preserve that experience for future generations by protecting this area. Today we think we met that goal. l This article was a press release from the Southern Environmental law Center - photo by Larry Tucker January 2014!!!!!!!!!!! Page 2

3 Saving Native Fish: When does a Barrier Help? By Brian Hodge In the world of fisheries conservation, we often emphasize the importance of large, interconnected habitats and populations. Generally speaking, a trout population that occupies 25 miles of stream is more likely to persist than a trout population that occupies only 5 miles of stream. Also, because some streams are more suitable than others for spawning and rearing, we spend a lot of time removing passage barriers from streams so that fish have options. Now that the importance of stream connectivity is clear, Iʼll the muddy the waters. In Colorado and elsewhere, TU partners on both barrier removal and barrier construction projects in some instances our goal is to facilitate movement of fishes and in other instances our goal is to prevent movement of fishes. Unfortunately, thereʼs no one-size-fits-all formula for determining when and where stream connectivity should be expanded vs. restricted. Rather, a number of factors, such as downstream threats and extent of habitat, must be considered. These factors are often offsets where barrier construction is concerned: construct a barrier too far downstream and you increase the risk of locking a fox in the chicken coop; construct a barrier too far upstream and you risk isolating a fatally small and unsustainable population. In short, scientific principles must be weighed and evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Cases and points: Poose Creek, a tributary to the East Fork Williams Fork, is occupied by a population of native Colorado River Cutthroat Trout. Unfortunately, an impassible concrete culvert on Poose Creek has long prevented cutthroat from accessing the headwaters. To reconnect Poose Creek and expand the distribution of cutthroat, TU and the U.S. Forest Service are constructing a fish ladder within the culvert. An upstream view of the fish barrier on Trout Creek: Meanwhile, and not far from Poose Creek, a population of native Colorado River Cutthroat Trout occupies the headwaters of Trout Creek. This population was at imminent risk to invasion of whirling disease-infected nonnative trout. Whirling disease can result in mortality of native cutthroat. Nonnative trout compete with and sometimes hybridize with native cutthroat. To secure cutthroat in Trout Creek from these threats, TU, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the U.S. Forest Service constructed a fish passage barrier. One of my colleagues jokingly refers to this concurrent practice of removal and construction as hypocrisy. I call it strategy. Brian Hodge is northwest Colorado project manager for TU's Colorado Water Project. l Above article from TUʼs website posted January 2014!!!!!!!!!!! Page 3

4 District Wildlife Commissioners Appointed by Governor RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 19, 2013) Gov. Pat McCrory has appointed three men as district commissioners to the 19-member governing board of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Brian White, of Manteo, will represent District 1, which includes Hertford, Gates, Currituck, Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan, Bertie, Martin, Washington, Tyrrell, Dare and Hyde counties. He is on the board of the Dare County Boat Builders Foundation, and enjoys fishing and boating. Joseph R. Budd, of Winston-Salem, will represent District 7, which includes Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes, Alleghany, Alexander, Iredell, Yadkin, Davie, Forsyth, Stokes and Surry counties. He belongs to the Winston-Salem Rotary Club. He enjoys quail hunting, fishing and sporting clays. Albert L. Sneed, of Asheville, will represent District 9, which includes Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Swain, Macon, Jackson, Haywood, Transylvania, Madison, Buncombe, Polk and Henderson counties. He is previous chairman of the Buncombe County Land Conservation Advisory Board. He enjoys fishing, upland game bird hunting and windsurfing. Wildlife commissioners establish policies and regulations governing hunting, fishing, boating, and wildlife-conservation activities in North Carolina. Appointments to the Commission are made by the Governor, the Speaker of the State House and the President Pro Tempore of the State Senate. Wildlife commissioners serve until reappointed or replaced. All three men received the oath of office in local ceremonies. White and Budd will serve six-year terms that end June 30, Sneed s term of office ends on April 25, 2017, because he is filling an unexpired term of the previous District 9 commissioner, who resigned last year. The next wildlife commissioners meeting is scheduled for Jan. 30 at agency headquarters located at 1751 Varsity Drive, Raleigh, on the Centennial Campus of N.C. State University. Information on wildlife commissioners and how to contact them is available at Commissioners.aspx l January 2014!!!!!!!!!!! Page 4

5 SHARE WITH YOUR CHAPTER be an active member Do you have something youʼd like to share with the chapter? An announcement, news, or topic that you feel would be of interest to fellow members? We are always seeking submissions to Tuck Tales for our future editions. Please let your editor know by sending your information to: Craig Forrest Backcast! T uckaseigee Chapter did not have a December " meeting. We will resume normal regular meetings on Tuesday, January 7, 2014.l TCTU has a number of committees that need members like you to participate. Please consider contacting a committee chairperson to volunteer to serve on the committee that most interests you. Send your requests to President Dick Sellers at dick.sellers@frontier.com to let him know which committee you are interested in, and he will forward your name to the chairperson. Help TCTU by getting involved with one of the committees listed below. Communications Fund raising membership programs publicity fishing trips Winter - A great time for tying! Think about supporting TU with a Back The Brookie TU license plate! Tuckaseigee Chapter of Trout Unlimited serves Jackson, Macon, and Swain Counties. We meet the first Tuesday of every month in the Community Room at the rear of the United Community Bank of Highway 107 South in Sylva at 6:30 PM. A meal is provided by the Grub Committee at a cost of $5 per person. Guests are invited to join us at no charge. January 2014 Page 5

6 FLY OF THE MONTH Do you have a pattern that you'd like to submit for our Tuck Tales Fly Of The Month article? If you can take a few digital photos of your fly tying effort, please do so and provide a short description of how to tie your pattern. Most point-and-shoot digital cameras have a flash and macro photography capability. Come on. Give it a try. Share that secret pattern with your fellow members! We'll include your fly in an up-coming issue of Tuck Tales! Please send an to Craig Forrest craigforrest@sleepyhollowstudio.com UPCOMING EVENTS Next TCTU Meeting: January 7 th, United Community bank, Sylva, NC NCWRC Public Hearing, Murphy, NC, January 14 th, 2014 The Fall issue of Trout Magazine is now available on-line at: trout-magazine January 2014 Page 6

7 "! uck chapter did not meet in December. T Editor s Cast We will resume our regular monthly meetings in 2014 beginning with the January 7 th meeting. As a reminder, elections were held in November for offices beginning in Results were: President: Richard Echelman Vice President: Larry Tucker Past President: Dick Sellers Secretary: Ted Kubit Treasurer: Craig Green Directors: Lee Ewart, Delos Monteith & Dick Sellers Newsletter/Website: Craig Forrest G! reat! Smoky Mountains National Park Fisheries Biologist, Steve Moore, will be retiring on January 10, Steve has worked tirelessly in efforts to help restore native brook trout to streams in the Smokies and was instrumental in the 2007 decision by the Park Service to once again allow the harvesting of that species in certain designated park streams. Forward Cast Tuck Chapterʼs January 7th meeting will be at the United Community Bank meeting room in Sylva. The program for the meeting will be provided by Curtis Frisbee, Manager of Rivers Edge Outfitters in Cherokee. His program will be about winter fly fishing techniques. Members of Tuck chapter worked with Steve and Matt Kulp in the recent past to help remove non-native trout from some streams in the effort to restore native brook trout. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Steve for the success of the program to restore brook trout in the park. l January 2014 Page 7

8 Rivercourse Schedule Announced for 2014 Dates: June 15-20, 2012 (Sunday - Friday) Age Group: Group Size: 16 Campers Tuition: $595 per camper. Early registration is encouraged to reserve a space. Additional information will be sent upon acceptance to camp. Tuition is not due until the applicant is notified that he/she has been accepted. Some financial assistance is available if needed. Campers are lodged in multiple room cottages. Each bedroom has a set of twin beds and a private bathroom. All linens and towels are provided. Meals are served in a modern dining hall, part of which is set up as a permanent classroom. A typical Day at Camp: Wake-up! Fishing / Fly Tying Breakfast Fishing / Fly Tying Guest Speaker Swimming Lunch Guest Speaker, Crafts, Fly Tying, Knots, Casting Dinner Fishing Fly Tying Cottage Time Lights Out Rivercourse Business Partners: About Rivercourse: The goal of Rivercourse is to introduce the campers to coldwater conservation and fly fishing. Campers will receive on-stream fly fishing instruction mornings and evenings. Campers will participate in a field trip to the nearby Davidson River to learn about the importance of riparian buffers. Their planting of some native species will reinforce the lesson. Also included are fish dissection and a tour of the fish hatchery. Classroom instruction is both outdoors and indoors. Swimming is an optional activity under adult supervision with certified lifeguards. Subjects are taught by volunteers from Trout Unlimited, the NC Wildlife Resource Commission, the US Forest Service, the US Park Service, and other organizations. TU chapters and members throughout the state support the camp with time, money, and materials. A Rivercourse Fund has been established to produce annual income for sponsorships and operational expenses. Curtis Wright Outfitters Davidson River Outfitters One Fly Outfitters Hunter Banks East Tennessee On The Fly Tuckaseigee Chapter has provided tuition for a camper at the Rivercourse TU Summer Camp at Lake Logan in Haywood County each year for the past several years. l The Grub Committee for the January 7 th meeting will be Ted Kubit and Craig Green. January 2014 Page 8

9 SEND IN A FISHING REPORT! Tuck Tales would like to feature your fishing report. This could be from a recent or past fishing trip. We donʼt care where you went or what you fished for. Maybe you fished the Tuck, or some other water outof-state or maybe another country! Just send in your report including who went, where, when, what water was fished, the tackle used, photos if you have them, and what were the results. Send to: Craig Forrest craigforrest@sleepyhollowstudio.com Tuck Tales is published 12 times per year by Tuckaseigee Chapter of Trout Unlimited, a non-profit organization, for its members and supporters. Edited by Craig Forrest. Please address comments to: Tuck Tales P.O. Box 3196 Cullowhee, NC craigforrest@sleepyhollwstudio.com The Tuckaseigee Chapter has a web presence at: Don t Miss Your Chance! Tuckaseigee Chapter is offering a chance to win a new fly rod at each meeting! This fine 4-piece, 7.5 foot, IM-12, 3-4 weight rod was built by fellow chapter member Jim Mills and would make a great addition to your collection. The quality of the rod is very impressive. The rod will come with an aluminum case. Jim has been offering hand-crafted, high quality graphite and bamboo rods through his Raven Fork Rods company for over 40 years. Members can purchase chances at $1 each ($5 gets you 6 tickets) to be selected to then draw a card from a standard deck. If you draw the special card youʼll win the rod. Thatʼs quite a good reason to attend the next meeting. You could go home with this beautiful rod! January 2014 Page 9

10 Examples of apparel with the Tuckaseigee Chapter embroidery January 2014 Page 10

11 Happening at WATR Upcoming WATR Events January Jan 29th, Tuesday 6-7:45pm Association Public Meeting February Feb 2nd, Saturday: 10am Scott Creek Cleanup at Monteith Farmstead Park Feb 26th, Tuesday: 6:15-7:30pm, Annual Public Meeting. Ginger Lynn Welch Complex Community Room on Aquoni Road on the Cherokee Qualla Boundary. Come at 5:30pm for light fare and pre-meeting social. March: March 2nd, Saturday: 10am - Scott Creek Cleanup at Monteith Farmstead Park March 16th: Double Green Party, Nantahala Brewery, Bryson City. Get a ticket or pay at the door. 6:00 PM (or come at about 8:00, after the Smoky Mountain Roller Girls exhibition!) January 2014 Page 11

12 Regulation Reminders D" elayed-harvest Trout Waters trout waters, excluding " tributaries except as noted, may be fished only with " artificial lures with one single hook. No natural bait may be possessed, and no trout may be harvested or possessed while fishing these waters between Oct. 1, 2011 and 30 minutes after sunset on June 1, These waters are closed to fishing between 30 minutes after sunset on June 1 and 6 a.m. on June 2. At 6 a.m. on June 2, 2012, these waters open to fishing for youths under 16 years old under Hatchery-Supported regulations no bait restriction, no minimum length limit and seven-troutper-day creel limit. At 12 p.m. on June 2, 2012, these waters open for all anglers under Hatchery-Supported regulations. These waters are marked with black-and-white signs. W" ild Trout: Natural Bait trout waters and their tributaries, " except as noted, may be fished with artificial lures or " natural bait, except live fish. Lures and natural baits are restricted to one single hook. The minimum length limit is seven inches, and the daily creel limit is four trout. These streams are marked with brown-and-gold signs. Please read the detailed fishing regulations for more information January 2014 Page 12

13 Chapter Officers TUCKASEIGEE CHAPTER # 373 OF TROUT UNLIMITED Richard Echelman- President" " " " richardalan1@frontier.com Larry Tucker - V. Pres." " " " " lwtucker@morrisbb.net Dick Sellers - Past President" " " " dick.sellers@frontier.com Craig Green - Treasurer"" " " " cngreen@bellsouth.net Ted Kubit - Secretary" " " " " tkubit@frontier.com Lee Ewart - Director" " " " " duramax7710@gmail.com Delos Monteith - Director" " " " delos@southwesterncc.edu Craig Forrest - Newsletter Editor"/Webmaster" " craigforrest@sleepyhollowstudio.com Manufactured by clouds. Aged in ice. Brought to you by gravity. Quantities are limited. TU.org January Hatches INSECT EMERGENCE PATTERN TINY WINTER BLACK STONE FLY MIDGES (DIPTERA) ALL MONTH LATE AM- EARLY PM ALL MONTH LATE AM-LATE PM HENRYVILLE SPECIAL GRIFFITH GNAT 20 BLACK STONE NYMPH BLACK/GREY MIDGE GRIFFITH GNAT MIDGE PUPA SMALL DUN CADDIS MID-DAY - MID PM 18 HENRYVILLE SPECIAL 18 GREY CADDIS PUPA January 2014 Page 13