creeks and streams

[blacktail]

#6581

during bow season here in central oregon…i have seen alot of cattle doing so much damage to creeks and streams it really worries me..and there is some lovely trout fishing in them..not big trout just little guys..BUT,i would think even the little ones should have some one speak for them…is there any ideas how one person could do some thing about this..i dont want to be the guy that worries and complanes and does nothing..thanks john

[lbman77]

#52856

That may be a stickey one. It would fall under the “envoronmental issue” category. Which brings environmental groups (I’m definitely not a fan of them, just my personal view) into the mix. I’m not a rancher or dairyman, but most of them have a good working relationship with various state agencies to both address environmental concerns and to run a profitable cattle/dairy operation. I think your best bet would be contacting one or several of those agencies, or the local cattle grower’s association. The thing to keep in mind is to keep, as much as possible, a good relationship with said ranchers/dairymen. From personal experience, they tend to take things personally because it means their livelihood, and I don’t blame them. Point being, just tread lightly while, at the same time, voicing your concern.

Best of luck.

[Alexandre Bugnon]

#53087

That’s a topic on which I hope David Petersen will chime in! My knowledge is limited and it’s a probably a complicated issue if the state or BLM are involved. I also understand that illegal grazing on public land is common practice in the West. I would think that great organizations like Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Trout Unlimited could do something about it. That’s my one cent.

[Stephen Graf]

#53145

lbman77 wrote: That may be a stickey one. It would fall under the “envoronmental issue” category. Which brings environmental groups (I’m definitely not a fan of them, just my personal view)…

Best of luck.

Boy-o-boy if I was to respond, Mom would delete this thread and kick me off here 😯 This thread is too important for that, so I’ll let the cooler and infinitely better man Leopold speak for me:

“Industrial landowners and users, especially lumbermen and stockmen, are inclined to wail long and loudly about the extension of government ownership and regulation to land, but (with notable exceptions) they show little disposition to develop the only visible alternative: the voluntary

practice of conservation on their own lands.”

Thanks for raising my blood pressure this morning 😳

[David Coulter]

#53232

There was a dairy farm here in the Poconos that had its pastures around a small pristine creek full of wild brook and brown trout upstream and nothing but chubs and suckers downstream. The local agency tried for years to have fences put up but met great resistance due to spoiling the farm. Later, when a younger family member took over, they fenced the creek off. The herd and farm did fine and the creek began to return to a healthy state. Everyone won but it took a change in attitude. The old fellow just didn’t want to be told what to do. Can’t blame him for that but the health of a beautiful stream was damaged for decades. Perhaps the first meeting about it was not done with the right sensitivity to all needs. Hard to say. Dwc

[Doc Nock]

#53257

Back in PA, the Deleware Water Shed Conservancy (or some such group) raised cane for a while…Lancaster County, PA, in that watershed, had tons of dairy farms…there was some progress made to stop the filth and pollution in tributaries to all streams coming out of dairy farm pastures with small trickles to larger creeks…

but it seemed to me in more recent years, that lost traction. I’d see cattle again hogging up all the waterways that ran into, around or had trickles feeding them…turned red with manure runoff, and muddied by the hooves of cattle slopping around.

As stated above, Environmentalists tend to throw the baby out with the washwater, but then hunters/fisherman were the first and foremost conservationists, and without them, there’d be nothing left to save!

Good luck!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#53258

Are these creeks on public land? If so, I would start by contacting the land mgmt. agency responsible for administering those lands, and let them know your concerns. From past experience, that may, or may not, produce the desired result.

Or, is the grazing happening on private land bordering the creek? If so, that’s a different issue, and a trickier one. It will usually require convincing the landowner of the value of fencing off the creek. As others have said, approaching this carefully and constructively is key.

Is there a local watershed group, Trout Unlimited chapter, etc. in the area? I would also talk to them, and see if they are aware of what is happening. Sometimes, these groups have experience negotiating with landowners on these types of issues, and may have more info and background to help with producing the desired result.

[grumpy]

#53670

TROUT UNLIMITED.

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