Drops of Water April 2000

-

• The Sneaky Little Salmon
• TO THE EDITOR
• Tread Lightly!
• Twenty Five Years of Clean Water
• THROUGH THE SLOUGH WITH THE TIDE
• Some Local Books
• PROTECTING OUR HEALTH FROM SOURCE TO
• Islands of the Past Preserved for the Future
• FACTOID
• Tread Lightly!
• Tread Lightly! Pledge and Principles
• Make A Difference and Make a Statement

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

The Sneaky Little Salmon

---

Mike Kelly, USFWS

According to Webster's Dictionary, the verb "anthropomorphize" means: to attribute human form or personality to nonhuman things.

For example, we say that birds sing because they are happy. (It would be more accurate to anthropomorphize them as being really ticked-off when they sing.) Or you might think that dogs are giving us kisses when they lick our faces. (Yeah, right. You don't really want to know what dogs are doing when they lick your face.) Anyway, the point is that you will almost always be wrong when you anthropomorphize. In fairness, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to avoid it. But we should at least be aware that we do it. Be aware that I plan to do it throughout the rest of this little story.

There's one little character out there that you definitely don't want to anthropomorphize. In human values, this guy is sneaky and shameful, and violates at least two of the Ten Commandments. (Well, I just checked it out and I believe he may actually break up to six of the Ten Commandments.) You might conclude that this is one bad dude. But really, he is just being himself, and doing what comes naturally.

I am, of course, talking about jack salmon.

A jack is a salmon that reaches sexual maturity and returns to freshwater at an early age. In other words, they are "precocious." Coho jacks typically spend only about six months in the ocean, as compared to about 18 months for full grown coho. Jacks attempt to spawn, but use a different set of tactics than regular males in their quest to fertilize eggs.

Unlike regular "hooknose" male coho, jacks do not develop the traits that would allow them to fight for a mate. They do not have the hooked jaws, large teeth, protective cartilage, and red coloration of their full-sized rivals. Jacks resort to sneaking rather than fighting.

Here's the scene: You have your large male and female already paired off. She is digging in the gravel with her tail, and he is along side quivering and nudging and all that. (Actually, this mating ritual appears to be very complex, with many distinct behaviors that only the fish understand.) Anyway, while those two are going at it, a little jack may be lurking nearby. I've been able to watch jacks a couple of times, and they appeared to follow the distracted pair quite closely. The pair moves two inches to the left, and so does the jack. It looks like he is trying to stay as close as possible, without being detected. When detected he is chased off (by the female when I've been watching), only to resume his sneaking around as soon as the pair gets back to business.

I had the distinct (anthropomorphized) impression that the jacks were more alert and intelligent than the big salmon. Of course, it's just a different behavior, but I suppose that the sneaker always looks more aware and smarter than the sneakee. The jack's behavior also seemed funny to me. So there I was sprawled out in the duff with my head poking through a bush, laughing at the jack, and feeling superior because I'm even sneakier than him, when I get the feeling that someone is watching me and laughing and feeling superior to me. I took a quick glance around, didn't see anyone/anything, and went back to watching. Unfortunately, it got dark before the climactic moment.

Had it not become dark, what I expected to see was the jack quickly dart in as the female was releasing eggs, and try to fertilize some himself. That's the idea.

How does a salmon become a jack? There are several factors that influence whether a salmon becomes a jack. At least with coho, the larger a smolt is when it enters the ocean, the more likely it is to become a jack. If ocean conditions favor high growth rates during the first few months, more are likely to become jacks. There are other factors as well, but in general it is a combination of genetic and environmental factors that makes jacks.

What about jills? A jill would be the female counterpart to a jack - an early maturing female. Jills are known to occur, but they are very rare, and may or may not have viable eggs.

So WHY does a salmon become a jack? You don't typically see a behavior persist if there is no advantage to it. So then the question becomes, "What advantage do you gain by being a jack?" The most obvious reason is that a jack coho spends one less year in the ocean, thereby avoiding the dangers of the deep, and a year's worth of chance death. A jack's chances of actually reaching the spawning grounds can be greater than a full-sized individual's. But once spawning begins, the jack's chances of fertilizing very many eggs may be less than a full-sized individual's. So there seems to be some trade-off.

Jacks may be important to the overall salmon population for several reasons. For example, they may help rebuild a year class after some catastrophic event. (A "year class" is that portion of a salmon run or stock that is born in a particular year.) Say a year class in a particular stream is wiped out in a huge flood, or a volcanic eruption, or some thoroughly modern catastrophe like a derailed toxic chemical tanker train. A combination of jacks and a few stray fish from other stream systems may be the only ones who return to rebuild the lineage of the lost year class. The jack would be especially important in this case because he could contribute any genetic adaptations of his run to the rebuilding process. If the year class were rebuilt entirely from strays, genetic adaptations that make the native run especially suited to their home stream system could be lost.

Admittedly, a lot of this information about the genetic contributions and other roles of jacks is highly speculative. (But, hey, to me the best part of biology is going out to observe it, and the second best part is speculating about complicated ecological relationships.) Anyway, a biologist might reasonably assume that these relationships exist. And since, as they say, "Absence of proof is not proof of absence," reasonable assumptions should at least be considered in management decisions.

This is why I was pleased to hear that salmon hatcheries in Washington include jacks in their spawning selections. Face it, jacks are not a desirable component of sport or commercial fisheries, so why would a hatchery want to include jacks? Probably because hatchery managers recognize that jacks are likely to be an important, though unproven, part of salmon ecology.

In some areas fishery managers can use the number of returning jacks in one year to help predict how large the next year's run of salmon will be. Presumably, the more jacks that return, the more fish that are out there to come back next year. Unfortunately, this works better in principle than it does in real life. There are a lot of variables at work out there in the wild. It does work better for some species of salmon, and also works better in some regions than others.

So next fall when the salmon return keep an eye out for those sneaky little scoundrels, and try to laugh with them, not at them.

Mike Kelly, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 360-753-9560, mike_kelly@fws.gov

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

TO THE EDITOR

---

You asked for comments, so here goes--I do read much of DROPS OF WATER and enjoy the information in readable form. I am a 70 year old writer (have written four books of local history), who is aware that one can never have too much knowledge on any subject.

In the September issue, I especially liked reading about the Humptulips River (I love the name), "Just say 'No'..., and Ground Water ....

My childhood was very much connected to water--the "Stump Ranch" I grew up on was one mile north of Salkum. Mill Creek crossed our 80 acres and provided many happy experiences of playing and swimming in it. Mill Creek is a long one originating north of Cinebar and flowing directly into the Cowlitz River below Salkum. It's named because of the grist mill built on the falls by the pioneer William Hammill. In the 1920-1930's, the Chehalis lumber mill was built on Mill Creek in Salkum damming it to form the log pond. Year later, the splash area at the foot of the dam created a great swimming hole well used all summer.

A small tributary, Beaver Creek, flowed into Mill Creek on our property. True to its name, a beaver dam caused part of our pasture to flood, consequently my mother and I tore out the dam every summer. I suppose that would be BAD nowadays. but worse was when my dad bulldozed across a loop in Mill Creek to shorten it and eliminate the loop. Big BAD, nowadays!

My folks didn't move to Morton until I was in college. My husband and I have lived in town, too, so our children didn't have the pleasure of having a creek to enjoy. Anyhow, they didn't know what they missed.

One delightful experience I had on Mill Creek was watching a trout build a nest in fine gravel from the prospective of one foot above the water. There were many more, some not so delightful as when I fell off a log crossing the creek into April's cold water. I was embarrassed, in addition to being well chilled by the time I got to the house.

Our water supply came from a fine year-round spring on the hillside and was piped across the flat and the creek, so we had a gravity system--not much water pressure, but good water and we didn't have to dig a well. We didn't have power for several years during which my mother used a water-power washing machine she found in a second-hand store. It worked slowly, but it worked!

I could go on and on, but I'll just conclude by saying I enjoy DROPS OF WATER and appreciate the good job you do.

LaVonne M. Sparkman

Morton, WA

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

Tread Lightly!

---

T ravel and recreate with minimum impact

R espect the environment and the rights of others

E ducate yourself, plan and prepare before you go

A llow for future use of the outdoors, leave it better than you found it

D iscover the rewards of responsible recreation

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

Twenty Five Years of Clean Water

---

Source: U.S. EPA

Water is the liquid of life; it makes up two-thirds of our bodies, yet most of us take the safety of our drinking water for granted. The U.S. has one of the safest public drinking water supplies in the world, and the quality of our drinking water has improved over the last 25 years. However, challenges exist now and for the future which require the participation of all consumers if we are to maintain high quality water supplies.

As a global society, we have learned a great deal about drinking water quality throughout history. However, there is still much to learn about the health effects of drinking water contaminants, the monitoring and treatment technologies required to detect and remove contaminants, and ways to protect our water sources.

The ability to improve drinking water quality and human health through research, technology, and protection programs is dependent on our commitment as a society to invest in drinking water. To plan for the future, we must first evaluate our progress thus far in providing and protecting this vital resource. That is the intent of this report.

Drinking Water Prior to 1974

Ancient civilizations established themselves around water sources. While the importance of ample water quantity for drinking and other purposes was apparent to our ancestors, an understanding of drinking water quality was not well known or documented. Although historical records have long mentioned aesthetic problems (an unpleasant appearance, taste or smell) with regard to drinking water, it wasn't until the early 1900s that standards for water quality, other than for general clarity, existed.

However, prior to that time, people had observed that some waters seemed to produce disease, while others did not. Gradually, people recognized that their senses alone were not accurate judges of water quality.

During the 1800s, scientists began to gain a greater understanding of the sources and effects of drinking water contaminants, especially those that were not visible to the naked eye.

In 1855, epidemiologist Dr. John Snow proved that cholera was a waterborne disease by linking an outbreak of illness in London to a public well that was contaminated by sewage.

In the late 1880s, Louis Pasteur demonstrated the germ theory of disease, which explained how microscopic organisms (microbes) could transmit disease through media like water. This explained the cause-effect relationship between many contaminated drinking water sources and nearby epidemics.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, concerns regarding drinking water quality continued to focus mostly on disease-causing microbes (pathogens) in public water supplies. Scientists and engineers studied these waterborne pathogens, tried to determine their sources, and began to develop techniques to remove them from, or render them harmless in, water supplies.

Federal regulation of drinking water quality began in 1914, when the U.S. Public Health Service set standards for the bacteriological quality of drinking water. The standards applied only to water systems which provided drinking water to interstate carriers like ships, trains, and buses, and only applied to contaminants capable of causing contagious disease.

The Public Health Service revised and expanded these standards in 1925, 1946 and 1962. The 1962 standards, regulating 28 substances, were the most comprehensive federal drinking water standards in existence before the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974.

With minor modifications, all 50 states adopted the Public Health Service standards either as regulations or as guidelines for all of their public water systems, even though they were not federally mandated.

By the late 1960s it became apparent that the aesthetic problems, pathogens and chemicals identified by the Public Health Service were not the only drinking water quality concerns. Industrial and agricultural advances and the creation of new man-made chemicals also had negative impacts on the environment and public health. Many of these new chemicals were finding their way into water supplies through factory discharges, street and farm field runoff, and leaking underground waste disposal areas. Many of these chemicals were also suspected of causing health problems.

These health concerns spurred the federal government to conduct several studies on the nation's drinking water supply.

One of the most telling was a water system survey conducted by the Public Health Service in 1969 which showed that only 60 percent of the systems surveyed delivered water that met all the Public Health Service standards. Over half of the treatment facilities surveyed had major deficiencies involving disinfection, clarification, or pressure in the distribution system (the pipes that carry water from the treatment plant to buildings), or combinations of these deficiencies. Small systems, especially those with fewer than 500 customers, had the most deficiencies.

A study in 1972 found that 36 chemicals were detected in treated water taken from treatment plants that drew water from the Mississippi River in Louisiana. As a result of this and other similar studies, new legislative proposals for a federal safe drinking water law were introduced and debated in Congress in 1973.

Chemical contamination of water supplies was only one of many environmental and health issues that gained the attention of Congress and the public in the early 1970s. This increased awareness eventually led to the passage of several federal environmental and health laws dealing with polluted water, hazardous waste, pesticides, etc.

One of these laws was the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974. That law, with significant amendments in 1986 and 1996, is administered today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (EPA) and its partners.

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

THROUGH THE SLOUGH WITH THE TIDE

---

I glide with the tide through the slough

Bringing healing waters to thirsty roots.

Leaves bend and sway in greeting

As the swell rises to envelop them.

Leaping little fishes escort the joyful surge

Through the tunnel of green.

Every verdant hue that one can fathom

Finds its wavy likeness coming close and closer.

Shapes, round and oval, long and squat,

Dance on the water,

While their twins in the canopy

Stare down in disbelief.

I feel the quiet power of the life-giving pulse

And the tranquility of that hidden place.

Then a lean and lanky shape explodes through the veil of peace.

And then another. And then another.

Herons shoot up through the leafy tunnel roof

Leaving behind waves and bouncing fishing perches.

Now the fully swollen tide allows us time

To peer into dark recesses under the leaves,

To imagine what might lurk within.

Peace slides in, a hesitation in the march of time,

A moment to feel one with all of this,

A moment that seeks to linger on and on.

Then the water gently tells us we must go

Back to sun and sounds, to action and reaction,

Back to a human world.

But the gentle tide promises to visit

Twice each and every day,

Nourishing the creatures of this hidden place.

We are welcome to drift beck in place

With the gentle tide.

Janet Strong Chehalis River Basin Land Trust

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

Some Local Books

---

Elsewhere in this edition is a letter from LaVonne M. Sparkman. She is a local author and we've learned about some of her works

"The Trees Were so thick there was NOWHERE TO LOOK BUT UP!"

"FROM HOMESTEAD TO LAKEBED, Kosmos, the Town That Drowned"

"WHERE THE BIG BOTTOM BEGINS, Randle History"

"BEFORE It's GONE, Old-Timers Stories as told to LaVonne M. Sparkman"

We've learned the books are available from the author, the Historical Museum in Chehalis and local bookstores.

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

PROTECTING OUR HEALTH FROM SOURCE TO TAP

---

Source: 25 Years Of The Safe Drinking Wateract: History And Trends

Every day, we turn our faucets to get clean, safe water. We use this water to brush our teeth, to cook our food, and, most importantly, to drink. Enjoying some of the safest drinking water in the world, most of us take the quality of our water for granted.

But behind every drop is a strong network of consumers, scientists, regulators, water plant operators, engineers, and public advocacy groups, all working together to ensure the safest possible drinking water. Guiding their efforts is the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Signed on December 16, 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act created the first-ever mandatory national program to protect public health through drinking water safety. Twenty-five years later, the Act has matured into a comprehensive, integrated, and flexible law that is the Safe Drinking Water Act of today -- and tomorrow.

Over the years, the Safe Drinking Water Act has established several programs to help protect our water. The 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act protected underground sources of drinking water by regulating underground wells used for disposal, oil and gas production, and mining. The original Act also allowed communities, individuals, and organizations to petition for the protection of aquifers that are the only source of drinking water for their local community.

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

Islands of the Past Preserved for the Future

---

By Fred Beckey

High snow-clad peaks rise beyond the deep valleys where the middle and north forks of the Snoqualmie River rush out of the Cascade Range. Rearing in front, like an icon resisting a burgeoning civilization, is the abrupt form of Mount Si -- a wilderness remnant of the Washington that I remember and that my parents' generation knew.

Westward between Issaquah and Puget Sound most of the forest is gone, replaced by suburban homes, mini-estates, shopping malls, roads and freeways, and industrial development. The story is much the same throughout the lower-elevation forest zone of our state.

In the past 50 years, we have consumed two-thirds of our old-growth forests. And since 1889, we've eliminated more than 70 percent of our coastal wetlands.

Today, there are remnants of the Washington that used to be, the natural resources that seemed inexhaustible to my parents' generation. What is left can primarily be found in the secluded valleys and high country of our mountain wilderness areas.

The Washington that used to be

What our state used to be like can be seen in protected areas called Natural Area Preserves (NAPs), managed for state residents by the Department of Natural Resources. DNR was formed in 1957 to protect lands and ensure professional management of the state's trust lands, and to manage lands and natural resources for long-term productivity. This effort by DNR, which manages more than 5 million acres of timber, agricultural, commercial, and aquatic lands, counters the 1 million acres of forestland that has been converted to urban development and other non-forest uses.

From its inception, DNR has protected environmental values and public resources. Many people are familiar with our national parks, state parks, and wilderness areas, but few are aware of Washington's Natural Area Preserves, islands of our past protected by DNR for our future.

In 1972, the Legislature enacted the Natural Area Preserves Act "to secure for the people of present and future generations the benefit of an enduring resource of natural areas by establishing a system of natural area preserves, and to provide for the protection of these natural areas."

DNR manages 47 Natural Area Preserves that total approximately 26,000 acres, protecting the highest quality native ecosystems and rare plant and animal species. NAPs serve as gene pool reservoirs for rare and typical plants and animals, as outdoor laboratories for scientific research and education, and as baselines against which the effects of human activities in equivalent areas may be compared.

To learn more about Natural Area Preserves, I received permission to visit several of them with DNR field staff, to observe their special features and their natural processes, and to share the preserves with readers who might never visit them in person. Here is a little of what I saw and experienced:

Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve: a geologic mystery

A few miles south of Olympia, we visited the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, lying at the foot of the Black Hills, which separate south Puget Sound from the Pacific Coast.

These unique openings in the forest are remnants of the extensive native prairies that once punctuated the Puget Sound area. They were the subject of much inquiry during the early days of settlement, as evidenced by the writings of American explorer Charles Wilkes who commented on these seemingly out-of-place plains and their plants. Today, it's estimated that 97 percent of western Washington's prairies are gone, largely due to pioneer sheep grazing, followed by farming, suburban development, and encroachment by scotch broom and trees.

The curious mounded landscape found in this prairie remnant has long baffled visitors and scientists alike. The glacial soils are filled with rounded cobbles, topped by inexplicable mounds, each about 6 feet high. Although many theories have been proposed to explain the origin of the mounds, none have been universally accepted as correct. Speculations of mound formation include giant gophers, freezing and thawing following glacial retreat approximately 14,000 years ago, erosion processes and earthquakes, among others. It is unlikely that scientific controversy over the origin of the mounds will be resolved in the near future.

We may never solve the mystery of the Mima Mounds, but we will always have the opportunity to study them, and to puzzle over this geologic wonder, because people had the wisdom and the fortitude to save them for us and for posterity.

Bald Hills NAP: butterflies everywhere

The grasslands atop the Bald Hills near Yelm form an ecosystem rare in Washington. Rocky bald outcrops, which are extremely dry in summer, create an environment unfriendly to conifers and support grasses, flowers, and hardy oaks.

Most of the species are believed to have become established here during a warmer, drier climatic period 6,000 to 8,000 years ago.

To conserve a unique mosaic of these plant communities, the Bald Hills Natural Area Preserve was established in 1986 near the Cascade Range foothills.

Walking through thick fronds of sword ferns, DNR researcher Birdie Davenport and I studied the lush mosses that grow in the limbs of the Oregon white oak. We brushed against tall shrubs such as serviceberry, viburnum, and ocean spray, scattered around the abundant understory.

As we walked upslope, we found Idaho fescue and bunchgrass dominating the shallow volcanic soil layer, and my companion pointed out a specimen of chocolate lily, part of the spring flower show that draws study groups to the Bald Hills Natural Area Preserve.

Red-tailed hawks flew by, prowling for rodents. The air was a butterfly haven a "single's club for butterflies," my companion joked.

Near the top of a bunchgrass ridge, we found a clump of madrona, the conspicuous tree with the orange bark and the deep-green leaves commonly found in drought-prone soils. Madrona is more commonly associated with the gravelly bluffs of our Puget Sound shoreline, many miles from here.

I'm glad we will always have this little piece of Washington, which seems so out of place but which in fact adds a special character to our state.

Cypress Island: a haven for marine birds, close to people

Cypress Island, the largest undeveloped island in the beautiful San Juan Archipelago, is unusual in that most of the island is owned by the people of Washington and managed by DNR.

Accessible only by boat, Cypress Island is a haven for many marine birds, including great blue herons, grebes, loons, and cormorants.

The island's rocky outcrops are home to nesting peregrine falcons and bald eagles, two species that were on the verge of extinction when the Natural Area Preserves Act was enacted in 1972.

I hiked to Duck Lake with DNR conservation specialist Kathy Gunther, passing through a forest of Douglas-fir, cedar, and bigleaf maple. Two pileated woodpeckers were busy enlarging holes they already had made in a search for insects.

The trail led past outcrops covered with delicate grasses, mosses and lichens, which survive on nutrient-poor and shallow soils, leached by water and buffeted by wind.

At the lake, pond lilies hid the activities of loons and grebes, but some of the ducks stirred, making tiny wakes in the placid waters.

As we returned to Anacortes across choppy waters on a clear, windy day, Cypress Island stood as a symbol of a relatively untouched environment. In an archipelago where expensive residences are popping up all over, Cypress will, literally, remain an island of our past - a place where Washington retains its original natural character.

Snoqualmie Bog: a rare ecosystem, becoming even rarer

Not far from Mount Si's abrupt profile lies the quite hidden Snoqualmie Bog Natural Area Preserve, which protects examples of low elevation freshwater wetland and low elevation bog.

I found a large community of western hemlock towering over skunk cabbage, flourishing in the wet soil. Some of the skunk cabbage leaves were massive - fully three feet long. When I tramped through a forested buffer to this freshwater wetland with soaked boots it occurred to me that this bog showed great similarity to high-altitude wet meadows. The soggy, saturated ground seemed more typical of high mountain meadows after the snow melts, or even the wet and frozen tundra of Alaska, than a low elevation wetland.

This 80-acre preserve contains a 10-acre sphagnum bog, a thick mat of moss, that is extremely rare now in the Puget Sound lowlands. The white beakrush surrounding the site's small ponds provides home for the endangered Beller's ground beetle. Because the white beakrush zone is limited in extent, the beetle population is believed to be small.

We didn't know we were losing Washington; now, our NAPs save the best of what's left

When I grew up in the 1930s and 40s, wildlands in the state seemed to be everywhere - particularly the kinds of features that are now protected in Natural Area Preserves. There was an abundance of timberlands despite the vast logging being done.

It never occurred to us that places like Snoqualmie Bog, so uniquely a part of Washington, would become so exceedingly rare. Or that the forests, creeks, and wetlands around the quiet little town of Bellevue -- population about 3,000 -- would be replaced with the houses, streets, highways, parking lots, and commercial complexes to support a 1990s population of 105,000, and growing.

The near doubling of our state's population since 1950 - from 2.4 million to 5.6 million - has reshaped our state.

So much of Washington has been lost that large parts of it are barely recognizable today. Exceptions are places like the delicate grasses and mosses, and the loons of Cypress Island; the chocolate lily and the butterflies of Bald Hill; the intriguing Mima Mounds and their native prairie; and the thick, wet mosses and the bladderwort of Snoqualmie Bog.

These places and the other Natural Area Preserves truly are islands of our past. As long as they exist, this place we call Washington will have the true essence of itself.

In closing, I must wholeheartedly agree with Wallace Stegner, who said, "Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed."

To arrange a scientific or education visit to an NAP, call your nearest DNR region office, or the Forest Resources Division in Olympia, at (360) 902-1340 or TTY (360) 902-1125.

NOTE: Fred Beckey is a Washington original. As a boy growing up in Seattle in the 1930s and 1940s, he joined the Boy Scouts and became fascinated with wildlands, especially the high country. For half a century he has been exploring, studying and writing about places that few people ever see -- places in his native state and throughout the world. He is one of North America's legendary mountaineers, and one of the most prolific mountaineering authors. From this interest, he offered to donate his time and expertise studying and describing Washington's legacy of Natural Area Preserves for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which manages them on behalf of the state's citizens. Fred researched literature, and visited some of the preserves with DNR scientists and conservation specialists. This article results from his interviews with them, from his research, and from his own observations.

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

FACTOID

---

Which states are worst at monitoring their beaches (1998 figures)?

"Four states lack any regular monitoring of beachwater for swimmer safety:

Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, and Washington. Three states have monitoring programs for all or a portion of their beaches, but no public notification procedures: Mississippi, Puerto Rico, and Texas."

Source: Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), http://www.nrdc.org/faqs/octtwfaq.html

The Coastal Factoid is available at http://www.surfrider.org

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

Tread Lightly!

---

'' We did not inherit the earth from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children.''

This ancient Native American proverb captures the philosophy of the Tread Lightly! organization. With spring approaching and outdoor activity increasing, the principles of this organization caught the editor's eye and we're sharing their pledge and principles withyou.

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

Tread Lightly! Pledge and Principles

---

Travel and recreate with minimum impact

Staying on designated trails and routes reduces the impacts of outdoor recreation. Travel only on land or water areas that are open to your type of recreation. Be sure your vehicle size is compatible with the road or trail conditions. Cutting switchbacks and taking shortcuts can destroy vegetation and cause others to use the unauthorized route. Most trails and routes are designed to withstand the effects of recreational use. Resist the urge to create new ones.

Respect the environment and the rights of others

Respect the environment by following the Tread Lightly! principles. Remember, designated wilderness areas are reserved for travel by foot and horse only. Respect and be courteous to other users who also want to enjoy the lands and waters you are using. Set an example of courtesy for all. Be considerate and honor other's desire for solitude and a peaceful outdoor experience. Loud motors and noisy behavior will detract from a quiet outdoor setting. When driving, be especially cautious around horses, hikers and bikers.

Pull off to the side of the road or trail, shut off your engine if necessary and let them pass.

Educate yourself, plan and prepare before you go

Educate yourself by having the right information, maps and equipment to make your trip safe. Land managers can tell you what areas and routes are open for your type of recreation. Travel maps are available at most offices. Know the local laws and regulations. On private land, be sure to obtain the owner or lands manager's permission to cross or use their lands. As you travel, comply with all signage. Honor all gates, fences and barriers that are there to protect our natural resources, wildlife and livestock.

Allow for future use of the outdoors, leave it better than you found it

The future and quality of outdoor recreation depend on how we use it today. Stay on designated roads and trails. Avoid sensitive areas at all times. Especially sensitive areas susceptible to scarring are streambanks, lakeshores and meadows. Improper vehicle use can cause damage to vegetation. Stay on designated roadways and trails so that new scars are not established. Cross streams only at fords where the road or trail intersects the stream. Traveling in a stream channel causes damage to aquatic life. Hill climb only in designated areas. Hillside climbing may be a challenge, but once vehicle scars are established, other vehicles follow the same ruts and cause long lasting damage. Rains cause further damage by washing deep gullies in tire ruts. Permanent and unsightly scars result. While operating your Off Highway Vehicle, be sensitive to the life sustaining needs of wildlife and livestock. In deep snow, stay clear of game so that vehicle noise and close proximity do not add stress to animals struggling to survive.

Discover the rewards of responsible recreation

Enjoyment of the great outdoors provides the opportunity to get away from it all. Family values and traditions are built with the thrill and excitement of outdoor recreation. Help preserve the beauty and inspiring attributes of our lands and waters for yourself and generations to come by recreating responsibly. Do all you can to help protect the forest, lands and waters that mean so much to you.

©1998 Tread Lightly!, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Tread Lighly!

For more information visit: http://www.treadlightly.org/

Tread Lightly! was launched in 1985 by a U.S. Forest Service task force to address concerns about the impacts from increasing numbers of visitors to the great outdoors for recreational purposes. It was concluded that a long-term, informative program was needed to increase public awareness and that special care of the outdoors must be exercised by recreationists if opportunities are to continue.

Accordingly, the Tread Lightly! program was conceived. It's based on the same premise as the Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl programs. Just as Smokey and Woodsy focus on reducing the impacts of fire and litter, through the services of Tread Lightly! recreationists learn that future opportunities to use the outdoors depends on how they recreate today.

Shortly after the program was conceived, it was adopted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. To maximize its effectiveness, in 1990 program responsibilities were transferred to the private sector, making Tread Lightly! a not-for-profit organization.

Over the years the program has steadily added new dimensions to meet the needs of all types of outdoor enthusiasts. Most recently the program's message was expanded to include the promotion of responsible water recreation. These changes brought the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on board as additional federal partners.

Today Tread Lightly!, Inc. unites a broad spectrum of federal and state government agencies, manufacturers of recreational products, media, enthusiast groups and concerned individuals who share a common goal to care for natural resources. Protecting the great outdoors through education is Tread Lightly!'s mission. Ensuring future use of land and water is its purpose.

Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New

-

Make A Difference and Make a Statement

---

Noelle Nordstrom, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Did you know that by purchasing a personalized licence plate from the Washington Department of Licensing, you can proudly make a clever statement to others on the road while helping fund the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW), Wildlife Diversity Division? Forty dollars from the initial sale of personalized plates and the entire $30 yearly renewal fee supports the protection of our fish and wildlife resources. Since personalized license plates were instituted by the legislature in the 1970's, Washington residents have enthusiastically participated, generously supporting this worthwhile work.

The Wildlife Diversity Division manages our state's non -hunted or fished species, including sage sparrows, Oregon vesper sparrows, burrowing owls, pygmy rabbits, Columbian white -tailed deer and Olympic mudminnows. This division focuses on species that are in jeopardy of disappearing from Washington, but also works to keep all of our fish and wildlife species in good shape by protecting important habitat and by forming partnerships with citizen and governmental groups.

Some of the activities funded by personalized license plates include:

- Conducting surveys on species whose populations are rare or suspected to be, such as the western pond turtle, the snowy plover, and the ferruginous hawk.

- Researching the ecology of species of concern and their habitats, such as bald eagle disturbance factors, shrub -steppe ecology, marine mammal biology, and marbled murrelet biology.

- Developing and managing a data base of biological and distributional information on nongame species, that can be used by state agencies and members of the public who have a need for this type of information.

- Evaluating the health of fish and wildlife populations, and conducting recovery projects for state endangered, threatened or sensitive species. Recovery projects include captive breeding and release programs, habitat restoration, and protection zones around critical habitat areas.

- Maintaining a staff of experts on various nongame species to provide consultation to other programs, agencies, and private entities to better plan land use activities in ways that will provide for the needs of nongame wildlife.

- Acquiring habitats for threatened and endangered species, such as turtle ponds and peregrine falcon nesting areas, with the assistance of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

- Providing help and information to the large number of urban/suburban residents of Washington through the Diversity Division's Urban Wildlife Section. One feature of this is the Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary program, which helps residents attract and view wildlife close to home.

- Increasing wildlife viewing opportunities through the Watchable Wildlife program, which works with local communities, natural resource and recreation agencies, and other organizations to form a statewide network of fish and wildlife viewing sites and festivals that encourage habitat protection and provide year -round recreation and tourism.

The initial plate fee for passenger vehicles is $44. For motorcycles, trailers, and campers the fee is $43.50. Once you have a personalized plate, a $30 renewal fee will be charged in addition to all other licensing fees each time you renew your vehicle. Personalized license plates may be used on most vehicle types currently licensed in Washington state. They can be issued with one to seven characters, including letters, numbers, hyphens or spaces. Motorcycle and small trailer plates may be issued with up to six characters.

Applying for a personalized license plate has never been easier! Just log -on to the Department of Licensing web site at www.wa.gov/dol, and click the interactive Inquiry Plate to see if you personalized statement is available. Or you can pick up an application at your nearby license plate vendor. Soon applications will also be available at your local WDFW Regional office.

You can also link to DOL from WDFW's web site at www.wa.gov/wdfw. While you're there, be sure to check out all that WDFW is doing to promote healthy fish and wildlife, as well as recreational opportunities, across the state.

For more information on personalized license plates, or to receive an application in the mail, call the Washington Department of Licensing at (360) 902 -3770 (option 5). For more information on how personalized license plate funds benefit fish and wildlife, please contact Chuck Gibilisco, WDFW, at (360) 902 -2364.

Back to top

This page created and maintained by Chehalis River Council
Send comments or questions to the: Chehalis River Council