Drops of Water April 2003 Volume 4 Issue 2

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Shorebirds Festival celebrates Grays Harbor Estuary

The 8th Annual Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival will be held on the weekend of April 25-27, 2003 in Hoquiam, Washington. Events include field trips with expert birders, lectures, exhibitors, vendors, authors, the shorebird fun fair, poster contest, and banquet.

From late April through early May, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds concentrate on the muddy tideflats of Grays Harbor Estuary on the Washington Coast. Grays Harbor Estuary is one of four major staging areas for shorebirds in North America and one of the largest concentrations of shorebirds on the west coast, south of Alaska. Shorebirds gather here in the spring to feed, store up fat reserves, and rest for the non-stop flight to their northern breeding grounds.

These Arctic-bound shorebirds, coming from as far south as Argentina, are among the world's greatest migrants; many travel over 15,000 miles round trip. From June through October the shorebirds return to the estuary in lesser concentrations on their way south during the longer fall migration period. Thousands of shorebirds, primarily dunlin, stay for the winter.

Refuge Protects Critical Habitat

To protect this important shorebird habitat, Congress authorized the establishment of Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge in 1988. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, Grays Harbor NWR was established in 1990 and is located in the northeast corner of Grays Harbor estuary. It encompasses about 1,500 acres of intertidal mudflats, salt marsh, and uplands. In 1996, Grays Harbor Estuary was designated a hemispheric reserve by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network as a site of international significance.

The Shorebird Festival is sponsored by Grays Harbor Audubon Society, Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, and the City of Hoquiam together with a host of other local sponsors. The event is timed to match the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of shorebirds as they pause at the Grays Harbor estuary to feed and rest before departing for their nesting grounds in the Arctic.

Festival events will include:

• Birding field trips to Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, Ocean Shores, Westport, and Bottle Beach State Park, Olympic National Forest and Point Grenville;
• Nature field trips to the rain forest at Lake Quinault in the Olympic National Forest;
• Lectures by area experts in shorebird identification and beginning birding; and
• Exhibits of local nature/wildlife arts

Most events will occur at Central Elementary School, Festival Headquarters. The registration form will be online in mid-March. For more information, contact the Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival at 1-800-303-8498. Or contact Sheila McCartan, Festival Director at (360) 753-9467.

A portion of revenues in excess of festival expenses goes toward a fund to benefit the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge for activities such as: continuation of construction of the boardwalk, benches and interpretive signage, and an Education Specialist.

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Calling all Salmon Recovery Partners!

By Lee Napier, Grays Harbor County, Chehalis Basin Partnership Coordinator

Grays Harbor County, Lead Entity for Salmon Recovery in the Chehalis Basin, will begin soliciting projects for consideration during the 2003 grant cycle of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB). The SRFB is interested in funding riparian, freshwater, estuarine, near shore, saltwater and upland projects that protect existing high quality habitats for salmon and restore degraded habitat to increase overall habitat health and biological productivity. The projects may include the actual habitat used by the salmon and also land and water areas that support salmon habitat functions or processes.

Eligible applicants include: Municipal subdivisions (cities, towns, counties, and port, park and recreation, conservation, and school districts), tribal governments, private landowners, and state agencies. Applicants must provide at least 15% matching funds in either cash or in-kind contributions.

To date, efforts in the Chehalis Basin resulted in $1.9 million in grant funds to restore, conserve or assess salmonid habitat. Currently the Lead Entity (Grays Harbor county) is awaiting a decision regarding the current funding request of $3.2 million. A decision is expected the latter part of April.

For the upcoming grant round, Grays Harbor County expects to solicit letters of intent during the month of April. Please direct questions regarding the local process or to obtain more information about the current schedule, to Lee Napier, @ 1.800.230.1638 x435 or e-mail Lnapier@co.grays-harbor.wa.us. For more information about the SRFB salmon grant program: http://www.iac.wa.gov/salmongrants.html.

The Chehalis River Council would like to thank TransAlta Corporation of Centralia for giving us a Kayak workstation; Microsoft's Community Affairs software donation program; and Michael R. Painter of Expert Computer Service, Centralia for installation. Michael's phone number is 360.345.6888. And special thanks to CRC member Bill Barmettler, without whose imagination and energy none of this would have happened.

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Salmon can pose a hazard to dogs

By Janet Strong, Chehalis River Basin Land Trust

"I never get to sleep in," I have complained since last October when I adopted my pretty dog Baila. Each morning before dawn she wakes me up with a cold, wet nose in the face and a shrill whine in the ear. However, one morning this January she remained sprawled on the carpet and I finally caught enough z-z-z-z-zs. At first I was pleased but that soon turned to alarm as she moped into the kitchen and refused to eat the breakfast that usually disappears in a flash. And, despite her cool nose, the rest of her felt warmish, especially her belly where her coat is thinner. I hesitated for only a little while, subconsciously aware of the possibility of salmon poisoning, since we live near a healthy, fishy stream.

When I called, my veterinarian didn't hesitate for a second. "Get her in here right away," he said. Sure enough, she had a high temperature. A high temp, lethargy and loss of appetite are the first symptoms (coming about six days after exposure) of this awful disease, fatal 90% of the time in dogs that go untreated. Later symptoms include vomiting, bloody diarrhea, dehydration, anemia, severe weight loss and complete loss of appetite. The dog succumbs within 14 days of exposure.

Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. Diagnosis is assured through fecal exams revealing the eggs of the fluke, a trematode or flatworm. Treatment will include antibiotics, a wormer and possibly intravenous fluids to combat dehydration, perhaps a blood transfusion in later stages.

Luckily, we had caught Baila's case in the very early stages. She responded quickly to the antibiotic, bouncing back to her normal happy-go-lucky, energetic self in two days. But, since the causative organism is a tough one, she needed 10 days of antibiotic care to be sure of a cure. Now she is most likely immune for life to that nasty beast Neorickettsia helminthoeca, a rickettsia, a micro-organism with characteristics of both a bacterium and a virus.

What's that got to do with salmon, you may ask? The story is one of nature's cycles. Salmon, steelhead, trout, Pacific giant salamanders and freshwater fish along the Pacific coastal streams and rivers from northern California up to Seattle (some say up to Alaska) may be host to a fluke (Nanophyetus salmincola) whose alternate host is a snail (Oxytrema plicifer). The eggs of the fluke get passed from snail to fish to dog and back to snail through the dog's feces. If the fluke is in turn infected by the rickettsia, it gets passed along too. Animals in the dog family (coyote, wolf, fox, domestic dog) seem to be the only mammals harmed by the organism. Bears, raccoons and members of the cat family do not seem to be affected.

The geographic range of the disease corresponds with the range of the host snail. It is believed that the absence of the snail breaks the cycle in unaffected areas.

The symptoms mentioned above should never be ignored by dog owners, especially if the pet has had any exposure at all to raw or cold-smoked fish. Even one drop of blood can carry enough microbes to cause the disease. Death occurs because of the extreme wear and tear on the dog's body, dehydration and blood loss.

Practically, pet lovers can reduce exposure greatly:

• 1. Don't take your dog fishing. Can you keep you eye on him/her every second? It only takes one lick.
• 2. Avoid feeding your dog raw, undercooked or kippered fish, no matter how she whines for a taste.
• 3. Securely wrap and dispose of raw fish scraps from meals.
• 4. Leash your dog if you take him for walks near streams or lakes.
• 5. If, like me, you live in the country near a fish-bearing stream and you want your dog to have a little time to explore right around the house, be extra alert during salmon-spawning seasons and a couple of months afterwards.

As for me, tomorrow morning when Baila rousts me out of bed too early – well, that's OK, I guess.

[Editor's note: the old timers in the Basin all know about "salmon sickness" as we used to call it, but we want to be sure newcomers from the cities are aware of this hazard.]

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More adventures in nutrient enhancement

By Bill Barmettler, Chehalis River Council

Last year in the April 2002 Drops of Water we reported on nutrient enhancement, describing the state's program that allows private citizens and volunteer groups to place fish carcasses in local streams. Tossing dead fish back into our rivers has gone from slightly weird to mainstream in just a few short years. When we first did this back in 2000 people gave us strange looks. Now it seems like everyone's heard of nutrient enhancement.

This year I just want to cover some things we've learned. First off, the state is tweaking the process a little bit. In previous years, you were good to go for the next year by simply sending a report to the Department of Fish and Wildlife after placing the carcasses. From now on the permittee submits a report to DFW just like before but must receive formal permission from the agency to get fish again next year.

Transporting the fish is an adventure in itself. The average coho carcass weighs about ten pounds. If you're thinking of hauling 300 fish with your half-ton pickup, better plan on multiple trips. The last thing you want is to be stuck on the side of the road with a broken axle and a truckload of dead fish.

The carcasses will leave behind some blood and guts. You can thoroughly hose out your truck bed when done, but locating some sort of plastic or metal container to isolate the fish from your truck would be much better.

The handiest single tool - we don't have one of these - would be the long wooden pole with a single sharp metal spike attached to the end that the hatchery guys use to toss the fish around. It's called a Fish Peugh. It looks like a spear, but the metal spike has a slight bend to it. A pitchfork is a crude but serviceable replacement. Other than that, some gloves, rain gear, rubber boots, a short gaff hook or two, and a freshly sharpened machete are pretty much all you'll need.

You may be wondering why a sharp machete was included in the tool list. The tails must be removed before throwing the carcasses in the creek. This is done to distinguish nutrient enhancement fish from those that arrived under their own steam. Last year, we chewed off the tails with a pair of garden shears. That was a slow, laborious process. The always helpful employees at the Bingham hatchery showed us a far superior method. One person, using a pitchfork or what have you, dangles the fish out in mid-air, and another person takes off the tail with the machete.

There's a bit of an art to this. The fish should be speared through the eye socket so that it dangles freely. The machete must contact the fish right at the backbone (the best method) or from the underside. If the machete strikes either flank, it tends to bounce off rather than cut through. We're fortunate to have Mike Kuttel Jr. as a neighbor. Mike broke away from writing Limiting Factors Analysis reports to wield the machete. He aimed his swings so that the separated tails flew into the creek, eliminating the need to pick a pile of slimy body parts up off the ground. Then I'd twist the pitchfork so the carcass slid down the bank and into the creek. Meanwhile, Patti used a gaff hook to grab fish and haul them downstream. Mike and I snickered in conspiratorial glee as flying fish tails rained down in the water near her. I'm not sure how badly things would have gone for us if we'd actually hit her with any.

Once the carcasses are in the water, dispersal is another issue to consider. High water from rainstorms may disperse the fish downstream. This year, two storm events in January spread the carcasses through our stretch of creek. However, it's best to manually distribute the fish along the length of the waterway.

If you're going to drag fish some distance you'll save time by devising some method to string carcasses together. Mike Kuttel told us the metal handle from a 5-gallon paint bucket can be used to lasso four or five fish. Loop the ends together after stringing the fish through, and you have a handy device for dragging carcasses.

Between this article and the previous one you should know what you need to get started. Hope to see you at the hatchery next year! [April 2002 Drops of Water: http://crcwater.org/newsltr/news200204.html#80.]

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Why are there so many small silvers in Carlisle Lake?

By David Rutherford, Onalaska Future Farmers of America Advisor

There has been a bit of controversy surrounding the Onalaska FFA Carlisle Lake project which includes the raising of Coho salmon. Many fishermen have noticed a large amount of small 6 inch silvers that seem to bite at anything with a hook on it and fear that they interfere with the trout fishing.

The FFA Chapter started a program to enhance fishing in the Newaukum River and to increase native runs in the area. The first step is raising fingerlings in net pens on the lake. These fingerlings are released each year into Gheer Creek, otherwise known as the outlet of the lake. As part of a compromise with Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Ecology, the students are required to release approximately 30,000 small fish into the lake. The plan is to use these fish as natural cleaners to remove dangerous levels of phosphates now found in the lake. When small insects are eaten by the fingerlings the phosphates are taken up by their bodies, then when the fish swim out of the lake down the outlet of the lake (yes they do make it out) they remove the pollution from Carlisle Lake.

The Chapter has made the clean up of Carlisle Lake one of their largest projects. Without this clean up happening it is a good possibility that Carlisle would be closed to fishing altogether or degraded to the point that fish would not flourish.

When the adult Coho salmon return to Gheer Creek students remove the fish and plant their carcasses in streams all over the Onalaska area. These carcasses are food for native fish already found in the streams. By providing food for these young fish they become stronger and bigger, thus increasing their chances for survival. All of these activities are happening by students learning valuable skills in Natural Resource management and with extremely low costs to taxpayers.

What are the benefits in the future? The easiest to see is the thousands of fish returning to our area. This year alone the students have handled, weighed and recorded over 1,200 adults that range in size from small jacks to 25 lb. monsters. Fishing is open in the Newaukum up to Gheer Creek and at certain times you cannot throw a hook in the hole below Gheer Creek without getting a fish. The second benefit is the other species that are being planted. Chum salmon are being incubated and planted in Gheer Creek thus increasing fishing and nutrient enhancement in the basin. The other species that is exciting to sport fishermen is an actual run of Winter Steelhead. This run is planted and will continue to be propagated by the Chapter. The third benefit is increased survival of native fish which benefits us all and keeps increased regulations that other areas are seeing from happening in our small part of the country.

This article continues our series on wildlife in the Chehalis Basin. The article is reprinted with permission from Northwest Ecosystem Alliance. Based in Bellingham, Washington, Northwest Ecosystem Alliance was founded in 1988 and now has over 10,000 members. In the last decade, NWEA has fought relentlessly to maintain the ecological integrity of the Northwest's wildlands.

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The fisher may be coming home soon

by Mark Skatrud

The Northwest Ecosystem Alliance (NWEA) has formed an innovative private/public partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to study reintroducing fisher back into the mountains of Washington State. NWEA is:

Fishers were once found throughout our large contiguous forests in Washington. Due to extensive logging of their favored habitat, low elevation large trees, and the concurrent trapping of fisher for their pelts in the early 1900's, fishers were effectively extirpated from Washington.

Fisher deserve to take their rightful place among the host of species that are a part of Washington's natural heritage. Following the successful completion of feasibility studies and the raising of funds, NWEA and WDFW could be reintroducing fisher into Washington as soon as the winter/spring of 2003-2004.

The Fisher: Curious, intelligent, solitary

Like most of the weasel, or mustelid family, fishers are curious and intelligent animals. Solitary hunters, they look for anything edible, searching every crook, hole and cranny for a bite to eat. Fishers bound from place to place, and are fast and strong hunters. Even in areas with relative fisher abundance, they are extremely secretive and rarely seen by humans. They like forests with high canopy cover, late-successional and old-growth stands. They rest in many places such as down logs and the "witch's brooms" of tree branches.

Though the name fisher conjures up the image of an animal that eats fish or lives in or adjacent to rivers or the sea, this is not the case: the fisher is a forest carnivore. We think that the name "fisher" comes from the French word fichet, the name for the pelt of European polecats. Fisher may also have originated from trappers who used fish bait successfully to catch them. Fisher across North America carry local names like black cat, fisher cat, pekan, pequam, wejack, and woods-otter.

Fishers (Martes pennanti) are the largest member of the Martes genus and are found only in North America. Other members of the mustelid family are circumpolar; they are found around the northern countries of the world. Fishers are the second largest North American terrestrial mustelid; the wolverine is the largest. Female fishers can be about the same weight (4.5 to 5.5 lbs) as the male pine marten, their smaller cousin, and range from 2.5 to 3 feet long. Male fishers are much larger and can weigh as much as 12 pounds and stretch 3 to 4 feet long, with the tails making up a little over a third of their length.

Fishers can easily be mistaken for the pine marten (Martes Americana). Marten, however, are lighter in color with a distinctive orange or amber patch on the throat, more pointed ears and shorter tail, proportional to body length. Fisher are darker, almost a chocolate brown, have short legs, and more rounded ears than the marten. Both species are solitary except during breeding time or when the female are raising their young.

Fishers breed within a week or two after females give birth in late winter. The developing embryo then goes into a dormant state (delayed implantation) until approximately 36 days of active gestation before birth (parturition). The natal den where the female gives birth is the cavity of a large live tree or snag, often excavated by a pileated woodpecker. The woodpecker-sized hole apparently allows the female to squeeze through, while excluding the males. Loss of denning sites in old-growth trees may have been a contributing factor to the decline of fisher. The kits stay with the mother until late summer or early fall.

As generalist predators, fishers usually eat, proportionally, what is available. They do well on a diet of snowshoe hares, mice and other small mammals, grouse, reptiles, and a variety of fungi and berries that may be in season around their home ranges. They are also well known for being the most effective natural predator of porcupines.

Fisher Habitat, What is it?

While fisher habitat varies in Washington, just as the habitat varies across the range for fisher in North America, there are common attributes that fisher key in on that make for suitable habitat.

Fishers require extensive areas of forested cover with acceptable amounts of large standing and down trees for denning and foraging. They can tolerate some areas of younger, even-aged stands, but the large, old trees need to be dispersed within the areas of young stands or in reasonable proximity to provide denning, forage, and resting habitat. Fisher habitat can best be described as complex. The more diverse the forest structure, the better the habitat for the fisher and their favored prey species. Diversity is a key, whether we are talking about dead and down logs, tree sizes, understory vegetation, or riparian areas.

Like many species, where mothers place their new-born young can determine successful reproduction. A fisher's natal den site is usually in a large diameter tree with an excavated cavity located far from the ground and probably created by pileated woodpeckers. The large trees can be either classic old growth conifers or the large cottonwood trees found along riparian areas. In any case, the potential reintroduction site must contain an adequate distribution of large trees with cavities, not just one or two that offers a limited choice for female natal den sites.

Large standing trees also provide fishers of both sexes a place sleep, rest, or scout for prey activity. Fisher are large, especially the males, and if this species favors branches to rest and sleep upon, then the trees have to large enough to provide this. Fisher studies have also found that they like to sleep on "witches brooms", those thick mats of branches infected with mistletoe found in some of our forests.

Large hollow, down, logs provide for the post-natal, or maternal dens. The maternal dens are utilized by fisher when the kits are large enough to be hidden on the ground but still too young to travel and hunt with their mother. Not long after bringing the kits to the maternal dens, the young can then hunt with the females.

Areas of large down logs are also a likely area for fishers to find their prey. Mice, voles, squirrels, hares and rabbits like the cover that large down logs provide. Fisher will bound around, checking every nook, hole, cranny, and space that prey like to sleep or rest in. In winter these logs may become covered with snow, while allowing prey a snow-free place to hide that fishers seek out. The higher densities of down logs, the higher the quality habitat there will be for fisher and their prey.

Fisher will also utilize younger aged stands to hunt for prey, especially in areas with snowshoe hares. Hares like dense, young stands of conifers and so fisher will hunt these favored hare habitats. These younger stands need to be juxtaposed with areas of large old trees to allow fisher a place to rest and sleep.

Fisher are not as adept at surviving in the places where the snow is deep and fluffy. Their foot size to weight ratio is too high to allow for efficient travel during these winter conditions. They do well, however, in areas with denser or less deep snows. Generally, scientists consider west side snow conditions favorable for fisher below 5000 feet, 6000 feet on the eastside.

Forest canopy closure, whether from understory vegetation or trees, is very important to fishers. They seem to spend most of their time in areas with a closure greater than 50%, but lower than 90%. When the closure is less than 50%, fisher won't feel secure enough to be out in the open, a trait common to many "forest" species. If the closure is over 90%, quite often the forest floor is devoid of vegetation and too barren to support adequate numbers of prey for fisher to spend much time there.

Fisher can tolerate some level of human and natural disturbance within their territories, much like lynx and other species can. Clearcuts will be avoided by fisher. In eastern Washington, however, clearcuts can grow to become good snowshoe hare habitat, and thus potential fisher forage habitat. Monoculture stands of trees typical of western Washington timberlands will not provide good habitat due to the closed canopy and lack of down and woody debris.

Fisher have been found to spend much of their time in proximity to riparian areas, lakes, ponds, and bogs. This could be attributed to these areas being in lower elevations, or it could be due to the availability of prey or complex forest structures. Our state has forest protection rules for these areas that will help provide fishers good and improving riparian habitat conditions over time.

In summary, fishers can inhabit a variety of forest conditions. However, they require specific attributes to address their reproduction, resting, and optimal prey habitat requirements.

For more information on the work to reintroduce the fisher into Washington State, visit http://www.ecosystem.org/fisher/index.html.

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Environmentally Sensitive Horsekeeping:

Win-Win Techniques for You, Your Horses, Your Farm, Your Neighborhood, AND the Environment!

By Alayne Renee Blickle, program director, Horses for Clean Water

Perhaps you've ridden and owned horses all your life, but now you just bought your first small farm so you can keep your horse at home. Or, maybe you've had your horse at your place for years now and even have a boarder or two. You may board your horse at that nice "place in the country" û the one with a subdivision going in behind the barn, next to ol' Mount Manure. If any of this relates to you, have you thought about what to do with that big pile ù or potential big pile ù of manure sitting behind the barn? Have you considered what to do when the new neighbors in the expensive subdivision start complaining? Maybe you've wondered about the impact on horse health when they stand in mud all winter. Or have you considered the impact on the neighboring creek or wetlands when the rain washes the mud and dirt from your bare pastures into the surface water? Possibly you'd just like some ideas on how to have more birds and wildlife on your little place "in the country." If any of these issues have crossed your mind then you're ready for environmentally sensitive horsekeeping!

Let's start by taking a look at the "big picture," environmentally speaking. A watershed is a valley or system of depressions that water drains through and eventually follows into the ocean. In the Northwest the watersheds originate in the mountains, and drain through a system of creeks and rivers, eventually emptying into Puget Sound [or Grays Harbor] or the Pacific Ocean. The quality of water in local streams, lakes and other water bodies affects and is affected by all people.

No matter where we live or what we do, the runoff we each produce affects water quality. This is what scientists refer to as "non-point pollution." Non-point pollution ù run-off from homes, streets, parking lots, forests, and farms ù can be from such activities as logging operations, development, traffic, construction and agriculture, as well as everyday activities such as washing your car, spraying your lawn or (mis-) managing your horse's manure pile. All runoff, be it oils, chemicals, sediments, septic tank wastes or animal waste has potential for reaching surface waters through storm drains, streams and waterways. Non-point pollution affects the quality of life we all enjoy.

As horseowners, we need to be especially aware of how we impact the environment and take the necessary steps to minimize this impact. The end result will help preserve the equestrian way of life that we as horseowners enjoy in the Northwest. Runoff from livestock manure reaching streams and wetlands causes a heavy impact on the environment. Sediments cloud the water and nutrients can cause unbalanced vegetation growth. This reduces water quality and creates a poor environment for fish and other aquatic life. Bacteria from manure can make waters unsafe for recreation and can even contaminate the shellfish living there. Even if you don't have a stream or waterbody on your property, contaminated runoff from manure and soil erosion can still make their way into a local lake or creek or affect your ground water. Poor farm management practices can also cause other damage to the environment such as eroded stream banks and slopes, overgrazed pastures, soil compaction, and weed invasion.

Sounds pretty awful, doesn't it? Well, hold on because the truly good news is that what's good for the environment also turns out to be good for you, your horses, your farm and your neighborhood as well.

Environmentally speaking, the golden rule for horse farms is to "keep clean rainwater clean." When you do this you keep nutrients and sediments (from manure and mud) out of our surface waters as well as reduce mud on your farm. Other environmental practices beneficial to your horses and you include maintaining healthy pastures, following a manure management plan and creating vegetative buffers to act as filter strips for any runoff that is produced.

By now you are probably beginning to see that if you can reduce mud on your farm and make your pastures more productive you will be helping your place look nicer and your horses will be healthier and happier, too. Let's take a look at some examples of environmentally sensitive horsekeeping techniques that we as horse farm owners can implement:

Creating a sacrifice area or paddock area to be used to keep your pastures from becoming

overgrazed and during the winter. This area should be on higher ground and away from wetlands.

Using a sacrifice area keeps horses from destroying pastures. It also confines the wastes to an area surrounded by a grassy buffer or pasture that can act as a filter for contaminated runoff.

Using a footing such as hogfuel (wood chips) or crushed rock in a sacrifice area will help cut down on mud problems. Hogfuel has the added benefit of helping to breakdown the nitrogen in the horse's urine and manure.

Installing rain gutters and roof runoff systems on all barns, sheds and outbuildings and diverting the clean rainwater away from high traffic areas. This will reduce the amount of nutrients and sediments washed into the surface waters. This also has the added benefit of substantially reducing the amount of mud created in your sacrifice areas.

Cross fencing pastures and rotating animals in order to keep pastures from becoming overgrazed and soils compacted. At least three inches of leafy material is needed for rapid regrowth and for the biofiltration of nutrients and sediments. Compaction of the soil makes water filtration and plant growth very difficult. Poor pasture management results in reduced quality and quantity of grass, soil erosion, nitrogen runoff, increased weeds and increased feed costs.

In the winter keeping horses off saturated and rain soaked soils and dormant or frozen pasture plants is critical if you want to maintain a healthy pasture next summer. Soggy soils and dormant plants simply cannot survive continuous grazing and trampling in winter months.

Horses are particularly hard on pastures ù the pounding of their hooves compacts the soil and suffocates plant roots. In addition, when the soils are wet, horse hooves act like plungers by loosening fine particles of topsoil that are then washed away by the rain.

Covering manure storage facilities to prevent rainwater from leaching nitrogen from the manure pile and reaching waterways. The material used to cover your manure pile can be as simple as a tarp or sheet of plastic. In the late spring and summer, when the ground is no longer soggy, the manure can be applied as a soil amendment to your growing grasses.

Keeping fill, especially manure and garbage, out of wetlands and wet meadows. These areas serve as natural filters for water moving into our streams and groundwater supply. They cannot function properly when they are clogged with debris.

Fencing off streams to limit livestock access. The direct input of animal waste and sediment into streams degrades water quality and destroys the aquatic environment. Horses and other livestock tend to trample down streamside vegetation. Trees and undergrowth are nature's system for filtering contaminants from runoff. They also help prevent soil erosion and provide food and shelter for fish and other aquatic wildlife. The overhead canopy that trees provide keeps the water cool.

When these natural elements are destroyed a toxic environment is created for fish and other stream life since cool water is able to carry more oxygen than warm water, which benefits fish.

Planting native trees and shrubs to provide habitat for wildlife such as birds and small animals. More and more wildlife habitat is being lost as land is subdivided and developed. Even pastures don't provide good habitat for most wildlife. Farm owners can help offset this loss of habitat by planting or growing a diversity of vegetation that provides food and cover for wildlife.

Consider incorporating native plants for landscaping and planting projects. Wildlife is better adapted to native plants and uses them for food and shelter. Create brush piles with downed branches, stacking them in an unused area of your pasture. Rock piles also make good habitat for small animals. Save snags and downed trees ù these are important non-living materials in the ecosystem.

In this age of more and more urbanizing and sub-urbanizing, we as horse owners need to consider the impact we are making on our neighbors and the environment. Are we contributing to reduced water quality in our watershed, creating an eyesore and a fly haven? Or is our horse operation pleasing to look at, healthy for our horses and a home for wildlife? In order to insure horseowners a place in the future of our community, we need to take steps toward becoming an asset to our community, and not a detriment.

Do your part as a responsible horse owner to protect your watershed, the environment, and the equestrian way of life in your community by making your horse farm a happier, healthier place for your horses and you as well!

Good horsekeeping to you!

[For more information contact: arblickle@aol.com or visit www.horsesforcleanwater.com.]

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Our readers respond

By Margaret Rader, Drops of Water editor

In an effort to hear from our readers, in the December Drops of Water we included a reader survey with an opportunity for prizes for those who responded. We received 47 responses. This is a small number when compared with the number of copies distributed (approximately 45,000), but we were still pleased with the response.

As the responses began to come in, the CRC office volunteers felt like it was Christmas again. The many encouraging comments were deeply appreciated. Look for more on the "favorite articles" next issue.

Readers were asked to comment as well as answer the questions, and the added comments were most interesting. The great majority were favorable. A number said "Keep up the good work!" Others said "Very enjoyable" or "Thank you." This was great for your editor's morale! A person said "Brian Peck's article was great!" Several people, when given the opportunity to check "read almost all the articles," insisted "I read them all!"

Not every comment was favorable. One person said it was a waste of the taxpayers' money. Another said they'd prefer "accurate articles." I assure you that the editor prefers accurate articles too. We would not print anything we thought was inaccurate, but there is a wide range of opinion as to what accuracy is. Some people trust one body of information while other people trust other sources of information. Rational people can disagree on what the facts are, but I am confident that the Drops of Water writers try hard to get it right.

Another asked "What is your agenda?" This question is puzzling to us since we don't think of Drops of Water or the Chehalis River Council as having an agenda. It's not a term we use in this context. We do have a mission that we believe in – to promote the conservation and restoration of the great Chehalis River Basin resources. We hope that our readers will look at the rivers and the natural world with new eyes, because people protect and enhance what they've learned to love.

Our favorite comment: "I was down at my property (since 1985) on December 8 and ventured down to the creek. I could not believe my eyes. Salmon! I never knew."

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Carlisle Lake through the eyes of Onalaska Middle School students

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