Anglers often confuse bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, another sensitive species, with their commonplace cousins, rainbow, brown and brook trout, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
“A lot of fish are being eaten when they shouldn't be,” said Mike Bader, a natural resources consultant in Missoula.
The initiative would coordinate existing education programs offered by public agencies, conservation groups and classroom educators.
“We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, but to have a broader and more consistent collaboration,” he said. “A lot of players have valuable parts of the puzzle, but we should bring our collective resources together.”
Bader, the co-founder and former executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, has been an environmental advocate for two decades.
He was involved with the legal battle that resulted in bull trout and their critical habitat receiving federal protection.
Since resigning from the Alliance for the Wild Rockies in 2001, Bader has given public and classroom presentations on native trout recovery and watershed protection.
His next program, “The Future of Cold Water Trout Fishing in Montana,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Missoulian Angler.
Bader offers posters, pamphlets, PowerPoint presentations and fish identification cards that are sponsored by FWP, the Sierra Club, the University of Montana and the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program.
The waterproof cards, which anglers can carry in their pockets, have pictures of five trout species and tips for good trout fishing practices.
Bader said he would like Missoula public schools to follow Butte's example by teaching trout recovery and watershed restoration in the upper Clark Fork as part of their science curriculum.
“That's where the future is, education and offering the best available science in a way that the public can understand,” he said. “Look at the Milltown (Dam and sediment removal) project. It's one of the more successful grass-roots campaigns ever. It took courage and foresight and endurance of a lot of people.”
John Zelazny, executive director of the nonprofit Trout Conservancy of Montana, said he would support a fisheries education partnership that coordinates existing programs.
“It would make sense to bring all these efforts together,” he said.
Bob Clark, a spokesman for the Sierra Club, agreed.
“I certainly think it would support clean fisheries and the future of sport fishing,” he said. “To me, it's a no-brainer.”
Pat Saffel, FWP fisheries manager, said western Montana's growing population means many new residents are unfamiliar with native trout and watershed protection.
“I'd anticipate a need for a more coordinated and consistent message,” he said.
Bader said he's cautiously optimistic about the future of native trout, especially in the upper Clark Fork and Blackfoot river watersheds since the breaching of the Milltown Dam last month.
The Superfund project allows fish to swim past the dam site for the first time in a century, while contaminated mining sediment is being removed and the floodplain restored.
“The real lesson of the Milltown Dam is that it's going to open the door to get people thinking about restoring the river's watershed,” he said.
Bader said many challenges - such as dams that block spawning grounds - remain for native trout. The list includes sediment from logging roads, contaminants from mines, decreased stream flows because of irrigation, higher water temperatures, invasive fish species and climate change.
Reporter John Cramer can be reached at 523-5259 or at johncramer@missoulian.com.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)