After coming under fire from a local outfitter for being “hypocritical and disingenuous” in its support of a closure of the upper West Fork to floating and having its mission as a non-profit organization “hijacked” by wade fishermen, Bitterroot Trout Unlimited has issued an updated notice of its position. The issue has to do with the illegal cutting out of log jams in order to allow uninterrupted boat passage down the stream.
According to Bitterroot Trout Unlimited President Jeremy Anderson, the outfitter claimed that the group was overreacting to a single complaint over a potential 310 Permit violation in the upper stretches of the river.
“To state that only one complaint has been filed for the wood cutting somehow makes the inference that there is not a problem,” said Anderson. “One only has to go either floating or for a walk through this section to see the vast amount of illegal wood cutting that has taken place. The number of 310 violations is a very different topic than ‘complaints’. How many 310 violations are we willing to continue to accept before we do something to protect the critical habitat that these native species rely on?”
Anderson said, “Threats to our cold-water fishery are never in short supply.” He said the group’s efforts to protect the critical habitat on the West Fork for native Bull trout and Westslope Cutthroat trout are focused there for good reasons. He said prioritization of this project over others was due to its headwaters location and native species present.
“Bull trout have the highest requirements in our river system for cold, clean, connected, and complex water. By protecting this area and satisfying these needs, the benefits then flow downstream improving habitat for all other species,” said Anderson. He said to that end the group had refined its position after consultation with fishery and habitat experts on what they aim to achieve on the West Fork of the Bitterroot. According to Anderson, this position is supported by Bitterroot Trout Unlimited Board of Directors, Montana Trout Unlimited, National Trout Unlimited, and Clark Fork Coalition:
A major mission of Bitterroot Trout Unlimited (BRTU) is to advocate habitat protection for native trout populations, particularly threatened bull trout and west slope cutthroat trout, a species of concern. The upper seven miles of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River from Painted Rocks Dam down to Canoe Access is a critical stronghold for native fish and a priority for conservation.
The permitting system embodied in the Streambed Protection and Preservation Act or 310 Law is intended to ensure that wood removal or manipulation is allowed only after inspection, evaluation and consideration by the District Supervisors, MFWP and others. Extensive illegal cutting and manipulation of wood in the upper West Fork, as well as in other reaches of the drainage, is being done without permits or by misapplication of the emergency processes of the 310 Law. The illegal cutting is being done to allow unimpeded floating through this section of the West Fork without consideration for the potential deleterious impact on habitat and affected species.
BRTU posits that this illegal cutting has the potential to negatively impact habitat in this reach and must be stopped. BRTU feels that measures must be adopted by all users to comply with the 310 Law and to stop the illegal removal or manipulation of large wood. We are working with the Bitterroot Conservation District, FWP, commercial outfitters and other stakeholders to assess the impacts of past illegal wood removal and seek solutions that are protective of fisheries habitat while balancing recreational use. We will advocate for science-based management of the West Fork fishery and public outreach on the importance of large wood in river systems.