Differences of Opinion
Recently I asked my sons what they think about when someone says the word conservation. To Isaac it means restoring runs of wild, anadramous fish, especially steelhead, to our rivers. Joshua wants to see more rivers permanently protected by groups like Western Rivers Conservancy. For me it is the hope the future includes wild fish living in healthy rivers and streams for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. It is interesting how three people can have three different yet equally valid views of the same topic.
As an organization the Sac-Sierra chapter of TU is no different. Over the past year I have become increasingly aware of the size and geographic diversity of our chapter. Sac-Sierra TU has approximately 1000 members spread over roughly 8000 square miles, includes 10 major watersheds, and encompasses alpine and anadramous fisheries. If you were to survey our members you would find that folks use every imaginable type of rod, fly, bait or lure to chase and catch fish!
The same diversity of opinions and priorities exists when it comes to where we should focus our time and energy. Some members live in the mountains and rightly want the protection and restoration of local alpine fisheries to be a priority. For some living in the Sacramento valley, the burning question is what can we do to protect and restore wild salmon and steelhead to our rivers? To answer this challenge our chapter has developed a wide range of projects and events where members can get involved in something that speaks to their interests and concerns.
Take a look at the calendar of events on the Sac-Sierra web page. There is something there for just about everyone. Do you like to do hands-on restoration and protection work in the field? Then volunteer to help out the CA DFG with a fish survey on Caples creek, or get involved with the stream assessment for the Raintree Fuels project. Volunteer to work on a river clean up on the Mokelumne or Yuba River in September. Are you passionate about steelhead? Then lend a helping hand to SARSAS, an organization dedicated to restoring salmon and steelhead to Auburn Ravine. Do you love to fish the Little Truckee River? Then make sure to set aside Sunday, October 18th and join us for a hands-on restoration project on the Little Truckee.
Differences of opinions and differing priorities are a great thing. My challenge to you is to figure out what your definition of conservation is and then go out and get involved.
Kevin Mather