Wildlife Promise » Rivers

Thank You, Clean Water Act, for Our Fishable Waters!

Jan Goldman-Carter — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:00:09 +0000

Forty years ago, Ohio’s Cuyahoga River was in flames and Lake Erie was a biological wasteland. Many of the nation’s rivers were little more than open sewers. On October 18, 1972, a bi-partisan Congress, voting the will of the people, enacted the 1972 Clean Water Act and set us on a course to clean water for all. The vision and goal of the Clean Water Act was to ensure that the nation’s waters would be fishable, swimmable, and drinkable.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the National Wildlife Federation asked you to share your ‘fishable’ photos and your stories about why clean water and fishing matter to you and your family. We had a wonderful response – a testament to the joy of being on the water. Here we celebrate our fishable waters by sharing with you just a few of the highlights.

You can peruse all of the NWF “fish-tales” photos here

Our celebration also spawned a few more in-depth and inspiring fish tales: Montana Sushi Girl, Fishing the Nottoway: A Clean Water Blessing, Hunters and Anglers Favor Restoring Clean Water Act Protections for Wetlands and Streams, and The Clean Water Act: Up Close and Personal.

The River Runs Through It

“Fish On!” shared this classic “River Runs Through It” fish pic capturing the serenity of fishing Alaska’s Russian River…

and his nice Russian River “Sockeye Salmon” catch! He inspires us with his call: “Let’s keep our waters clean and streams and rivers protected with a strong Clean Water Act so my son’s children can also enjoy the bounty our fresh water resources have to offer!”

Bass are Big in the Heartland!

Kristi Pupak, 23, grew up outside of Milwaukee and moved to Jamestown, Kentucky to work at a national fish hatchery. Working to educate others about how natural environments function, fishing has been the one constant in her life that has kept her balanced. “I’m passionate about fish, their habitat, behavior, and how to catch them. I’ve had this obsession all my life.” Fishing in Wisconsin waters for most of her life, and as a recent resident of Kentucky, has taught her a few things about different fishing techniques. A visit to Wisconsin this past summer led to an 18” largemouth bass caught in Washington County.

G-lyn’s neice caught this largemouth bass while fishing by herself at her uncle’s farm in Oklahoma. It was the biggest freshwater fish she had ever caught and she was so excited. She called her dad out to help her take it off the hook and got some great pictures. She would not have been able to have this experience without the clean water necessary for fish to thrive.

Fishing the Waccamaw, River to Bay

Thanks to the Waccamaw Riverkeeper for these Waccamaw fish tales from river to bay. “Fishing from the Bank” by Bill Gobbel shows an angler fishing from the banks of the Waccamaw River near Conway, South Carolina for redbreast to take home to the family. Redbreast is a local favorite.

Downstream, the Waccamaw flows into Winyah Bay near Georgetown, South Carolina, where Jay Preslar captured a mighty big tarpon in his “Tarpon Tales” photo. Tarpon fishing in Winyah Bay and the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina’s Grand Strand is a fun way to spend an afternoon. Keeping our water clean and healthy supports healthy fish populations, fun recreation and a healthy economy.

Fishable Waters for the Kids!

Fishing is great fun for kids, and we need to “hook ‘em” young so that they learn to love the waters and protect them for generations to come!

“K fishing” shows the West Branch of Perkiomen Creek in southeast PA — the first place this handsome man ever fished! It’s certainly not fit for boating at this point, but there’s no question that it’s an important water worth protecting, just like the even smaller streams that feed it and the nearby wetlands that keep pollution from getting into it.

And, from “Swamp Doc”…you gotta love it: Little Hank immersed in the fishing experience from head to toe!

So, Happy 40^th Birthday, Clean Water Act! Here’s to 40 more years of clean water and great fish tales!

The Clean Water Act: Up Close and Personal

Jeff Skelding — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:57:08 +0000

Brown Trout. Flickr photo by Tony Warelius

There’s an adage about the sport of fishing that suggests a person can pursue this national pastime for an entire lifetime and never come to the realization that catching fish has very little to do with what they actually seek. I had been fly fishing in some of this country’s most heralded trout streams for a number of years before I came to truly understand and embrace that concept. I realized that for many years my fishing experience was mostly comprised of a singular intense focus on looking for fish (or signs of fish) and then catching and landing them.

Among other things, like the sublime experience of nature’s solitude and the ability to slow down and collect my thoughts miles away from the frenetic pace of daily life, I realized there was something else that was escaping my awareness during my fishing experience. It was perhaps the most important ingredient that makes my passionate hobby all possible and I was constantly looking at it but never really seeing it-clean water and healthy aquatic habitats. Sure, I could read water and determine the most likely places where the fish would be, but mostly I was looking through the water and past it, as if it was somehow separate from the fish it supported. And, ironically, at that point I had already spent a significant amount of time in a professional career advocating for national policy changes that would clean up this country’s threatened water resources. So it took some time to appreciate much larger considerations about the sport of fishing, its important connection to the world of public policy in which I was deeply and personally immersed, and the most important pillar upon which all aquatic species rely: the Clean Water Act.

Clean Water Act Successes

So as we celebrate the 40^th anniversary of this historic federal environmental law this week, I’m thankful it didn’t take me until my golden years to connect all the dots. Since its enactment in 1972, the Clean Water Act has resuscitated thousands of waterways across the country; in many cases bringing them back from their deathbeds. Prior to 1972, many of our rivers and streams were little more than open sewers, receptacles for untreated chemical and biological pollutants that suffocated and defiled them to such a degree that they held little to no life.

The beautiful Snake River in Wyoming. Flickr photo by Bala Sivakumar

The speed at which the Act aided in the recovery of the nation’s waterways was breathtaking. You’d have to look long and hard to find another national law that triggered these types of sweeping changes in such a short period of time. For the first time in the country’s history, strict limits were placed on the direct discharge of pollutants from factories and sewage plants into our waterways. As importantly, the Act created mechanisms to control the destructive impacts of explosive and poorly planned land development that destroyed wetlands and streams and sent massive loads of sediment and nutrient pollution into waterways choking out critical fish spawning habitat, depleting oxygen content to lethal levels for many aquatic species, and threatening the nation’s public drinking water supplies. Beyond that, the Act was also truly visionary.

Before it was fully understood in public policy circles and among many in the scientific community that addressing pollution concerns in rivers and streams required a comprehensive and holistic approach, the Act provided opportunities to control all sources of pollution at a watershed level. This is an experiment that is now unfolding in the Chesapeake Bay and possibly the only approach that will save one of this country’s most treasured great waters. Decades of implementation of the Act’s key provisions has lead to new and innovative approaches and smarter thinking about ways to address water pollution and has spurred a national discourse about the economic benefits of clean water.

Study after study now reveals what most of us intuitively knew for many years, clean water plays a vital role in economic health, a lesson that could not be timelier in these days of dire fiscal challenges. For these reasons the Clean Water Act, forty years later, continues to be a shining example of brilliant public policy that protects people, communities, wildlife, and the economy. And when I find fish these days, I’m thinking about a lot more than just catching them.

If you care about clean water and would like future generations to have fishable, swimmable and drinkable waters, take action and help restore clean water today! Also, please participate in our social media actions TODAY.

Hunters and Anglers Favor Restoring Clean Water Act Protections for Wetlands and Streams

Guest Author — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:12:31 +0000

This is a guest post by G. Richard Mode from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation.

Fly fishing on Catawaba. Photo by Tony Robinson.

Just last week a national poll of hunters and anglers reaffirmed what we all know: regardless of their political affiliation, hunters and anglers strongly favor restoring Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and streams. This result should come as no surprise. Every angler understands that good fishing and clean water go hand in hand.

I’m never happier than when my waders are wet. Short of the smiles on my grand children’s faces there is nothing in the world that lights me up like the iridescent color of a brook trout brought to hand in a North Carolina mountain stream, the shimmer of water that cascades from a largemouth bass blowing up on a popping bug or a group of pintails descending on a spread of decoys.

Good Fishing and Clean Water Go Hand in Hand

These are the moments in life I live for. Over a period of half a century I have spent more time and money than I care to admit trying to make the places these animals live better for them and for sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts who care about them. Working on wildlife issues has been a terrific journey that taught me that what is good for wildlife habitats is good for people and the American economy. The last half century has been good for wildlife and water quality. With pictures of rivers burning on TV, Congress took action and in a show of bipartisan support passed The Clean Water Act of 1972. Since that time water quality has dramatically improved in America and fishery and wildlife habitat followed suit.

Unfortunately, after driving clean water initiatives for forty years the Clean Water Act is under attack by polluters, developers and decision makers who are in their pocket. Over the last few years there has been an organized effort in Washington D.C. and in the courts to roll back clean water protections. These efforts are aimed at headwater streams and wetlands.

Bass fishing on Phelps Lake—one of the only three or four natural lakes in the state.

Whether you are fishing a North Carolina river like the Tuckaseigee or casting a spinner bait on Jordon Lake or watching the sun come up over decoys on the Pamlico Sound the animals you came to visit require clean water. The headwater streams and wetlands who feed these rivers and lakes may be far away but they are the building blocks of the rivers, lakes and estuaries sportsmen and women hold dear. To have clean water and viable wildlife habitats they must be protected from the bull dozer blade not only for fish and wildlife but for people and the very economy of our fine state.

Sportsmen and women of North Carolina and nationwide support the Administration’s initiative to restore Clean Water Act protections for these vulnerable waters, and we urge the President to follow through and finalize this initiative. In this terribly fractious election year, it is worth noting that poll after poll shows that a strong majority of Americans support strong federal Clean Water Act protections in order to ensure clean water for all. In the September national sportsmens’ poll, 79 percent of likely voters of all political affiliations said that they favor restoring Clean Water Act protections to wetlands and waterways, including smaller creeks and streams.

Celebrate Clean Water: Share Your Fish Tales

The Clean Water Act turns 40 this October. Let’s celebrate clean water and good fishing by reminding our elected leaders that anglers, boaters, hunters, and wildlife advocates support clean water and healthy habitat for wildlife, for people, and for the economy.

*For a bit of fishing fun, join me in celebrating clean water by sharing your fish tale with us on-line*

G. Richard Mode serves as the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) Affiliate Representative to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and NWF Outreach Coordinator in North Carolina. He was the founding President of the local Table Rock Chapter for Trout Unlimited (TU) and served as the President and Chairman of the Board of National TU. Among his achievements he was honored as the 2007 Budweiser/National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Conservationist of the Year. For years, Richard’s goal has been to bring American hunters, anglers, and wildlife enthusiasts to the public policy decision table to protect the special places and wildlife resources in America.

Celebrating the Clean Water Act as We Restore the Anacostia River

Guest Author — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:39:44 +0000

This is a guest post by Kellie Bolinder.

Kayakers, SUPers and boaters join together for a Clean Water Act celebration on the Potomac River. NWF Photo by Jan Goldman-Carter.

Restoring the Anacostia River here means more than just clean water to the Earth Conservation Corps. The heavily polluted Anacostia River flows through some of the most disadvantaged communities of the nation’s capitol. For over 20 years, the challenge and promise of restoring the Anacostia has been at the heart of our work to reclaim two of America’s most endangered resources — our youth and our environment.

Mike Bolinder, Anacostia Riverkeeper, speaks at the recent Clean Water Act rally on the Potomac River. NWF Photo by Jan Goldman-Carter.

Some folks along the Anacostia remember a time when they could swim in the river…and they are proud of the efforts of their children and grandchildren to reclaim it. Our history is inspiring. In 1992, a small group of unemployed youth from the Valley Green public housing community in Southeast Washington, D.C., volunteered to change their lives by restoring the Anacostia River. Motivated by the belief that their strong hearts, minds, and muscles could reclaim the Anacostia –America’s forgotten river — they banded together under an ambitious name, the Earth Conservation Corps. Since then, thousands of community leaders from the troubled neighborhoods near the Anacostia River have become the cornerstone to the solution to the city’s twin problems of pollution and poverty.

Fast forward to 2012 and a beautiful September Saturday when ECC joined the National Wildlife Federation, Anacostia and Potomac Riverkeepers, and Water Keeper Alliance nationwide in honoring the 40^th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act–and recommitting ourselves to clean rivers and clean water for all—here along the Anacostia and nationwide.

Since Congress passed the Clean Water Act in October 1972, we have made incredible progress in cleaning up our rivers and streams. The Potomac River is our source for drinking water and many people are using the Anacostia and Potomac rivers to canoe, kayak and fish.

But we have much more work to do to restore the streams and wetlands that flow through the District of Columbia and on to the Chesapeake Bay. Please join the Earth Conservation Corps, the National Wildlife Federation, and our local, regional, and national clean water partners in celebrating the 40^th birthday of the Clean Water Act and standing up for a strong Clean Water Act, and fishable swimmable waters for all.

Kellie Bolinder is Executive Director of Earth Conservation Corps. She has been working with the organization for over nine years. Earth Conservation Corps became the DC affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation in 2008, joining the network of 48 state and territorial affiliates across the country.

Montana Sushi Girl: My Fish Tale

Land Tawney — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:05:04 +0000

The first time I took my daughter camping we went to Rock Creek, a blue ribbon trout stream just 30 minutes east of Missoula, Montana. My father took me there when I was a kid. Perhaps like him, I realized soon after arriving that I wasn’t going to get much fishing in so after getting camp set up I stole a few minutes on the river. It’s a “blue ribbon” trout stream because it produces fish on a consistent basis and has the cold clean water that trout rely on.

My Daughter, Cidney, with her first fish

After a few minutes I had caught two small brown trout, cleaned them and then brought them back to camp for my daughter, Cidney, my wife, and me to eat. As we were preparing dinner, Cidney had a fish in each hand, inspecting them with inquisitive eyes. Ah, I love seeing things for the first time again through her eyes. I looked down and told her, “You know Cidney, we are going to eat those tonight.” She looked at me, back down at the fish, one more time at me and then took a big ol’ chomp out of one of the fish. I quickly added, “Cidney, we have to cook em first!” She took the fish out of her mouth and just smiled.

I love this little girl.

Celebrating Clean Water

This month we celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which was signed into law in 1972 with strong bipartisan support to protect waters and wetlands that are vital to people and wildlife. This particular piece of legislation is special to me. It works to ensure that my daughter will be able catch and eat blue-ribbon trout with her children just 30 minutes from the urban sprawl of Missoula. It is also special because my friend and mentor, Jim Range, contributed to the writing and passage of the Clean Water Act while working for Senator Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), the Senate Majority Leader at the time. While Jim has unfortunately passed on, the image of him casting into the fading sunlight on the Missouri River, a river he helped protect, will always be etched in my memory.

The National Wildlife Federation has played a key role in this great conservation win, mobilizing members and our affiliates to support and defend the Clean Water Act for all of its 40 years. I couldn’t be more proud of our efforts and countless other hunters and anglers from across the country who have made clean water a priority. Our rivers are no longer burning and no longer smelling of odors so foul you’d be crazy to so much as dip a toe in them. This is quite a success story. Sadly, too many take this success for granted. For years now, the Clean Water Act has been under attack in Washington D.C. and across the country. We are losing Clean Water Act protections for streams, lakes, and wetlands. Despite the great strides we have made, some of the most important habitats for fish and wildlife are now at risk.

Share Your Fish Tales

My daughter and I fishing on Rock Creek

To honor the passage of the Clean Water Act and to help renew protections, NWF has started an online event to celebrate cold and clean water, the lifeblood of our hunting and fishing heritage.

Here’s the idea: post your fish photos and stories in support of clean water on our “fish-tales” Flickr group. Now, if your photos are anything like my mine, you’ve got plenty of happily “gripping and grinning” shots with big fish. But don’t feel limited to just your greatest catch—submit photos of the water body your fish came from, and pictures of your child’s first fishing experience, and other fishing memories. Send along your short fish tale and describe why clean water matters to you.

My daughter turned four this year and caught her first fish. Well, let’s say the fish caught her. Her smile says it all. Let us celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and know that when its upheld and made stronger that a whole new generation of Montana “Sushi Girls” are waiting in the wings, counting on us to provide them with the same opportunities my daughter has today.