RiverKids: Alabama's Program to Raise a New Generation of Paddlers

RMS Supporting ProfessionalsWho Study, Protect, and Manage

North America’s Rivers

River Management Society

(continued on page 19)

Southeast Focus

40 Years Later — The Upper Segment

of the Chattooga WSR.......................... 4

Water Management in Alabama ........... 5

Hydrophones to Collect Fish Data ........ 6

Assessing Fish Barriers ........................ 8

Fish Weirs Reveal Ancient Culture ..... 10

Whites Creek Blueway ....................... 12

Taylor Dam on the White River ........... 14

Water Under the Bridge ...................... 15

Freshwater Sponges .......................... 16

Book Review: Desert Water .............. 17

Paddle it Forward ............................... 18

RMS Chapter Updates ....................... 20

New RMS Journal Schedule............... 30

WINTER 2014 VOLUME 27, NO. 4

RiverKids class held at a city park in Prattville, on Autuaga Creek. Photo: Alabama Scenic River Trail

by Jim Felder Alabama has over 5,000 miles of imminently enjoyable rivers and streams that offer virtually every experience that lies between wildlife-rich backwaters and the salty waves of the Gulf of Mexico (with whitewater and even underground paddling thrown in). What Alabama doesn’t have is a large, established paddling population to take advantage of its riparian treasures. The Alabama Scenic River Trail, formed to catalog and guide citizens and tourists to the state’s waters, has developed a statewide school to teach any child in the state of Alabama to safely paddle a kayak at no cost to participating families. The program places nine (the number of kayak trailers we own) learning

RiverKids: Alabama’s Program to Raise a New Generation of Paddlers

centers around the state. As anyone might imagine, the ability to roll out a successful local program varies among locations. The first to take up the challenge and offer a full training program for kids was the Autauga Creek Improvement Committee in Prattville, near Alabama’s capital Montgomery and in the heart of the state. Here, avid paddlers, home school moms and the town came together as a test bed for courseware development and testing and finally full-fledged training classes several times a month that almost always filled up as soon as they were announced. Several other towns have formed partnerships with local volunteers and 4-H Clubs in towns all over the state. The project was started when the National Park Service expressed

an interest in making paddling more accessible to the underserved. Educational programs had always been of interest to the Alabama Scenic River Trail but until that time in 2012, we did not have the partnerships to operate such a program at any depth. Besides, building out 5,000 miles of river trail, hosting events, creating feature inventories and mapping them, public speaking and provisioning a website had been enough to keep us otherwise occupied. It was when the build-out slowed and cataloging river features began to be less demanding that the opportunity opened to do something big with what we had accumulated. The association with the National Park Service and the partnerships that developed to

3Winter 20142 RMS Journal

RMS Main OfficeRisa Shimoda, Executive DirectorPO Box 5750, Takoma Park, MD 20913Ph / Fax (301) [email protected]@river-management.org

National OfficersDennis Willis, PresidentPrice, UT (435) 650-0850

Linda Jalbert, Vice PresidentGrand Canyon, AZ (928) 638-7909

Jorjena Daly, SecretaryAnchorage, AK (907) 267-1246

Helen Clough, TreasurerJuneau, AK (907) 321-4004

Ex-Officio AdvisorsGary G. MarshMountain City, TN (423) 768-3621

Randy WelshWashington, DC (801) 625-5250

Ken RansfordBasalt, CO (970) 927-1200

RMS [email protected]

Web Page CoordinatorCheston Crowser (406) [email protected]

Pro Deal CoordinatorScott Springer (541) [email protected]

Merchandise CoordinatorDan Haas (509) [email protected]

RMS JournalCaroline Kurz (406) [email protected]

RMS is a non-profit professional organization.

All contributions and membership dues are

tax-deductible.

The mission of RMS is to support

professionals who study, protect, and

manage North America’s rivers.

Editorial Policy: Articles are not edited for

content and may not reflect the position,

endorsement, or mission of RMS. The

purpose of this policy is to encourage the

free exchange of ideas concerning river

management issues in an open forum of

communication and networking among the

RMS membership. Unless indicated, points of

view are those of the author and not RMS.

From the Outgoing RMS President Executive Director’s Eddy


Risa Shimoda

In preparing my last President’s message for this Journal, I went back and read every one published over the last three years. It is obvious an evolution took place. I started out writing fun (for me anyway) folksy essays with a bit of natural history thrown in. These stories eventually got around to making a point about RMS. Gradually, the business of RMS consumed more of the content and displaced natural history, monster folklore, analogies and tales from my youth. Anytime we float a river, especially an unfamiliar one, there is emotion over what lies around the next bend. Anticipation, curiosity, excitement, trepidation, joy all lead to the grand reveal of what was beyond our sight lines. Will we be rewarded with that idyllic camp we have been hoping for? Hearing an ominous roar around the bend calls for clearheaded thinking and courage. Sometimes the only thing around the bend is another bend. At the meeting in Denver this October, the board was able to get a good look at what lies around the bend. The Board has committed to presenting the 2016 RMS Event/River Manager Training (nee symposium) in Boise. This coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. We will be working with the Wild and Scenic Interagency Committee to make sure we are part of the official commemoration. Note we are dropping the word “Symposium.” It was a hard decision; that has been the name of our signature event since 1992, and we have a reputation for hosting great events under that moniker. Unfortunately abuse of government travel funds by some agencies has made the great bureaucracy suspicious of anything that sounds like it could be fun. “Symposium” and “Conference”

are on the outs these days. A check of the etymological dictionary shows “symposium” comes from classical Greek, basically meaning, “Let’s drink together.” Probably better we let it go than try explaining it to an investigating subcommittee. You also notice we will “commemorate” not “celebrate” the anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Political correctness is not my strong suit; sometimes we don’t love everything that appears around the bend. We must deal with what we are presented. However, in hushed conversations among friends, we can still call it symposium and we will still celebrate rivers and professional success. Plan now and come celebrate with us. On January 1, RMS will follow the leadership of our new President, Helen Clough. Helen comes into the Presidency directly from the position of Treasurer. Her intimate knowledge of RMS’ finances will help make her one of our most effective Presidents ever. She also possesses great organizational skills, creativity and work ethic. With Helen at the helm, we can face the next three years of bends with great confidence. Of course, no captain can run the boat without a crew and Helen has a great one. Linda Jalbert stays on as VP giving the Executive Committee continuity. The VP is an important job as it is also the committee chair for both the Scholarship and Succession Committees. Linda has done a great job with both. Our 2012 River Manager of the Year, Jen Jones, is stepping in as our National Secretary and chair of the Awards Committee. Randy Welsh takes up Helen’s yoke as Treasurer. Randy has long served the board as an ex-officio member and we are thrilled to have his expertise available in a decision-making capacity. Alaska Chapter President Dave Schade will stay on for another year as the Chapter Presidents’ representative on the Executive Committee. We will have some new chapter presidents coming on line soon, some of whom will get to follow Dave’s trail. Another item from the board meeting that gives us great confidence in facing an uncertain future is the Executive Committee has revised and is renewing the contract for Risa Shimoda to serve as our Executive Director. It has been hard to think of Risa as a mere contractor. I prefer to think of her more as a very clever sister. Risa has more than anybody else, increased the footprint and improved the reputation of RMS. We are now a tree that stands out in the forest of river organizations. It used to be whenever I mentioned RMS, I immediately launched a canned speech answering the inevitable, “What’s that?” More and more, people are aware of RMS and better yet, we seem to have a stellar reputation. This is largely due to Risa and her great connections throughout the community of river organizations. A few board members are leaving the crew at the end of December. Outgoing National Secretary, Jena Daly, has been a great asset. The entire board is in awe of her great discipline, organizing skills, attention to detail and ability to keep all the balls in the air at one time. She also did a fine job of keeping me on task. She also reworked the awards committee charter and put together an outstanding committee comprised of ten of your peers from around RMS.

Dennis Willis testified before the Energy and Minerals subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee in February. The hearing was about how

“red tape” was discouraging oil and gas drilling on federal lands. Dennis argued the public participation process may look like red tape to the industry,

but it was equal protection and fair play to everyone else.

Around the Next Bend . . . All of us volunteer to do things from time to time. We tend to have a range in our inclination to offer time or resources, depending on the group that’s asking and what it is that’s being requested. It may be a light lift, perhaps because we’ve done it before or because it seems fun or easy. Then again, it might require an effort that goes beyond our comfortable zone, but we slug it out anyway ‘for the Gipper’. And…we may be asked to perform outside arenas we know well and which carry risk of failure, causing us to take a step backward. You may be thinking of examples of each as you read. We are sad to be waving fond farewells to members of the RMS National Board who fall into a fourth category. They do what needs to be done whether or not they have a clue about the approach. Their positive attitude, personal confidence and egoless nature have enabled us to both work through thorny issues and embrace new initiatives with enthusiasm. Dennis Willis, our departing president, leaves an organization that is undergoing a sweet, organic, and dramatic change. Lucky for us, he has allowed us to open new doors and seek new partners while maintaining our grounding in the veracity of our mission. We thank him ferociously for not getting stuck, helping us remember from whence we have come, and welcoming new leaders for their brilliance and energy. Mary Crockett is the stalwart of stalwarts in our Southeast Chapter. Besides her work that was acknowledged by being named this year’s River Manager of the Year, Mary has served her chapter mightily since contributing to the 2000 Symposium in Charleston, SC. She has been the consummate volunteer: after having ably led the organization in her role as 2014 Symposium Chair, she continues to be as reliable as Greenwich Mean Time when deadlines arrive for submitting information or articles for the journal and offers to help out whenever we come-a-calling. We love you, Mary! Ken Ransford has been RMS’ financial advisor since 2009. The expertise and patience he applied to the administration of our financial operations (together with past Treasurer Lee Larson)

allows us to have great confidence in the integrity of our processes. His perspective as a recreational kayaker has been invaluable: he has reminded us often about the sometimes understated responsibility river managers have in the decisions they make regarding the prudent and wise management of our rivers. Ken chaired this year’s symposium, a heroic commitment for someone who is a CPA /attorney during the week taxes were due! We will always appreciate his dedication and service. Jorjena Daly ends her term as National Secretary having renovated RMS’ documentation processes, keeping us abreast of board procedures and reporting with what has seemed like tremendous ease. Through Jena’s efforts, the RMS Awards Committee and its level of nomination activity has dwarfed that of several previous years, and she has led her committee’s thorough and thoughtful members through a process of continuous improvement that will outlive her tenure. As a consequence of being a consummate connector and befriender of colleagues, all who have worked with Jena love and respect her attitude and capabilities and respond impressively when she asks for their assistance. As a result of her outreach regarding this year’s training symposium, several wonderful presenters and silent auction donors supported the event. We wish these tremendous officers well, thank them exhaustingly for their service and put them on RMS’ pedestal for contributing to our future by contributing well beyond our ask.u

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by Mitch Reid Speaking to a diverse gathering of water stakeholders in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 9, 2014, Gerrit Jobsis, American Rivers’ Southeast Regional Director for Conservation, described the benefits to water planners of implementing efficiency measures and the costs to communities and streams associated with relying on the outdated practices of damming streams for water supply reservoirs. Gerrit was speaking as part of the Alabama Rivers Alliance’s “Blue Ribbon” Panel on Water Resources Planning in Riparian States at Birmingham-Southern College. This symposium was the 9th in a series of meetings held by the Alabama Rivers Alliance to engage stakeholders and state officials in an ongoing discussion about sustainable water management in Alabama. In 2012, Alabama’s Governor Robert Bentley charged the agencies of the state that have responsibility over water management to develop recommendations for a comprehensive water management plan for the state. In December of 2013, these agencies, now known as the Alabama Water Agencies Working Group (AWAWG), submitted a detailed report to the Governor which explored the issues associated with water management in Alabama and recommended a conceptual path forward for developing a plan. This effort comes at a critical time in Alabama where many long term issues are condensing into real challenges for the state’s water resources. Since the 1980’s recurring droughts have had an ever increasing impact on water users in the state while conflicts with the neighboring states of Florida and Georgia have intensified as interstate competition over the shared resources has grown. Added to this is the recognition by the farming community in Alabama that access to

by Jen Barnhart

The 57-mile Chattooga River, along with its 15,432-acre corridor, was designated as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1974 to preserve its free-flowing condition, protect its water quality and protect and enhance the river’s Outstanding Remarkable Values (ORVs)—biology, geology, recreation, scenery and history. For management purposes, the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River (WSR) is divided into an upper and lower segment. The 21-mile upper segment flows through and is managed by three national forests—the Sumter in South Carolina, Nantahala in NC and Chattahoochee in GA. In 2004, American Whitewater challenged the continuation of a Forest Service policy that did not allow boating on the upper segment. At that time, the USFS began a public process to assess the desired visitor experience on the upper segment and visitor use impacts, as well as develop management strategies that would protect and enhance the river’s ORVs. Due to the controversial nature of the issues and the variety of desired experiences, the USFS conducted numerous public meetings, workshops, mailings, comment periods and a public hearing over an eight-year period before three decision notices were signed in January, 2012. The decisions, which apply only to the upper segment, not only protect the river’s ORVs, free-flowing condition and water quality, and preserve the wilderness character of the Ellicott Rock Wilderness, they also:1. Open three of four river reaches to boating in the winter at appropriate flow levels;2. Establish backcountry group size limits for all users;3. Require the agency to designate environmentally sustainable trails and campsites that minimize encounters and conflict;4. Require monitoring; and 5. Apply adaptive management as needed in response to monitoring findings.

Today, the USFS is developing an efficient but robust monitoring and adaptive management program that will be available for

public review. The goal is to ensure that use levels are not exceeding capacities and that resource and experiential conditions are meeting standards outlined in the decisions. The agency kicked off its efforts to continue collaborating with the public with a public meeting in August on campsites and trails. At that meeting, the agency also gave an update on the monitoring and adaptive management program. One of the next steps in better defining this program is to send out a request for proposals for the following:1. Effective strategies to develop and conduct a user-involved recreation use and social impact monitoring program and associated data collection in the upper segment of the Chattooga WSR corridor;2. Develop a public/stakeholder collaborative process for assessing monitoring findings and developing adaptive management responses if use exceeds capacities or conditions exceed standards.

For more information on the Forest Service’s management of recreation uses on the upper segment of the Chattooga WSR, please visit www.fs.usda.gov/scnfs or “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/scnfs.u

Jen Barnhart works for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Francis Marion & Sumter National Forests, Andrew Pickens Ranger District.

40 Years Later: The Future of the Upper Segment of the

Chattooga Wild and Scenic River

Chattooga River. Photo: U.S. Forest Service

water is becoming a limiting factor in Alabama’s farmers’ ability to compete in an extremely water dependent industry. Unsurprisingly, these stresses are also having an impact on Alabama’s river ecosystems as uses increase and water users look for new supply options. With the questions of access comes the issue of the state’s responsibility to protect the flow of the rivers for both their users and their ecosystems. Alabama does not have a well-developed instream flow policy and this will need to be addressed as part of the state’s water planning efforts. To this end, Gerrit’s presentation demonstrated to the attendees that water management policies that favor efficiency improvements and economic incentives for using less water can have measurable cost benefits for water managers while preserving the flows for the rivers. Along with Gerrit’s presentation, stakeholders and official also heard an expert analysis of riparian rights by Villanova Law professor Joseph Dellapenna; an exceptional discussion of the state of the art water in modeling from two titans in the field: Dr. Daniel Sheer, President and founder of Hydrologics, Inc., and Professor Aris Georgakakos from the Georgia Water Resources Institute; and a discussion of the path forward for Alabama from Senator Arthur Orr, the chair of the state’s legislative water policy committee. In August of 2014, Governor Bentley directed AWAWG to hone its recommendations and present more details of how the state can move forward, including a plan for engaging stakeholders in the process, by December. With these efforts, Alabama’s water planning is poised to move with full steam into 2015.u Mitch Reid works as Program Director for the Alabama Rivers Alliance.

Water Management Flows Forward in Alabama“Alabama

does not

have a well-

developed

instream

flow policy

and this will

need to be

addressed...


by Bill Post and Chad Holbrok

Shortnose sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon are anadromous species (live the majority of their life in saltwater and spawn in freshwater) with ranges that include most of the Atlantic coast of the United States. They are seldom encountered by anglers and are infrequently seen jumping from the water in coastal bays and inlets along the Southeast Atlantic Coast. However, a recently completed cooperative research project by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and funded by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) involving partners from North Carolina State University, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, and the University of Georgia confirmed that these

Receiver locations used in the multi-state sturgeon study.

sturgeon species are present in coastal rivers throughout each state and that these animals undertake long distance inland migrations as well as coastal seasonal migrations. Shortnose sturgeon have been on the Endangered Species List since the late 1960’s and Atlantic sturgeon were recently included to the Endangered Species List in 2012, but have been under coast-wide fishing moratorium since 1995. This research was conducted as part of a multi-state/multi-agency effort to fill in many data gaps that existed in the southern portion of their range. An array of ~620 data-logging hydrophones were deployed throughout the Albemarle Sound (the Roanoke, Chowan, and

Meherrin rivers) and the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, throughout the Intracoastal Waterway and piers and jetties off the South Carolina Coast as well as the Waccamaw, Great Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee, Black, Sampit, Santee, Cooper, Edisto, Ashepoo, Combahee, and Savannah Rivers in South Carolina, and throughout the Altamaha and Ogeechee Rivers in Georgia. Hydrophones were deployed every 5 miles, beginning at the river/ocean confluence and extending to areas well upriver (in most cases 200-300 river kilometers (rkm)) where spawning is likely to occur, or to the first impediment. Throughout the course of the study (2010-2014), 245 Atlantic sturgeon and 115 shortnose sturgeon received transmitters with a battery life up to 5

years. Receiver downloads from the hydrophone array also recorded over 19 million detections.

Shortnose sturgeon were detected near spawning grounds during spring months, and these spawning grounds ranged from 77 to 301 rkm inland from the river/ocean confluence. Throughout the remainder of the year, shortnose sturgeon inhabited the freshwater/saltwater interface zone of a river with few exceptions. Contrary to previously held beliefs that shortnose sturgeon remained in their natal river system throughout their life, numerous shortnose sturgeon were detected in near-shore ocean waters as they migrated to other river systems. An extraordinary example of this behavior were three shortnose sturgeon that received transmitters in Winyah Bay watershed were detected in three consecutive years migrating out of Winyah Bay in early winter, entering the Savannah River in late winter, migrating upstream to spawning grounds in the spring, and returning to Winyah Bay in early summer. In addition, shortnose sturgeon made spawning runs to previously verified spawning grounds in many rivers and these runs were made each year and during different river flows.

Also, prior to this study, Atlantic sturgeon in the southern portion of their range were thought to undergo spawning runs in late spring, similar to animals in the northern portion of the range. However, overwhelming evidence provided by this study points towards spawning for this species in the southern range occurring during fall months, with inland spawning runs terminating between 150 and 409 rkm upriver from the river/ocean confluence. The observation of a 409 kilometer upriver movement constituted the longest documented migration of an Atlantic sturgeon within a U.S. spawning river, and occurred in the Ocmulgee River within the Altamaha System. Also of note, was the frequency at which upstream spawning movements were observed.

Use of Hydrophones to Collect Fish Spawning Data in Coastal SE Rivers

Atlantic sturgeon are long-lived, late maturing animals with a hypothesized 3-7 years between spawning events, however we observed individuals undertaking upstream migrations in consecutive years and in alternating years.

Similar to shortnose sturgeon, spawning behavior for Atlantic sturgeon occurred during high and low flows and was

observed in all years across the study area. While river flow does not seem to determine timing of spawning runs, it is most likely a critical element for successful year class survival and recruitment. Determining successful spawning and recruitment is one of the next challenges, and due to this most recent study we now have a much better idea of where and when to look.u

Retrieval of a hydrophone data collector from a river in South Carolina. Photos: SCDNR

Retrieving data from a hydrophone collector alongside a dock in the field.


by Kat Hoenke and Scott Robinson, Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership The rivers and streams of the southeastern United States are extremely diverse, containing numerous threatened and endangered species. In fact, southeastern rivers contain the largest number of at-risk freshwater fish and invertebrates of any region in the country. The presence of dams and other man-made barriers fragment the river network, contributing to habitat loss and therefore negatively impacting freshwater biodiversity. In addition, dams often impede the movement of resident and diadromous fish species. Resident imperiled species of darter and redhorse are unable to move freely in the system, and anadromous fish such as the American shad and striped bass are unable to reach their historic spawning grounds upstream. To help address this problem, the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have completed an assessment of dams in the Southeast. The project, funded by the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC), supports planners and managers in their efforts to target fish passage and other aquatic connectivity projects where they have the most benefit. Dubbed the Southeast Aquatic Connectivity Assessment Project (SEACAP), this project identifies opportunities to improve aquatic connectivity by prioritizing dams based on their potential ecological benefits if removed or bypassed within watersheds that intersect the SALCC area, including southern VA, NC, SC, GA, AL, FL, and eastern MS (Figure 1). The project area is approximately 250,000 square miles with over 350,000 miles of mapped streams. Approximately 17,000 dams were located on streams in the GIS mapping and evaluated based on a suite of metrics, including the number of river miles that

would be opened by a passage project, number of downstream dams, presence of diadromous or resident fish species, and metrics which assess watershed and stream ecological conditions. Metrics are combined to produce a relative prioritization and displayed in an interactive web map with a custom analysis tool for running user-defined scenarios. The output of the custom tool is a list of dams ranked from highest to lowest representing which dams would provide a greater benefit if removed or bypassed. However, because differences between each dam may not be representative of true ecological differences, ranked dams are represented in five percent tiers within the map display (Figure 2). In addition to default prioritization outputs, the custom

web-based tool will be available for use by managers to create their own prioritization scenarios for given geographic areas and scales. This tool will allow different managers to pick and choose the metrics they wish to use and provide relative weights to the metrics different from the weights used in the default scenarios. For example, a biologist living in coastal North Carolina can use the custom tool to place higher weights on diadromous fish metrics and limit the prioritization to the coast of the state in order to create a prioritization specific to their needs. SEACAP was modeled from the Northeast Aquatic Connectivity Project (NAC) and the Chesapeake Fish Passage Prioritization Project (CFPPP) (both recently completed). The information provided by SEACAP used in conjunction

with expert knowledge and field assessments will allow resource managers to be more efficient in selecting fish passage projects in their area. From the SEACAP Project, SARP has partnered with American Rivers as part of a new Connectivity Program, which focuses on providing technical support and resources to managers working on dam removal and fish passage projects within the SARP states (VA, NC, SC, GA, AL, FL, LA, TX, OK, MO, KY, TN, MS, and AR). SARP currently has two other GIS decision support tools in addition to SEACAP: the North Carolina Barrier Prioritization Tool (NC BPT), and the Tennessee Cumberland Barrier Prioritization Tool, which is under development. In addition to decision support tools, SARP and American Rivers hope to foster collaboration between partners within states by creating Connectivity Teams—groups of resource managers from multiple sectors who can come together and discuss and collaborate around fish passage projects and identify new projects using the tools and resources provided. Current efforts include using the recently updated North Carolina BPT to create custom outputs for smaller watershed groups and non-profits who participate in the North Carolina Aquatic Connectivity Team (NC ACT). These groups include the Cape Fear River Partnership, Trout Unlimited and local resource conservation development councils (RC&Ds). Using tool results, SARP and American Rivers have been communicating with resource managers within

Figure 1: SEACAP Project Study Area

Figure 2: Draft Diadromous Fish Scenario, Top Tiers = Warm Colors (see color images online)

The Southeast Aquatic Connectivity Assessment Program:

Assessing Fish Barriers in Southeastern Rivers

each group to perform reconnaissance on top ranked dams to initiate the dam removal process on the ground. In addition, the team is working with Dr. Mike Gangloff at Appalachian State University and his student, Tara Early, who will perform reconnaissance on dams within the Carolina Land and Lakes R&D Council region as part of her internship. SARP co-hosted a Tennessee Dam Removal Workshop on October 1-2 in Athens, Tennessee, led by American Rivers. Attendees included partners from the Tennessee Dam Removal Partnership (Tennessee’s Connectivity Team), as well as participants from all sectors including the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Participants from neighboring states interested in dam removal also attended.

The SEACAP Project, SARP and TNC’s regional barrier prioritization tool, is entering the final stages of analysis and the project will be completed this December. Following its completion, a workshop will be held at the Southern Division American Fisheries Society Meeting in Savannah, Georgia, on January 30th, 2015. SARP will also take the project “on the road” to several SARP states included in the project area, performing tutorials on the web tool and discussing next steps for using the output. The goal is that from these initial SEACAP meetings, connectivity teams will form within each state and resource managers can further collaborate and initiate dam removal projects like those of the teams in North Carolina and Tennessee.u


by Jenni Frankenberg Veal American Indian towns and villages thrived for thousands of years along the rivers and within the valleys of Southeast Tennessee. Archaeologists estimate that Tennessee was first occupied approximately 15,000 years ago. One of the tribes that inhabited the region was the Cherokee, who by 1700 claimed land that included parts of Southeast Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Much of the evidence of Cherokee life in Southeast Tennessee was virtually erased during the forced removals conducted by the U.S. government throughout the 1800s. In addition to wreaking havoc on the lives of the Cherokee and other tribes, the removals eradicated a cultural landscape that had existed for untold centuries. Homes and farms were pillaged and burned and household items sold, leaving little behind to tell the ancient story of American Indian life along the rivers and valleys of their homeland. Despite this tragic chapter in American history, the legacy of the region’s native people continues through the natural, historical and cultural landscape of Southeast Tennessee. Historically significant sites throughout the region continue to emerge, offering a deeper understanding of the cultural heritage of the people who lived here prior to European settlement. One such cultural treasure is the fish weir, a visible remnant of an ancient form of fishing practiced by the Cherokee and earlier inhabitants in the region. A fish weir is a low wall of river cobbles built across the bed of a river, a V-shaped funnel that points downstream. Fish weirs were designed to obstruct the passage of fish. The flow of water would push the fish into the point of the V, where they could be captured with baskets, nets or traps. “Rivers have been an important form of transportation, but these fish weirs were a wise use of rivers for food,” said Dr. Dan Perlmutter, an aquatic ecologist and longtime fish weir enthusiast who is retired from Western Carolina University. Perlmutter has canoed and kayaked a 7-mile section of the Little Tennessee River and discovered a dozen fish weirs within that stretch of river near historic Cowee Mound in North Carolina. Cowee Mound was the principal commercial and diplomatic center of the mountain Cherokee in the 18th century. “These fish weirs obviously played an important role in supplying food for American Indian communities,” Perlmutter said. “It is believed that the women would go out to the fish weirs and harvest the fish that were trapped.” Researchers think that fish weirs were controlled by the clans or villages that constructed them. Records indicate that the Cherokee would even lease the use of the weirs to early settlers. After land was taken from the Cherokee, government appraisers assigned dollar values to the fish weirs when calculating compensation due to the Cherokee. At Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park in Delano, Tenn., an interpretive marker describes an ancient fish weir that is located in the Hiwassee River, just off the boat dock at the Gee Creek Campground. When the water is low, the V-shaped

stone formation is easily seen in the riverbed. However, the Hiwassee River fish weir is missing a section that extended to the riverbank, most likely the result of boaters and swimmers who did not recognize the arrangement of stones as an archaeological feature. The use of fish weirs was widespread throughout the Southeast, and many still exist in riverbeds today. Researchers have identified them in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia—and throughout the world. However, fish weirs in the Southeast have not been heavily researched or mapped. Water enthusiasts are encouraged to keep an eye out for them but are asked not to disturb them because they are important archaeological features offering a rare link to the history of America’s native people. “You can see fish weirs in low water, but not really in high water,” Perlmutter said. “Look for a downstream-pointing V that stretches from one side of the river to the other.” “These features should be recorded in some fashion so we know how many of these things exist,” he said. Perlmutter is interested in hearing from anyone who has seen a fish weir in Southeast Tennessee. Contact him at [email protected]

Jenni Frankenberg Veal is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about the natural world and exploration opportunities found within the southeastern United States, one of the most biologically and recreationally rich regions on Earth. Visit her blog at www.YourOutdoorFamily.com.

Fish weirs reveal ancient cultural landscape of Southeast Tennessee

The Etowah River is famous for prehistoric fish weirs. They were constructed for the purpose of corralling presumably migratory fish into traps. The technology is used throughout eastern North America and is thought to have spanned many archaeological periods. Documentation by local historians indicates that some weirs were modified and maintained into the 1800’s. The fact that wooden structures are present in some of the weirs would indicate this may be true. Some of the weirs on the lower Etowah River seem to have been damaged or partially dismantled possibly to allow boat traffic to traverse the river. For many wonderful photos, see: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_cressler/sets/72157624354049974/

Above: Etowah River, prehistoric fish weir No. 2, below U.S. 411, Bartow County, Georgia 3Below: Etowah River, prehistoric fish weir No. 3, below Douthit Ferry Road, Bartow County, Georgia 3. Photos: Alan Cressler


by Patty Shultz

Whites Creek in the Bordeaux section of Nashville, TN, is a little known treasure in a city waking up to its outdoor play potential. Efforts by Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association (TSRA) and a host of partners have facilitated the use of this creek for recreation. As a group of conservationists who like to play in water, TSRA is happy to be instrumental in this. TSRA is a volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and restoration of the scenic, free-flowing rivers of our state. Based in Nashville, TN, the organization has approximately 1,000 members across the state and the south. It follows that besides teaching paddling skills and safety, organizing trips, adopting rivers, and being involved in conservation issues, TSRA is interested in providing accesses for the general public to be able to get into the water.

Whites Creek is a great example of how our partnerships have enriched local outdoor lives. While Nashville Metropolitan Parks and Recreation Department has been working on a Greenway along Whites Creek, TSRA has been working on Whites Creek’s Blueway. Currently there is one mile of paved Greenway trail from Hartman Park to Clarksville Pike completed. Where there is a Greenway in a flood plain, the paddlers in this area think: Blueway (water trail). Our Blueways offer a place to paddle, swim and fish with safe, environmentally sound access. Now Whites Creek has one to write about. How it was done:TSRA started the Blueway by the Greenway in Hartman Park and built the first access design to the creek in May of 2013. There was quite a bit of community support for this project. Besides coordinating the project, TSRA provided many volunteer hours. REI and American Canoe Association (ACA) supplied grant funds for materials.

Rogers Group donated gravel and stones. A Boy Scout troop volunteered with the work and one of their scouts used this as his Eagle Scout project. The meet up group, Paddle Adventures Unlimited, listed this as a meet up and a number of its members showed up to help. Tennessee Aquatics Project, a local youth group, also volunteered with the building and clean up. Local Sierra Club leaders and members provided assistance with the work. Whites Creek Watershed Alliance coordinated their creek clean up with the build. This worked especially well to have work for volunteers to do when the actual building didn’t require as many volunteers as we had. It’s always difficult when doing an access build to estimate how many workers are needed for any given time and to determine how many volunteer workers will show up. There are also times when the work area is a bit dangerous and you don’t want young children there. So coordinating a cleanup at the same time is a double bonus. Plenty of work for all volunteers and the area gets cleaned up as well.

Hartman Park is a heavily used community park. During the build, folks in the park who were there for other events, like picnics, walking, baseball and basketball, were fascinated with the project. Prior to our clearing a path and building the access, many did not realize that a paddle friendly creek was even in the park. Because of this, we wanted to increase their interest in the creek access and came up the idea of having a “Fun Day in the Creek” the following weekend.

The Payoff:TSRA coordinated with Nashville Metropolitan Parks Department and on the following nice hot Sunday in May, all the folks who had helped, as well as any interested park users, were invited back to play in the creek. Metro Parks and TSRA folks brought boats to the creek. Kids who

had never been in kayaks and canoes got some basic instruction and before long even reluctant parents who had brought their kids for the outing were in the water having fun. On the banks we did river quality testing and taught folks in the park about this.

With this access available, the Community Center in Hartman Park and the Nashville Metro Parks Department began scheduling events in the creek at the access site. This opened a whole new outdoor recreation potential for people in the area.

The Ripple Continues:Six months later, in Nov of 2013, TSRA coordinated another access build 4 ½ miles downstream along Whites Creek off of Stewarts Lane. Again we had lots of community support. REI and Regions Bank through TN Parks and Greenways Foundation provided grant funds for the materials; Rogers Group again provided gravel and stone. Volunteers showed up from TSRA, Paddle Adventures Unlimited, REI, Sierra Club, Music City Paddleboards, Tennessee Aquatics Project and Tennessee State Employees from the Tennessee Government Management Institute.

Different Currents Merge To Help Clean Our Stream:TSRA and Nashville Metropolitan Parks Department organized a paddle down Whites Creek from the access in Hartman Park to the one off of Stewarts Lane to help celebrate the builds. All the volunteers were invited and over 30 paddlers showed up. A big contingent of the group was made up of the volunteers from the Tennessee Aquatic Project (TAP), young people and their parents. This group is interested in inner city youth and stresses personal development with a focus on water, ecology, and conservation. They formed one tributary of the stream of work to clean up the Whites Creek.

While the creek starts out pristine around Hartman Park, the flow of trash and pollution into it becomes very obvious as one paddles downstream. For years the Whites Creek Watershed Alliance has been sponsoring cleanups in different sections of this creek but the pollution continues to be disturbing. The TAP young people and their sponsors have now also taken up the challenge to get some change and a clean up effort is underway here. They are currently working on a Public Service Announcement and contacting local, state and national leaders in an effort to have the pollution issues addressed. So in addition to adding access, there is now more interest among the community in getting this stream cleaned up.

Tennessee’s Wild Side, an award winning TV show that airs on public television, came out to video some of the building and the paddle. The show found the TAP’s youth and their mission to get the creek clean of prime interest and the show does a great job of promoting that. This is their water and we are so proud of them for making an effort to get it clean. See videohttp://wildsidetv.com/video/water-warriors/.

Another tributary for a cleaner stream is the Nashville Metro Water Service. They have recently completed Whites Creek Sewer Pumping station to remedy sewer overflow at this location. A new pumping station has been brought online this year and has been operating with zero overflows. Metro Water Services is currently in discussion with TDEC to have a contact advisory sign removed from the Whites Creek area with a deposting ceremony planned.

If you want to paddle down Whites Creek, you can now put in at Hartman Park and do a leisurely paddle 4½ miles to Stewarts Lane. Or, you can keep going another mile to the Cumberland River, and then take out at Clees Ferry, nine miles from Whites Creek on Stewarts Lane (at River Mile 174.3), making this a nice long paddle. Thanks to the Nashville Community of over 100 volunteers, this Blueway is a reality. Come paddle with us!u

Take A Ride On Our Blueway!

Above: For Fun Day, TSRA volunteer Jagis Sprague offers guidance to Edinah Edwards of TAP, who helped out with the build and cleanup at Hartman Park on Whites Creek.

Below: Many community volunteers showed up to work on the Whites Creek Access off of Stewarts Lane. Photos: Patty Shultz


by Greg TrainorOctober 28, 2014

The construction of Taylor Draw Dam on the White River, in Northwestern Colorado, was the outcome of the drought of 1977. It would also be affected by the spectacular snowmelt and runoff events of 1983 and 1984.

Because of the drought of 1977, the people of western Rio Blanco County and the small oil town of Rangely authorized the issuance of bonds and the construction of a dam and hydroelectric plant on the White River, five miles upstream of the town. The town diverted its drinking water supply from the White River. In July of 1977, Rangely, by necessity, had dammed the entire river at the town’s water intakes.

The community knew that it could not depend on the direct flow of the river, but rather needed storage to help it get through low water years.

As project manager for the construction of Taylor Draw dam I witnessed the realization of a long held dream of the Rangely community to construct a water supply reservoir to insure the availability of drinking water. I also witnessed the realization of a personal and private event as a result of the dam construction, an event long-held private until the writing of this story, thirty years later.

Because it was on a river, Taylor Draw dam was built in two parts. During construction of the dam, the White River was diverted from its riverbed into a two-mile long diversion works that carried the river around the axis of the dam along the right abutment and away from the active construction works on the left abutment. The river would remain diverted until the dam’s outlet works was completed, then the river would be placed back into its original channel, passing through the now-completed outlet

Last Man on the White

A peaceful overlook on Kenney Reservoir invites travelers to stop and rest a while. (Public domain. Greg Gnesios)

by Greg TrainorJuly 22, 2014

As a youngster, I looked down at the Arkansas River from the bridge just south of Buena Vista, Colorado, near the State Reformatory for Boys To the west, the Collegiate Range towers above the valley floor and irrigated farm lands. Mount Harvard, Yale and Princeton stand as granite sentinels over the river and their snows contributed to its flow. Here the Ark is not quite a mountain river, dropping down through a broad mountain valley until it runs the canyon near Salida, through the Royal Gorge, and, finally, breaks out into the prairies of eastern Colorado. As a youngster, our family camped and hiked in the Collegiates, so I was familiar with the Arkansas. Over the years my imagination grew, as did my desire to float this river. From the bridge high above, the river looked small. I could only imagine where the river might take me…off into the great unknown. My opportunity came when I was a senior in High School. I bought a four-man rubber raft from Sears and Roebuck and talked a classmate, Dave Arnett, to come with me to run the river. Dave later became a medical doctor and settled in Salida, Colorado; on the banks of the very river we were to run that day. I guess our experiences that Saturday did not deter him from maintaining a close association with the river. “Close” being a relative term. His medical life was “close” to the river. His High School experiences that Saturday were “too close.” The raft was “four-man,” but carried only two. We loaded the boat on the top of Dave’s jeep and headed out for Buena Vista. It took us three hours to get to the river. As we got closer, I remember looking over the edge of the river bridge. I can still feel the excitement of my first river trip. Having never run a river before, we took four inner tubes with us and fashioned them as outriggers. Our first strategy with the inner tubes was to stabilize the raft. In addition we took one of our bicycle pumps and two, small, “horseshoe –type life jackets. Lunch ended

up in a plastic bag. All was tied in the boat with a length of cotton rope. When we got to the river’s edge, it didn’t look or feel like the “small river” we had seen from atop the bridge. It was wide and running fast. Deep green and gray and clear. A small voice said to me, “ This is bigger than you thought. Are you sure you want to do this?” We had traveled for hours getting to the river in Dave’s jeep, top speed forty-five miles per hour. We did not want to waste that time. It didn’t take us long to tie on the “outriggers,” get into the boat, and, for good measure, to tie ourselves into the boat as well. I had recently paid good money for this boat and did not want to lose it. We pushed off and were immediately swept downstream. From the start, our well-planned approach to the river began to unravel. As we tried to paddle, the outriggers, along the side of the boat, prevented us from getting a good deep cut into the water. In fact, we could not paddle at all and could only hold onto the edge of the boat and be carried downstream by the current. We were “in it” and there was no getting out of it. It took but a few seconds for us to realize that we were in over our heads and that our fate was in the hands of the “river gods.” Within a hundred yards of our put in, we went over the top of a pour over and flipped. Our second strategy of tying ourselves into the boat now began to unravel as well. We were upside down and tangled in the cotton rope. To this day, forty-eight years later, I can still remember being dragged along the bottom of the river, hitting submerged rocks, and, in my mind’s eye, watching my hands as they clawed the moss covered rocks for a hold. My hands could not gain any purchase, the rocks slipped from my grasp, and I watched with tears of desperation as these islands of refuge

Water Under the Bridge


quickly receded into the distance. I looked for Dave and saw his head poking up through the inside of one of our inner tubes. He held the tube with both hands from the inside of the tube and looked quite comfortable bobbing along. I was in no such condition, still wrapped in rope, hanging desperately to the recently purchased, not to be lost, Sears raft. I finally managed to untangle my legs and feet from the rope and with the strongest sidestroke I could muster, pulled for the river’s edge and some quiet water there. We “eddied out.” In the years to come I would learn many terms for situations that I found myself in that day: “eddy out,” “pour-over,” “put-in, “ “ flip,” “maytaged,” “take-out,” “shuttle.” The last two situations we had not even

thought about as we merrily drove to our appointments with fate. Gathering ourselves from the eddy, hoisting the boat to our shoulders and with what little gear we had left (life jackets and paddles!), we headed out across sagebrush flats and barbed-wire fences to the highway and our trek back to Dave’s jeep. I’ve heard it said that Winston Churchill remarked, during his experiences in the Boer War, “that there is nothing quite like the feeling of being shot at and missed.” It was glorious. We were alive with a boat! Ha! Ha! Would we recognize how close we came to being a statistic?! Since that day, there has been a lot of water under the bridge and a lot of lessons learned that any reader of this Journal would immediately recognize. As river managers, when do we step in and exert our will over the inexperienced and ill prepared?u

“...and, for good measure, (we tied) ourselves into

the boat as well.”


by Jenni Frankenberg Veal The Southeast is a land dominated by rivers and home to a staggering variety of freshwater life forms and habitats. The region features some of the richest diversity of aquatic life of any temperate area in the world, rivaling the tropics. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that we are still learning about what lies beneath the rippling waters that thread through this landscape. Take, for instance, our emerging awareness of freshwater sponges in East Tennessee. Although most of the 5,000 known sponges are found in marine environments, 150 species live in freshwater. East Tennessee is home to 11 of these freshwater sponge species, which are found in streams, rivers and lakes—any body of water that has relatively good water quality. Freshwater sponge research has been limited in the past, but recent discoveries are adding to the number of sponge species that call this region home. “Freshwater sponges have been overlooked because researchers have focused on other aquatic life forms, such as aquatic insects,” said Dr. John Copeland, professor of biology at Lincoln Memorial University in Northeast Tennessee.

Copeland recently began devoting time to researching freshwater sponges, heeding the advice of a former professor who advised him of the need back in the 1970s. “When I first came to LMU, Dr. Louis Lutz was studying the spiny river snail in the Powell River, and he informed me that he was seeing a lot of freshwater sponges,” Copeland said. “He encouraged me to research them because he knew that nobody was looking at them. I am nearing retirement now, so I figured I better start.” According to Copeland, the only documented research about Tennessee freshwater sponges was published in 1943 by Clayton Hoff, a researcher from Quincy College in Illinois, who discovered four species of freshwater sponge while he was in residence at the Reelfoot Lake Biological Station during the summer of 1942. In the past 18 months, Copeland has possibly identified two new species of freshwater sponge in East Tennessee. He is working with two Italian researchers who

are considered to be the world’s foremost experts on freshwater sponges to name the new species and publish descriptions. For centuries, sponges were considered plants because of their primitive structure and lack of mobility. However, sponges are actually invertebrates (do not have a backbone) that grow on sturdy submerged objects in streams, rivers and lakes. “Sponges are considered to be basal metazoans—they are at the very bottom of the animal kingdom,” Copeland said. Sponges are filter

Emerging knowledge of freshwater sponge expands southeastern biodiversity

John Copeland, professor of biology at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, recently discovered two new species of freshwater sponge in the region. (Photo: John Copeland)

feeders, obtaining their food from the flow of water through their bodies and from symbiotic algae. They have the unique ability to selectively choose what they are going to digest on any given day. This, of course, makes freshwater sponges especially sensitive to water conditions, so their presence indicates high water quality and low levels of pollutants. “You can find them in very small streams that you can essentially hop across and in large rivers, such as the Conasauga and Hiwassee rivers,” Copeland said. Freshwater sponges are more common and abundant than people realize, Copeland said. Part of the problem is that they can be easily confused with algae. The way to tell the difference is sponges have a coarse texture and are not slimy like algae. In Tennessee, freshwater sponges come in a palette of colors, ranging from white to sandy to dark brown to green. They may be lobed, composed of finger-like projections or irregularly shaped; and they vary in size from a few millimeters to more than a meter across. Freshwater sponges overwinter in a dormant state (called gemmules), and the best time of year to see them is during the summer and early fall, when they reach their maximum size. However, if you do spot one, Copeland said, let it be. “There is nothing else like a sponge on planet Earth—they are truly fascinating creatures,” Copeland said. u

Although most of the 5,000 known sponges are found in marine environments, 150 species live in freshwater. (Photo: John Copeland)

Title: Desert Water: the future of Utah’s water resources Author: Hal Crimmel

Publisher: University of Utah PressDate: 2014

Includes: Bibliography, maps, photosISBN 978-1-60781-375-0 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-60781-375-3 (ebook)

Book Reviewby Dennis Willis

Hal Crimmel is an English professor at Weber State University in Odgen, Utah. Among his many accomplishments, he is perhaps best known as an expert in experiential education and getting students out of the confines of the class room. He accomplishes something similar in this book, Desert Water: the future of Utah’s water resources. The story of the west’s water problems have been spelled out in great detail in such books as Cadillac Desert, and Dead Pool, as well as lesser known academic tomes. Crimmel presents us with a series of 13 essays. In addition to well researched scientific information, he presents the work of social scientists and policy advocates. The mix of hard science alongside and sometimes within, personal and literary essays sheds a unique light on the challenge faced by people in the west dealing with conflict over a diminishing, ever in demand resource. Beyond just presenting the history, uncomfortable present and less than rosy future, the essays convey messages of challenge and hope. There are direct challenges to the waste of fresh water. Utah is the second driest state yet uses more water per capita for household use than any other state. Not only does the book challenge this waste, it calls for reconsideration of the water policies and ethics that directly feed it. Nowhere is the need for policy and ethics consideration more clear than in

RMS member Daniel McCool’s essay, “A New Water Ethic.” This essay expands and expounds on the shorter version first printed in the RMS Journal. This book obviously addresses water issues in Utah. It is an important work for river managers anywhere in the west facing challenges of climate change, and increasing demands on river resources. Utah occupies two major drainage systems—the Colorado Plateau with the

Green and Colorado Rivers, and the Great Basin. Utah shares these systems with eight other western states. Its rivers are a bellwether for the water woes facing those states and the greater west. The policies and assumptions that drive water policy in Utah are similar throughout the west. These policy drivers are more important in finding solutions to water issues than is the stream specific hydrology.u


by Gary G. Marsh

Mentoring is an equal opportunity endeavor. My mentors are male and female, younger and older, come from various backgrounds, and often hold personal views and beliefs opposite of my own. However, they all share a common ingredient (often unbeknown to them) – their willingness to share their wisdom, experience and skills enhancing my understanding of river management. They “paddle it forward,” analogous to the 2000 film, “Pay It Forward,” starring Helen Hunt and Haley Osment who as a boy launches a good-will movement from an assignment by his teacher played by Kevin Spacey.

Many of you are unaware you are mentoring others. The RMS Board, Judy Culver (see Fall 2011, Vol. 24, No. 3, page 16) and I (see Spring 2011, Vol. 24, No. 1, page 21) encourage mentees and mentors to share stories via your respective Chapter in the RMS Journal to encourage and enlighten those working in the river community and profession. In addition, check out and provide us feedback on mentoring via the RMS website: http://www.river-management.org/mentoring.

Who/whom is/are your mentors? At the risk of omitting some (my apologies in advance), I have listed some of my mentors from 1985 to 2011 when I worked for the BLM in the rivers program. Each name represents a moment in my continuing river education. Most are RMS members and many could be listed in multiple categories. It was/is the journey, not the destination, and the dance, not the music. They each created an environment free for success and failure. They let me listen, learn, rig, paddle, flip, recirculate, enjoy the flow, learn and grow. I hope you share your mentors and continue to paddle it forward to others in your periphery.

Patience, Integrity, Virtue: Joleen L. Marsh (wife of 43 years)

Academia: Joel Barnes, Ed Krumpe, Bill McLaughlin, Glen Haas, Bo Shelby, Mark Fly

Conservation: Kevin Coyle, Tom Cassidy, Chris Brown, Morgan Jones, Tim Palmer, Kevin Colburn, Rich Bowers, Eric Finstick, Dennis Willis, Evan Worthington, Judi Zuckert

Creativity: Henry (Tom) Mottl, Bill Overbaugh, Bob Ratcliffe, Caroline Tan Kurz, Michael Greco

Law Enforcement: Jon Wesley Sering, Paul Cowan

Management: Deane Swickard, Tony Anderson, Paul Roelandt, Liz Close, Lisa Klinger, Monica Zimmerman

Outdoor Ethics: LuVerne Grussing, Joe Ashor, Ed Fite, Greg Trainor, Troy Schnurr

From the archives: Bob Ratcliffe is rowing not only the former Dinosaur Chief Ranger, John Welch, but also an outhouse! Very creative indeed. Photo courtesy of Herm Hoops.

Paddle It Forward

Partnerships: David Brown, Doug Tims, Grant Simonds, Scootch Pankonin, George Wendt, Jack Rich, Jim Greiner, Tom Hicks, Greg Lais

Permitting/Allocation: Doug Whittaker, David Brown, Jim Eicher, Harold Belisle, Chris Dent, Linda Jalbert

Planning: Geoff Middaugh, Don Bruns, Bev Driver, Jim Colby, Paul Boos

Public Service: Ken Vines, Dave Cernicek, Mark Chase, Denny Huffman, Stuart Schneider, Erik Wrede

River Running: Clif Bobinski, Lee Larson, Jim Kenna, Tom Bonomo, Jim Kirschvink, Jake Schlapfer, Sera Zegre, Bill Deitchman, Michael Crane

WSRs: John Haubert, Cassie Thomas, Dan Haas, Jackie Diedrich, Lon Kelly, Terry O’Sullivan

support the elements of the program fell into place for the simple reason that our mission had a popular goal: There is nothing to dislike about giving every child in the state of Alabama the chance to grow, by means of becoming a paddler, into an eventual steward of the waterways. The reasons why older people get more involved in outdoor programs are too obvious and too numerous to mention in this article. But one reason stands out as to why I believe this particular generation of Americans has been galvanized into action on every front of trail development: we are the ones most aware of its loss. In our youth, the outdoors was ours. Today it is an alien place to most children, and, as a result, will be to most adults if the process of exclusion is not reversed. Our waterways are corridors through the past, but unlike many other things subsumed beneath the undergrowth of time, they still exist. The closed doors to our rivers are relatively easily opened, and once through them we find most all that was ever there. Walking, as an activity, has almost no barrier to entry. Anyone with a pair of shoes can enjoy it. Cycling has more of a barrier in that while virtually everyone in the nation already has shoes, many but not all have a bike. Paddling is in a different category altogether. Not only is a boat and gear a relatively expensive passport to the outdoors, it requires more skill, more safety-consciousness and a better-informed purchasing decision than most land-based activities. One of the things we hear parents say after their children graduate from the RiverKids program and the day of their almost-inevitable return to the water to go further and do more, is “I’d like to buy a couple of boats for the family, but I don’t feel qualified to make the decision.” Rightly so. The bargain-priced boats on Craigslist reflect mostly the disappointments of those who bought a boat without the benefit of experience. The RiverKids program was designed to put kids in boats with guidance from experienced paddlers who can advise the entire family on the many aspects of personal paddling growth and what kind of equipment will successfully help achieve it. It also creates a network of borrowing potential for those who cannot or do not intend to purchase a boat. The one-day RiverKids course starts

mid-morning with an education in the boats and equipment that later in the day will bear them in an actual adventure. Safety is stressed above all. A good deal of time is spent discussing, demonstrating and fitting the PFD, a life-saving device for which there is widespread disregard among the older generations, so the opportunity to underscore their importance is not missed in a RiverKids class (an Auburn University study showed that of every 100 persons who drowned in Alabama, only two had any intention of getting into the water). After a break for lunch, the kids focus on paddling techniques under the watchful eye of the instructors and volunteers before hauling their boats to the water and shoving off under their own power and direction. Safety paddlers are interspersed in the group. By the time the class destination is reached (half a mile to a mile away, generally) the instructors know who among them needs a little “fine tuning” and who is ready for a race back to the starting point. In the more established training venues, animal mascots are already accepted passengers and they share the excitement with the smiling kids out and about on the water for the first time. And the children do come back, and they bring their smiles with them to share with their experience. Children who have learned to paddle are a great help to those who are learning. Kids from every part of town and county, from every background and every economic situation participate side-by-side. Some arrive as expert swimmers and others have never been in or on the water before in their lives. Returning paddlers often bring their friends, siblings and parents, typically creating a scramble for extra boats throughout the community. “It’s a good problem to have, but a difficult one to solve” says JoAnn Johnston of Prattville’s Autauga Creek Improvement Committee that spearheads the program there.

JoAnn, the mother and avid paddler who was the first to pull a RiverKids class together, sums it up from the parents’ point of view: “You know when you drop your kids off for a RiverKids class that they will be well cared-for and they will be safe. And, they will have a blast.” And she should know, having conducted almost weekly classes, limited only by the number of boats available, throughout 2014. The program was established by the Alabama Scenic River Trail and primary partners who provided key components of the program. The National Park Service provided funding for 52 child-sized kayaks, a number which has grown to 72 with a grant from Paddle Nation. Nine custom-made trailers, PFDs and other gear came from Legacy Partners in Environmental Education and the Alabama Association of RC&D councils. 4-H Clubs of Alabama provide the insurance for kids on the water. The courseware and logistics were provided by the Alabama Scenic River Trail, and Alabama Power Company created an explanatory video to show the program in operation. EBSCO Media has provided a grant that will print 2000 copies of the courseware for distribution to interested parties including educators, applicant trainers and volunteers. u To download a PDF of the RiverKids Courseware, go to: http://www.alabamascenicrivertrail.com/uploadedFiles/File/RiverKids_Courseware_v1.2.2.pdf

The RiverKids video can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/iMlsw0AInDI

If you would like to help with or participate in Alabama’s RiverKids program, please contact the Executive Director: [email protected].

Visit: www.alabamascenicrivertrail.com and “like” us on FaceBook.

(RiverKids, continued from page 1)


How much does it take to put together an ample river agenda? A couple of handfuls of paddlers provided more than enough substance to enhance a great day of paddling through mist and muted New England colors. Trip co-leaders Paul Beaulieu, Lelia Mellen and Risa Shimoda welcomed NE Chapter members and regional river experts who discussed river management topics that define the Connecticut River today, and will impact the watershed for decades.

Lowest of flows. The weather prediction was dreadful, but it didn’t stop us and our time on the river was mostly fine. It drizzled for most of the paddle and only poured rain for the last 20 minutes. The good news was that we had SOME water to paddle, and perhaps we should have celebrated that our trip coaxed the clouds to bear fruit: our big day coincided with the only rainy day of the month. As one of our trip experts Norman Sims recalls:

“In late summer, Tom

Christopher asked John Ragonese of TransCanada, who heads their relicensing team, if he could schedule a release so we would have more water for our Saturday trip on the Connecticut River, after which about four weeks of dry weather came along. Two days before the trip, John wrote back:

“Right now we are pulling almost three feet a week at Moore (the feeder reservoir, above the section we paddled) just to maintain the extended summer minimum flows. Minimum flow at Comerford is 818 cfs, and inflow to Moore is around 500 cfs: pray for rain in the White River basin.”

The rain we got for our trip didn’t raise the river by 2,000 cfs, which would have been closer to normal. In a river the size of the Connecticut, 800 or 900 cfs seems like a dribble.

Paddling through John’s office.We did! As we paddled, my tandem partner John Field

commented, “I think we’ll be passing by some of my monitoring sites. How about that?” Indeed, we noticed two locations where a column of blue flags marked locations that were seeking to measure the effects of the controlled and fluctuating flows by the hydro operator, TransCanada. We paused to discuss his study objectives and the idiosyncratic elements of conducting such

studies on private property along well-used recreational reaches. We also stopped under a covered bridge to talk about one of the highlights of this stretch—the Connecticut River Macrosite, so named by conservation professionals because it has the highest concentration of globally rare species in all of Vermont and New Hampshire, including the dwarf wedge mussel,

cobblestone tiger beetle and a plant called Jesup’s milk vetch, known only

from three populations in this area.

The tank.Paul Beaulieu floated over a 1,000 gallon

fuel oil tank that had apparently been discarded by rolling it over the bank. He and Andy speculated that it could have come from elsewhere upriver in the watershed—a victim of Hurricane Irene and the tremendous flows and washouts that storm caused in the area in 2011. John suggested that for all the terrible flooding of Tropical Storm Irene in Vermont and neighboring states, the flood on

the Connecticut River as a result of that storm wasn’t terribly large, so it makes more sense that the tank was snuggled in the river after a roll down the bank. Andy and Paul geo-marked the URT (under river tank) for Connecticut River Watershed Council staff and volunteers to later locate and remove.

Relicensing is complex. Walter offered that he learned that the process of dam relicensing is one that has recently become clearer, yet more complex. Information is not at our finger tips, but it is important to seek it out and be well educated. Dam owners seem to have responded to the demands of the FERC by being preemptive and funding very detailed studies that they hope will lay everything out in an open air fashion, reducing the back and forth and delays that

CT River Trip Invited ExpertsThomas J. Christopher, RMS member, founding Director and current Secretary of New England FLOW, the first organized coalition of recreational boating groups in the Northeast. A member of the American Whitewater Board of Directors for 14 years and its Conservation Chair from 1997 until 2004, Tom sits on the HRC Steering Committee as one of its founding members and is a signatory to multiple FERC relicensing settlement agreements throughout New England.

Andrew Fisk, Ph.D., Executive Director, Connecticut River Watershed Council. Prior to joining CRWC in 2011, Andy served as Director of the Land and Water Quality Bureau at the Maine Department of Environment, President of the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Agencies, and Chair of the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), where he initiated the country’s first regional mercury clean-up plan for the seven Northeast states’ impaired waters.

Norman Sims, Ph.D. is a recently retired honors professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He served on the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Mountain Club for 12 years, including several as chair of the AMC Conservation Programs Committee. Norm was a founding member of New England FLOW in 1988 when dams on the Deerfield River in Vermont and Massachusetts came up for relicensing. Along with Tom Christopher of FLOW and Ken Kimball of the AMC, Norm has worked on several hydropower relicensing projects in New England and currently represents the AMC as a volunteer. He is also writing a book on the history of the North American canoe.

Connecticut River Trip Report — October 4, 2014Assembled from input, quips and comments from trip organizers and participants.

by Paul Beaulieu, Lelia Mellen, and Risa Shimoda

RMS Northeast Chapter

Left: Andy Fisk (Executive Director, Connecticut River Watershed Council) dressed as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ‘Blue Goose’.

Above: Tom Christopher, founding Director and current Secretary of New England FLOW, the first organized coalition of recreational boating groups in the Northeast.

Map: Connecticut River watershed.

can occur otherwise. There is no easily attainable way to see [corporate financials], but it’s clear that structures owned by a private corporation on a public water way use a public resource to generate revenue. The magnitude of the hydro-related profits seem to dwarf what is typically requested as remediation and the process established to address the public’s interest, recreational use and water quality. At least relicensing allows for both sides to be heard if strict deadlines and the minutiae of process are followed.

What made the trip fun?Walter Opuszynski and Lelia suggest that it was ‘the people connection’: It was an “experience” that was not contained and perfectly manicured. It rained and was chilly but the conversation and beauty of the surroundings did not make one dwell on the lack of sunshine. I enjoyed the paddle and most of all the meal and conversation. I greatly appreciated those who took the time to talk to us about their work to balance the human impact on the river with the vision of a river in its natural state. The tone was one of grassroots success combined with the inspiration of a torch passing. The wonderful company included the VT State Parks folks. The rangers at Wilgus State Park offered us a sheltered pavilion and even made a fire for us. On top of that, they set up a grill for us to prepare our delicious RMS member-caught Alaskan halibut and salmon, courtesy of Helen Clough and Rollin Young! It was really great to have so many years of experience talking about their work over the past 25 years.u


Welcome New Southeast Officers!

President - Jane Polansky Jane has served as the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Administrator. In this role she has made great strides working with the State Departments of Transportation and Environment & Conservation, local governments and citizens to maintain the scenic values of Tennessee’s scenic rivers. Having partnered with stakeholders to establish the first Blueway project for Tennessee State Parks, Jane is the first Blueway Advisor for the Tennessee Commissioners Council on Greenways and Trails and manages the blueway component of the statewide trails website connectwithtn.com. She’s helped communities and state parks secure and administer federal grants and create project partnerships, including those which have resulted in the development of over ten state blueways. She serves on the Mississippi River Corridor-Tennessee Advisory Committee, as well as the Tennessee Dam Removal Partnership. Jane is an ACA Kayak Level I instructor, AEMT, a member of the TN American Flood Plain Association, Level 1 TN Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control certified inspector, and 2011 recipient of the Harpeth River Watershed Associations Stewardship Award for Outstanding Government Official in recognition of 2010 flood recovery accomplishments. Jane presented at the 2012 RMS Symposium, has written articles for the RMS Journal, and served on the 2014 RMS Symposium Steering Committee. She has met and volunteered with many RMS members, and has recruited new members, as well. In her candidate statement she said, “My goals as your chapter president are to increase chapter membership; help chapter officials coordinate at least one annual regional training program/river outing; work collaboratively to identify issues and promote management of rivers in our southeastern states; and to showcase our southeast region watersheds. I am ready for the challenge and excited about the opportunity to serve as your Southeast Chapter President!”

Vice President - Mitch Reid Mitch is the Program Director for the Alabama Rivers Alliance, Alabama’s statewide, non-profit river protection organization. Working at the local, state and federal levels, he is focused on realizing the restoration and lasting protection of Alabama’s Rivers. The main effort of Mitch’s work is collaborating with the State of Alabama to develop a stakeholder-driven, comprehensive statewide water management program. Additionally, Mitch is engaged in a variety of river management initiatives, including: petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency to reform the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s pollution permitting program; the relicensing of several hydroelectric dams under the oversight of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and working with partner groups from around the state to ensure a transparent and responsive system of government in Alabama. Mitch has presented on state water management in the Southeast on several occasions to Alabama’s Permanent Joint Legislative Committee for Water Policy and Management, at the River Management Society’s 2012 Symposium in Asheville, NC, and at the 2012 joint conference of River Network and Waterkeeper Alliance in Portland, OR.

Mitch hales from Bellwood, Alabama, a small town on the Choctawhatchee River in Southeast Alabama. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, after which he served in the Army until 2004. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 16th Military Police Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was deployed to Afghanistan from August of 2002 until March of 2003. He obtained his law degree from the University of Alabama. During his free time Mitch, his wife Sarah, and their

son Walden enjoy exploring Alabama and traveling to new and interesting places.

Secretary - Glen Bishop Glen Bishop is an Associate Professor of Recreation and Park Administration at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas, where he teaches courses in natural resource management and planning, water resource management, commercial recreation, and several others. Russellville is located near several national wild and scenic rivers and wilderness areas as well as units of the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Arkansas State Parks.

Events Coordinator – Karen Kustafik Karen coordinated outdoor programs for the City Of Columbia’s Department of Parks and Recreation and organized the city’s park ranger division responsible for managing the Three Rivers Greenway before moving to the city’s Utilities and Engineering Department where she now works with stormwater and GIS. She assists the City of Columbia in environmental compliance for articles contained in its license for the Columbia Hydro plant. Karen was a stakeholder in the Saluda Hydro relicensing process, is an ex-officio member of the Lower Saluda Scenic River Advisory Council and an ACA L3 River Kayak Instructor, and serves currently as the President of Palmetto Paddlers. She holds a B.A. from the University of South Carolina in Interdisciplinary Studies. She decided to run for the Events Coordinator position to meet and learn from other professionals, believing that the resources we manage can benefit through collaboration.u

Jane Polansky

Mitch Reid

Glen Bishop Karen Kustafik

I really appreciate the excellent job that people do

contributing to the RMS Journal and I found the Fall

2014 issue particularly well done. I think we should

make a bronze statue of Dennis Willis to be placed in

Sand Wash for all the genuinely wonderful leadership

he’s contributed to RMS but more importantly for his

management of Desolation/Gray Canyons.

But most of all I want to thank and congratulate Wendy

Steinberger for her excellent piece on the Peterborough

Canoe. All too often writers, researchers and others write

about famous river runners and/or stuntmen/women.

There is a world of history out there and it is disappearing

fast. That’s why I think documentation like Wendy’s is

so critically important. Who made the watercraft, the

paddles and oars, the frames and a plethora of other river

related gear has oft been overlooked by historians and

writers. Thanks Wendy, for the contribution and great job

on the Peterborough Canoe.

And, by the way, if anyone out there has information on

Callegari or Gruene inflatables I’d like to hear from you!

Herm Hoops

oneway boatworks

Jensen, Utah

Letters to RMS

Welcome New RMS Members!

ProfessionalBrad Higginson, Hydrologist

Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Idaho Falls, ID

Louise Kling, Sr Environmental PlannerURS, Portland, OR

Sean Stash, Fisheries Biologist

U.S. Forest Service, Sandpoint, ID

OrganizationLorelai Hawkness, Recreation Program Manager

Gold Beach Ranger District, Gold Beach, OR

AssociateRollin Young, Juneau, AK

StudentLaura Barbour, Parma, ID

Becky Rittenburg, Ph.D. CandidateUniversity of Idaho, Moscow, ID


by Robin Fehlau On a beautiful fall day, eleven RMS friends, or soon to be friends, launched onto the Lower Salmon River. We were lucky to enjoy spectacular weather and my favorite part of the Lower Salmon: big, white, sandy beaches. Those beaches, that the public also loves, are kept in such great shape due to the efforts of the BLM Cottonwood Field Office river rangers. River rangers, of course, contact all the boaters they meet along the way, but the Lower Salmon river rangers also have a special task. They (and anyone that goes on one of their patrol trips) naturalize the beaches. What? Yes, they stop at each beach and do the regular trash pick-up and remove ashes and fire rings, but the really special part is moving all the rocks and wood that people have drug out onto the beach for their tents and fires. That might

sound a little strange, but the difference between floating up to a beach full of rocks and firewood compared to a pristine beach that is so inviting to walk barefoot on is significant. It’s what the Lower Salmon is known for and it’s satisfying to clean up the beach and float off, knowing that the next group gets that clean sweep of white sand. If you’ve never been on the Lower Salmon, there are few things to know. Unlike other nearby multiday trips, there is no lottery for permits to run this section of the Salmon. Permits are available on a self issue basis at launch sites. It’s a good idea to bring along a copy of the BLM river guide to the Lower Salmon. It provides lots of useful information on individual rapids and camping areas. The Lower Salmon has pool-drop

September on the Lower Salmon...It’s the Best!

rapids with fun standing waves. The river makes its way through deep canyons where boaters can see great examples of hexagonal basalt columns, and you never know when you come around a bend if you’ll hear chukars, flush a blue heron, spot an otter, or maybe see some bighorn sheep. People have been using the Lower Salmon for thousands of years. Native Americans lived here, although now we only see the pictographs they left behind. I find it interesting to stop and explore the equipment and rock house foundations that remain from the mining era. Unfortunately we also sometimes find more modern day items. In particular, the river rangers inevitably end up bringing out old tires and trash from users. Occasionally, they are the lucky recipients of river booty,

like those Keens that someone left on the beach. After floating, moving rocks, and checking beaches for any debris, I am always happy to land at camp. The best kitchen is the one on the flat area really close to the boats and the nice sand makes for good sleeping areas. The sponsors of our trip put together a great menu for us— thank you Ryan and Shawn! I really enjoy that camp time when we get to sit and talk shop, swap river stories and generally get to know each other better. There might even be a beverage or two involved at that point for a little merriment. Not too much though, as river patrol likes to get up early and get on the water so they can contact boaters who are still in camp. All in all, it was a fabulous trip. We all had a great time, learned more about how the Lower Salmon is managed, and I know I am looking forward to the next time I can get on the Lower Salmon. Thanks so much to the BLM Cottonwood Field Office and especially Ryan Turner, Joe O’Neill, and Shawn Sabo. You guys rock!u

Right: Chris Noyes and Will Perry taking a good line through the rapids.

Below: Nice sandy (and rock free) beach at the end of the day

Successful tire removal on the Lower Salmon River! Front row kneeling (L to R): Dave Cooper, Ryan Turner. Middle: Patrick Kollodge, Colin Maas, Bob Michels, Will Perry, Joe O’Neill, Chris Noyes, Robin Fehlau, Shawn Sabo. Back: Stewart Allen


RMS Chapters

In September, the Minnesota DNR along with numerous partners hosted The Minnesota Water Trails Tourism Summit. Over 140 people attended representing over 65 communities across the state, as well as a handful of folks from nearby states. The local paddle summit idea was first imagined about three years ago as Erik Wrede (Minnesota Water Trails Coordinator) and I strategized on how to better engage communities and create stronger networking opportunities. The timing was right and the idea of building this around themes of creating

Midwest by Peter Hark

better paddling participation, making connections with user groups and outfitters, building capacity and providing advocacy were all attractive enough to draw a strong representation from across the state. Participants included outfitters, community leaders, paddling advocates, governmental representatives, and tourism and economic development professionals.The Minnesota state water trails system was established in 1963. It is the first and largest system in the nation. The DNR and its local partners manage more than 4,500 miles of mapped routes statewide,

with more than 1,500 facilities (public water accesses, campsites, rest areas and portages).vWith nearly 90,000 miles of rivers and streams, and well over 11,000 lakes, we are fortunate in Minnesota to have so many great paddling and boating recreational opportunities. This summit was an outstanding opportunity to bring together a variety of interests to help promote water trails, and was a great reminder of the rich cultural history and diversity of appreciation for rivers in Minnesota that run deep within the people of this state.u

David Laliberte of Mississippi Partners explains how St. Cloud citizens are involved in a major river corridor planning effort.

Water Trails Tourism Summit

75 Summit participants paddled the Mississippi River in canoes, kayaks, and on standup paddleboards.

Wayne Sames (retired DNR) tells paddlers the history of Zebulon Pike’s exploration of the river, and about the “outstandingly remarkable” qualities of the river which earned it State Wild & Scenic River designation in 1976.


RMS Chapters

As I ponder the end of yet another year dashing by, I think about passing on my torch in many aspects of my journey. What have I accomplished in life during this gift of another year? What have I contributed to make “my corner of the world” a better place? Does the flame that I pass along burn low, or does it roar with passion and vibrancy for what I believe in? You might ask yourself the same questions as you ponder the end of 2014. As we end our three-year term as Northwest Chapter officers and pass along our torch to new officers who take over in 2015, we have literally taken the meaning of RMS succession to heart. Although not in our officer position descriptions, all four of us over the past three years have directly contributed to our succession program by bringing in four new beautiful lives: Gage, Sierra, Sawyer and Oscar! We thought it would be fun to share with you these incredible lights in our lives as we pass on our outdoor ethics to them, including our appreciation and love for our natural resources and rivers. We thoroughly enjoyed being your RMS chapter representatives, and hope we have brought to our chapter a service that our members desired, and contributed to the national mission of our organization. As you pass your torch, you don’t have to go to the extreme of having a child to ensure our environmental future is healthy—you can mentor a child already in your life that needs someone like you to provide an outdoor awareness and ethic. As we transition in our new 2015-2017 officers, may they take our RMS torch and burn it stronger and brighter at our chapter and national levels! And may we all pass on a blazing torch as we leave good tracks for our future generation in life, natural resource protection, river management and with RMS. You don’t have to be a President to be a leader in “your corner of the world.” Check your flame, especially when you pass it on! On behalf of your outgoing chapter officers, it has been our true pleasure to serve you and keep the flame of RMS burning! A meaningful New Year to you all!u

Northwest by Lynette Ripley

Lynette Ripley - President (above)Excitedly welcomed Gage Lee Ripley on October 31, 2012.

Jim Beaupre - Vice President (below)Lori and Jim are expecting Oscar James Beaupre on December 8, 2014.

Ryan Turner - Secretary (right)Welcomed Sierra Joyce Turner on April 9, 2013.

Molly Baumann - Treasurer (top right)Welcomed Sawyer Michael Baumann on September 30, 2014.

RMS ChaptersSoutheast by Mary Crockett

Conservation Easements, Deed Restrictions and Memorandums of Understanding are legal documents and vital tools used to help conserve our riparian landscapes. These legal documents are developed between riparian landowners and a managing entity or agency which over time can conserve some spectacular view sheds, landscapes and geological formations. One such geological formation I try to conserve on private riparian lands is an oxbow lake (also known as a dead river, river cutoff lake, loop lake, or horseshoe lake)—a meander in a river floodplain that is no longer the main river channel. Oxbow lakes are hatcheries and nurseries for many species of fauna, including: alligators, a variety of snakes, reptiles, turtles, and many avian and aquatic species. I love seeing snakes basking on logs, and wading birds such as egrets and great blue herons. Another natural geographical formation I look to conserve is a Carolina Bay. This vegetated oval shaped depression, formed most likely during the Pleistocene age, is home to a rich biodiversity of plants, some of which are rare and endangered such as the Canby dropwort, or carnivorous like the pitcher plant and sundew. Some of the bays are very isolated (not connected to a river or within a river floodplain), but since so many have been drained and converted to agriculture by human hands, the ones that are still in their natural state are now targets for conservation. Still another geological/hydrological formation is the blue hole spring and/or known flowing springs. The blue hole is a limestone hole with cold spring water flowing from deep depths to the surface.

The clear, blue water color is a stark contrast to the dark black water of the floodplain swamps surrounding it. Because of caring riparian landowners both with large and small acreage, we are able to work to conserve them for many years to come along our southeastern rivers. My current job has me working to conserve these special places—many of which are located on private property along several rivers in a thirteen county area in central South Carolina. We care enough to be in good communication with all landowners within our management area, because we are river managers who would like to know that the experiences we have on the river will be very similar to the quality wilderness and recreational experiences our citizens may have fifty or one hundred years or more from today. In our chapter, by the time you read this we will have new Chapter Officers. Please help me welcome Chapter President, Jane Polansky, and her team of officers to their new leadership roles. It has been a pleasure serving as your SE Chapter President and I would like to take this time to thank Steve Hendricks, Glen Bishop and Bill Marshall for all their help these past six years and for their leadership with organizing the 2012 Symposium in Asheville, NC. Please help support Glen as he will be serving another three years as the Chapter Secretary. Please support them by staying involved, writing articles for this publication, offering to host a river trip in your area or state, and by helping to make a difference to keep our river habitats healthy.u

Oxbow on the Congaree River

Oxbow Lakes, Carolina Bays, and Blue Holes


Chapter Officers To Join RMS

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Membership Category (please check one)❐ Professional $50/yr ($200 for 5 years) ❐ Associate $30/yr ❐ Organization $120/yr (government/corporate)❐ Organization $60/yr (NGO/non-profit) ❐ Student $25/yr❐ Lifetime $500 (for individuals only)

Who referred you to RMS?__________________________

Make checks payable to “RMS”RMS also accepts VISA or Mastercard:

Card #: Exp date:Amount:

Send this form, with payment, to:RMS, P.O. Box 5750, Takoma Park, MD 20913-5750

(301) 585-4677 • [email protected]

ALASKADavid W. Schade, MPA, PresidentAlaska Department of Natural Resources550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1020Anchorage, AK 99501-3577tel (907) 269-8645 / cell (907) [email protected] Helen Clough, Vice President 1765 Mendenhall Peninsula RoadJuneau, AK 99801tel (907) 790 4189 / cell (907) [email protected]

Jennifer Reed, SecretaryU.S. Fish & Wildlife Service101 12th Ave, Rm 236, Fairbanks AK 99701tel (907) 455-1835 / fax (907) [email protected]

Bill Overbaugh, TreasurerBureau of Land Management222 W 7th Ave #13, Anchorage AK 99513tel (907) 271-5508 / fax (907) [email protected]

PACIFIC(vacant), President and Vice President

Scott Springer, SecretaryBureau of Reclamation2800 Cottage Way, Ste E2711, Sacramento CAtel (916) [email protected]

Larry Freilich, TreasurerInyo County Water DepartmentPO Box 337, Independence CA 93526tel (760) 878-0011 / [email protected]

NORTHWESTLynette Ripley, PresidentBureau of Reclamation1375 SE Wilson Ave, Ste 100, Bend OR 97702tel (541) 389-6541 [email protected]

Jim Beaupre, Vice PresidentBureau of Land Management3050 NE 3rd St, Prineville OR 97754tel (541) 416-6776 / fax (541) [email protected]

Ryan Turner, Secretary Bureau of Land Management1 Butte Dr, Cottonwood ID 83522tel (208) [email protected]

Molly Baumann, Treasurer4701 France Ave S, Minneapolis MN 55410tel (503) [email protected]

Canadian River Management Society (CRMS)(Chapter Affiliate)Michael Greco, PresidentMax Finkelstein, Secretary-Treasurerc/o CRMS, 6333 Fortune Dr, Ottawa, OntarioCanada K1C 2A4tel (613) [email protected]

SOUTHWESTGreg Trainor, PresidentCity of Grand Junction, Public Works & Utilities250 N 5th St, Grand Junction CO 81501tel (970) 244-1564 / fax (970) [email protected]

Jason Carey, Vice PresidentRiver RestorationPO Box 2123, Glenwood Springs CO 81602tel (970) 947-9568 [email protected]

(vacant), Secretary

Jennifer Jones, TreasurerBureau of Land Management82 E Dogwood, Moab UT 84532tel (435) 259-2136 / fax (435) [email protected]

SOUTHEASTMary Crockett, PresidentCongaree Land Trust2231 Devine St #100, Columbia SC 29205tel (803) [email protected]

Stephen Hendricks, Vice President27 Colonial Place, Asheville NC 28804tel (828) [email protected]

Glen Bishop, SecretaryArkansas Tech UniversityDept of Parks and RecreationWilliamson Hall, Russellville AR 72801tel (479) 964-3228 / fax (479) [email protected]

Bill Marshall, TreasurerSouth Carolina Dept of Natural ResourcesPO Box 167, Columbia SC 29202tel (803) 734-9096 / fax (803) [email protected]

MIDWESTPeter Hark, PresidentMinnesota Dept of Natural Resources500 Lafayette Rd, St Paul MN 55155tel (651) 259-5618 / fax (651) [email protected]

Randy Thoreson, Vice PresidentNational Park Service111 E Kellogg Blvd, St Paul MN 55101tel (651) 290-3004 / fax (651) [email protected]

(vacant), Secretary

Sue Jennings, TreasurerSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore9922 Front St, Empire MI 49630tel (231) 326-5134 [email protected]

NORTHEAST(vacant)

Each Journal issue will feature one RMS Chapter, or it will be a Special Focus edition that highlights a

“topic of interest” identified in advance. Please note the deadline for submitting articles.

Spring 15 Vol 28, No. 1 Midwest 1-JanSummer 15 Vol 28, No. 2 Special Focus 1-AprFall 15 Vol 28, No. 3 Southwest 1-JulWinter 15 Vol 28, No. 4 Northwest 1-Oct Spring 16 Vol 29, No. 1 Northeast 1-JanSummer 16 Vol 29, No. 2 Special Focus 1-AprFall 16 Vol 29, No. 3 Pacific 1-JulWinter 16 Vol 29, No. 4 Alaska 1-Oct

RMS Journal 2015 - 2016 Schedule

(President, from page 3) When you think of hard working RMS board members, a tax attorney may not be the first image in your mind. Ken Ransford has served as our ex-officio financial advisor since 2009. He did a great job of modernizing our business practices and making sure our records were IRS compliant. In addition to financial advising, he went above and beyond the call of duty and volunteered to chair our recent 2014 Managing Rivers in Changing Times training (what we used to call a symposium) in Denver. We will miss Ken on our board but he is continuing his good work on behalf of rivers as he immerses himself in the Colorado State Water Planning process. Mary Crockett, stalwart president of the Southeast Chapter for the past six years, and co-chair of the Asheville symposium, is handing over the reins of that chapter to Jane Polanski. Mary’s dedication to RMS has been remarkable, and she brought a consistent voice of reason to the Board. Mary’s reliable contributions to the RMS Journal have led to the publication’s broad reach. Northwest Chapter President, Lynette Riley’s term is expiring and she will be replaced in an upcoming election. Lynette worked hard at making sure the NW Chapter was not only RMS’ largest but also most active chapters. Her ability to energize and engage chapter members was an inspiration. She is also the board member I most often disagreed with; but we managed to make harmony out of our discord. This is not exactly my swan song. As per the bylaws, the immediate past president remains on the board for a period of one year. In that capacity, I have taken on the task of chartering a new membership committee focusing on outreach, recruitment, member services and retention. We need to expand membership not only in absolute number but also by increasing diversity. Our demographic and professional diversity could both use some broadening. I may be calling you for your ideas and help in filling our ranks with younger, better looking people. See you all around the bend.u

Dennis WillisRMS President (2012 - 2014)

works. This, in turn, would allow for the remaining part of the dam to be completed along the right abutment.

This temporary diversion would last about ten months while the construction of the outlet works proceeded unhampered from the river.

When the outlet works was completed, plans were made to breach the diversion, return the river to its historic channel, pass the flow through the outlet works, and allow construction to begin on the right abutment of the dam. As these plans proceeded and the engineers worked on the sequencing of removing the diversion dams, I realized that I was witnessing something that would never happen again, an undammed White River.

My public role in the damming was part of a noble effort, carried out by many long-suffering and patient community leaders and the public. That effort was getting a reliable water supply to a community in a very arid part of Colorado. I was proud of my part in this complex engineering and construction effort. The vagaries of weather and climate demanded it. Storage answered it.

However, my private thoughts were something different. I understood the purpose of the dam; but, at the same time, I thought about the river valley that would be covered in water, the several ranches that would be no more, petroglyphs that would be “mitigated” then covered in water, the ending of free passage of endangered fish species up and down the river, and the movement of other wildlife “packing their steamer trunks and leaving their homes forever.” I am a romantic, reluctant to change, especially outside where I find my peace and renewal. Nothing I could do about that “change” thing. But I did develop an idea, a private plan, that I could hold long after the outlet was closed and the reservoir filled with water.

The night before the “reversion” of the river was to take place, I asked the project engineer to go with me to the head of the diversion works, upstream from the dam axis. I did not reveal my purpose other than to “check out the diversion dams and get some quiet time away from the engineering and construction staff.” From there we launched a small rubber raft, floating along the diversion works, down across the axis of the dam, and through a small “rapid” created by the dam foundation at the right abutment.

I made sure that I was in the back of the rubber raft, allowing myself to be the last man to float an undammed White River, before it was redirected in the morning through the outlet works. I knew this would be part of my history. And so it is.

Taylor Draw dam solved a water problem for the community of Rangely, allowing sufficient and high quality water to flow to the town’s treatment plant. The construction also allowed for the employment of dozens of engineers, equipment operators, surveyors, ironworkers, clerks, and myself, during a time of economic scarcity, occasioned by the 1982 collapse of yet another frantic oil shale boom. In western Colorado I needed the employment and was thankful for the income. At the same time, I was sorry that the river changed forever.u

(White, from page 14)























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Next Journal Deadline - Midwest Chapter Focus - Submissions due January 1, 2015

Rivers that huddle...

Winter wind blowsand thoughts turn to thoserivers that huddlein shadow’s cold.

Canyon floor and cliff walls,rocks stacked to make river halls, critters wait spring’s pledgeof grasses green at water’s edge.

Winter wind blowsand thoughts turn to thoseboats that huddlein shadow’s cold.

Boat house floors and dirt-stained walls,gear stacked to hear boatman’s calls.Oars and frames wait spring’s pledgeof grasses green at water’s edge.

Greg TrainorApril 30, 2013Grand Junction, Colorado

Documents

RiverKids: Alabama's Program to Raise a New Generation of Paddlers