May/June 2011 Newsletter Available for Download

The latest (May/June) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available.  Click on the link to the right to download.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF VOLUNTEERS

Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited has scheduled two work parties at Thompson Creek in Seaside Oregon on April 16 and May 21 and we need volunteers. We haven't had a work party at the Thompson Creek site for 2 years and it should be exciting to see what the beavers have been up to. I hear they are taking out the blackberries!!!

The work on April 16th will be planting native vegetation and the May 21st work will be eradicating scotch broom. 

If you want to carpool from Portland, meet at the Sunset  Fred Meyer, 22075 NW Imbrie Dr. Hillsboro, Oregon, by the can return area, at 8:00 am both dates, to leave by 8:15. If you would like to meet at the coast, we will meet at  Klootchy Creek State Park at 9:30 am. We will caravan to the work site from there.

Bring work gloves and a lunch and wear appropriate clothing.

Please reply if you will be attending so we have an idea of how many people to expect.

Thanks for volunteering.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

Sign up for the volunteer e-mail list

Looking for something fun and rewarding to do with your spare time? Would you like to be able to help with some meaningful stream restoration work? Our chapter of Trout Unlimited is involved in several very exciting restoration projects on the Necanicum River (see earlier posts) that are already paying off in visible ways.

















We are trying to develop an E-Mail list of volunteers who would like to be kept informed of upcoming volunteer opportunities. If you would like to be on this list please e mail me at tvturestoration@gmail.com
and I will put you on our e mail list.

January/February 2011 Newsletter Available for Download

The latest (January/February) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available.  Click on the link to the right to download.

November/December Newsletter Available for Download

The latest (November/December) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available.  Click on the link to the right to download.

Volunteers needed for a Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited work party December 11th

Our last work party of the year is scheduled for December 11th. We will be working on the Ecola creek watershed planting Cedars. Trout Unlimited has recently entered into a partnership with the city of Cannon Beach and this will be the beginning of work on a watershed that provides habitat for Wild Winter Steelhead,Fall Chinook, Cutthhroat Trout and Lamprey.  This event is weather dependent and if we get rained out we will re schedule for January.

There will be a carpool from Portland and possibly some fishing opportunities afterwards.

If you would like to participate in this work party please respond to Michael Ellis at tvturestoration@gmail.com.

Volunteer Opportunity

2010 Salmon Spawning Survey Training – October 16^th at the Gales Creek Elementary School, 1925 NW Sargent Street, Gales Creek, OR

(GC Elementary School is approximately 7.5 miles from Forest Grove on Gales Creek Rd aka Hwy 8, or 2.3 miles south on Gales Creek Rd from the intersection of Gales Creek Rd & the Wilson River Hwy aka Hwy 6).  

Interested landowners and volunteers are invited to this hands-on training session with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel on how to identify fall coho, winter steelhead trout, native cutthroat trout, spawning redds and other aquatic life in Gales Creek, its tributaries and other Tualatin basin tributaries. 

This is part of the spawning monitoring program ODFW and TRWC have initiated to gather information on important fish resources in the Tualatin basin. We are recruiting volunteers and landowners to conduct surveys in specified stream reaches from October 2010-December 2010 and from March 2011 through May 2011. 

Classroom: Information session and volunteer training: 10 am until 11:15 am  Field session: 11:15 am – 2:30 pm in upper main stem Gales Creek. 

Dress for the weather.  Chest or hip waders are required for performing surveys. 

Benefits: This is a great chance to get hands on experience in helping collect data about fish presence in various Tualatin basin streams to help us plan projects; learn how to recognize various fish species and spawning redds; and better manage these important fish runs.

More information:  503-846-4810 or trwc@easystreet.net 

 Engaging the community to sustain our watershed 

Volunteers install Circle Creek bridge deck

The volunteers, from left, Michael Ellis, Tom Scoggins, Bob May, Burt Went, Mike Gentry, Bobby Hayden, Tom Wolf, Alan Moore, Roy Caulfield. Not pictured, Troy Laws, ODFW
Photo by Troy Laws

On August 18, ten volunteers from The Rainland Flycasters, the Clackamas and Tualatin Valley chapters of Trout Unlimited, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and, Save Our Wild Salmon met at Seaside golf course to continue work on the bridge to replace the culverts on Circle Creek.

We started by tightening the bolts on the crossbeams and laying out the support beams.

We had great cool weather and a spectacular group of volunteers. By the end of the work party the bridge was ready to have the approaches and railing installed. After that, the culverts come out.

This was a very rewarding day for all the volunteers. If you would like to be notified of upcoming volunteer restoration opportunities, send an e mail to Michael Ellis at tvturestoration@gmail.com and ask to be on the e mail volunteer list.

Thanks go out to Troy Laws for being the driving force behind this project as well as all the volunteers and other partners who have made this project come to fruition.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

September / October Newsletter Now Available

The latest (September/October) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available.  Click on the link to the right to download.

Update on the Circle Creek culvert removal and volunteer opportunities

The work at Circle Creek continues. Here is Troy's update:


"Project update:  The footing work went very well, with the abutments now completely in place.  Wayne Fulmer’s dad passed away this past week so coordinating the next step in the construction sequence was put on hold.  Wayne is the Golf Course owner.  They had their memorial this past weekend so I will be getting in touch with him this week to further schedule this out.  Ideally, Wayne would like us to minimize disturbance of golf play so we must maintain a crossing as best as we can to keep play going.  I’m working on seeing if he will let us put the bridge approaches in as the next step (another volunteering opportunity) so we are ready for golf traffic onto the bridge right away once we are done with our decking work.  If allowed to do this way, I see us as being able to keep the heavy equipment on site to remove the culverted crossing once the bridge is put into play.  Also in the works is the Oregon division of state lands has our easement permit out for 30-day public review, with the comment deadline of August 28.  I am assuming we will get the easement approved with no problems so I am proceeding forward with construction as best as possible.  Right now, it is looking like the last week of August for our volunteer work party planning purposes."

Based on Troy's update, Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited is planning a work party for Saturday August 28. There will be fishing opportunities before and after. I plan on trying for the (to me) as yet elusive Searun Cutthroat Trout. The work will start at 10 AM. Plan on bringing a lunch and gloves and appropriate clothing. I'll send out updates as plans solidify. 

It would be nice to have an idea how many can come so please reply to Michael Ellis at tvturestoration@gmail.com if you can attend.

It is possible to float tube from the ODFW put in on Hwy. 101 and float to the mouth of Circle Creek. With fishing it could take 3 hours at least. This would be great after the work party! I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis