Take Action Against the complete disaster at Winchester Dam on the iconic North Umpqua River!!!  NOW!!!

From Water Watch of Oregon:

Just two weeks ago the Rogue Valley Times described the situation at Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River as an "environmental disaster," and it's only gotten worse. In fact, it's become intolerable. 

Summer steelhead have been throwing themselves at the dam since at least Monday, trying to escape the warm lower river and reach 160 miles of cold water habitat upstream. But they're blocked from their spawning grounds and are wasting themselves against the closed dam because the no-experience dam repair contractor — and board president of the district which owns the dam — failed to finish the repairs by the scheduled deadline. 

Adding injury to insult, the just-added "improvements" to the dam structure includes dozens of new, sharp metal protrusions from the dam at fish-jumping level, as well as new gaps jumping fish will fall into that will only increase the delay, injury and mortality already suffered by salmon and steelhead attempting to pass this dam. All to ensure 156 private property owners have a place to water ski. 

And with the lack of action from regulatory agencies or elected officials, even as reports of repeated violations in broad daylight pour in, the dam repair contractor continues to behave with what can only be described as aggressive indifference. 

The grim new images of steelhead hopelessly jumping at the dam have already inspired local river advocates to stage a second protest at the dam this past week. Help ensure their voices are heard!

Tell your elected officials to remove Winchester Dam and restore a free-flowing North Umpqua River that supports fish, wildlife and communities!

To quote one WaterWatch of Oregon supporter on Instagram, "I am literally sick to my stomach over this entire situation. This is beyond words. We are being ignored." A resident of Azalea wrote this letter to the editor to the Roseburg News-Review. Another WaterWatch supporter summed up the entire Winchester Dam situation as a "disgrace." It is. 

Take action today by sending a letter to your state and federal representatives, including Governor Kotek, and ask them to ensure a full investigation into this disaster — and full accountability under the law for the repair contractor and dam owners. 

And take a moment to share this note with friends, family and colleagues. Let's work together to end the ongoing harm from Winchester Dam and restore a free-flowing North Umpqua River that benefits native fish runs, wildlife and Oregon communities. Take action now!

From Dax Messett:

Since our lawmakers and management agencies have completely and utterly failed us so far, another thing you can do is write some honest reviews on Yelp, Google, and Nextdoor about the company responsible for this complete and utter disaster TerraFirma.  You can give them a call at 1-866-303-7924 and ask them if they can fix your dam too...only issue is that hey have never worked on a dam before.  In fact, I called for an estimate on a simple retaining wall, and they said that they don't do those.  Seriously!!!!  WTFF!  Now somehow they get the gig to work on a gigantic dam project on a major river?  SHEESH!  How is this possible?

The reason why it is possible is nothing more than old school hillbilly politics.  The company's owner is Ryan Beckley, who happens to be the board president of the Winchester Water District, which is the entity of landowners that live on their private lake who own the dam.  Keep in mind that this is a private lake on a public river.  How the F does this happen?  What year is this?  How can our lawmakers and management entities allow this to happen?  Time for those responsible to pay, the management entities and lawmakers who allowed this to happen need to take some responsibility for this disaster. Time for them to step up and let the Winchester Water District know its time. It's Time to take out this fucking dam!!! 

Here are a few more pics of the hillbilly shit show dam restoration project on the most iconic steelhead river on the planet:

North Umpqua Steelhead and the dam that is killing them

  seriously...WTF?

These are North Umpqua steelhead trying to make their way upriver.  There is something in the way.  It's Winchester Dam a 132 year old structure that does not produce power, provide flood control, or store water for irrigation, drought, or public use.  The only reason it is still there is so a few property owners on the lake that warms the river to toxic levels can have a private ski lake.  This dam has been deemed a public hazard by state officials and the number one killer of fish on this iconic river.  

Please support these groups that are helping to remove this hazard @the_steamboaters @waterwatchoforegon @native_fish_society @umpquawatersheds @oregonwild

Here is an excellent interview about the history of Winchester, and current state of it by Alex Worth:

And here is a piece written on the current state of the dam by Kirk Blaine, which can be found here:https://www.nrtoday.com/opinion/guest_columns/winchester-dam-continues-to-kill-and-harm-our-fish/article_54c8d100-20eb-508d-80e3-117be4ac55fb.html

After a catastrophic return of summer steelhead last year and multiple years of below-average spring Chinook, Winchester Dam remains more dilapidated than ever before. How does this 130-year-old dam maintained for private recreation affect the salmon and steelhead runs we all enjoy?

Sadly, Winchester Dam is likely the most significant fish killer in the Umpqua Basin, harming and depleting every native-run attempting to migrate up or downstream from the 160 miles of high-quality habitat stretching above this structure. A multitude of large false attraction holes remains in and under the dam. A gaping hole between the face of the dam and the fish ladder is still covered by what looks like a piece of conveyor belt, attesting to its careless upkeep.

These false attraction flows mean that fish will continue to jump into the side of the dam and meet hazards, injury and delay. Eroded concrete and exposed rebar are visible in the dam’s foundations, abutments and fish ladder. The fish ladder remains confusing to navigate for fish and doesn’t meet state or federal fish passage regulations. Meanwhile, a visible downstream curve in the dam crest raises questions about whether the dam is a threat not just to fish, but to public safety.

Almost two years ago, I wrote an opinion piece sharing issues with Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River. Over the same time, state officials have continued to urge Winchester Dam’s owners to repair the dam and fish ladder. But to this day, little has been done on the dam itself to fix glaring problems or assist our salmon and steelhead in passing the structure. This is a clear insult to those involved in the hard work all over Douglas County focused on restoring our fisheries populations, from habitat projects such as riparian planting to the modernization of fish passage at Soda Springs Dam.

Winchester Dam is unlawfully killing and harming our salmon and steelhead. State and federal agencies have an obligation to uphold the rule of law to protect citizens and our natural resources. Rules and regulations for Winchester Dam must be enforced to protect our rivers and fish.

We even have a recent successful example of an agency holding private dam owners accountable for a fish-killing dam in southern Oregon: the former Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River. In the years before the successful removal of Savage Rapids Dam, which was removed to benefit salmon runs, the National Marine Fisheries Service filed a lawsuit against its owners for unlawful harm to federally protected salmon.

The National Marine Fisheries Service should take the same action now to protect federally protected salmon at Winchester Dam.

I ask our state’s senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, to help direct federal agencies to help the North Umpqua River and its fish. The senators must continue to uphold their legacy on the North Umpqua by starting with bringing the rule of law to this dilapidated dam.

Two years ago, I saw two options for Winchester Dam:

1. Require the dam owners to finally overcome their indifference to responsibility and repair and rebuild the dam properly to bring it and its ladder up to state and federal standards; or
2. Remove the dam with public funds as conservation groups offered to the dam owners to do in writing back in 2020.

Today, it has unfortunately become clear that the Winchester Dam owners cannot be trusted to repair and maintain Winchester Dam to protect the North Umpqua. The dam represents a substantial financial and legal responsibility the owners have neglected to properly uphold, alongside their responsibility for the dam’s ongoing harm to salmon and steelhead in North Umpqua River. It is clear that removing Winchester Dam will benefit everyone in Douglas County and our fish.

Kirk Blaine is a Douglas County resident who spends countless days a year fishing for all species of fish in the Umpqua River system, from smallmouth bass to spring Chinook. He has a strong interest in fishing for summer steelhead. Kirk is actively engaged in multiple areas of conservation around Douglas County and the Pacific Northwest.

Support your local fly shop this year! Watch The Box Maker...Jon Hazlett

Everyone needs to watch this for a laugh, and support your local brick and mortar fly shop.  If you are a serious fly angler, you need to cultivate a relationship with a dedicated fly shop.  Among the many benefits of visiting an actual shop, you get to meet characters like this...

An online store provides ZERO customer service, literally.  Whether new to fly fishing or a seasoned angler, please do what you can in 2023 to support all of your small, locally owned, non coorporate businesses when you can.  Cheers!