Lehigh River Anglers: FYI, letter distributed by whitewater release supporters

[JW1970]

Years ago, I took a kayaking course on the Lehigh River. Ever since I've been on the Northeast PA Kayak School's mailing list. Today I received the following email urging whitewater supporters to show up at the 1/21 USACE meeting and the fall meeting later in 2009. Anglers supporting the proposed coldwater fishery plans might want to take note:

Jim Thorpe River Adventures / Northeast PA Kayak School
USACE Flow Management Meeting
Wed. January 21, 2009

Do you love whitewater paddling on the Lehigh River? Do you appreciate the number of whitewater releases currently available to us? What are you doing this Wednesday night January 21st?

The USACE (U.S. Army Corp of Engineers) has scheduled their public meeting to announce the plan for recreational releases (for fishing and boating) for the 2009 season. To properly represent the paddling community who enjoy the Lehigh River for boaters and rafters, please GO to this meeting!

Here is what is at stake! While the 2009 plan is already set, this is a unique meeting at a unique juncture in the history of the release program. The angling interested organizations, like the Lehigh Coldwater Fishery Alliance and others, have recruited Trout Unlimited to further their agenda, and now they have much more funding and sophistication to do so. THIS MEANS - they want to modify or seriously curtail the whitewater release program to develop what they perceive to be a true cold water fishery. If they are successful, there is the potential to release a steady fish-friendly 300-400 cfs all year thereby eliminating the whitewater program. It is expected that anglers will appear in numbers and present as an impressive, organized stakeholder. We must do the same. The fishing interests are counting on us not showing up in any significant number as has happened in recent meetings. Paddlers who enjoy the fair and equitable management of this resource must demonstrate their importance as a stakeholder, too.

Here is why we need you to show up! At this point no input is needed. It's just more to be there in numbers, and to schmooze after the meeting with the agency people to demonstrate our serious interest in what they're doing. The next public input meeting will be in the fall of 2009, as a wrap-up to the 2009 season and to get ideas from everyone as to what changes should be considered for 2010. That's the meeting when there may be serious pressure from anglers to curtail the whitewater releases in favor of "fishery enhancement" flows ...

So, if you can take the time out of your busy schedule to represent the interests of those of us who love the whitewater program, please join us! The workshop will take place Jan. 21, 2009 at the Mountain Laurel Resort, Route 940 West, White Haven, Pa., from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and will be facilitated by the Wildlands Conservancy.

 

[LehighRegular]

It makes me laugh that these people (rafters, kayakers, etc) believe they are going to loose their releases completely. That could be farther from the truth. Whitewater releases will always be ongoing with this river.
However, we believe in order to provide more water to the trout, some (not all) whitewater releases will have to be eliminated.

The problem with these Flow Plans is how they were developed. The agencies (PFBC, DCNR and ACOE) along with the rafter commercial companies looked at a calendar and said.."We want whitewater releases every other weekend starting on Mother's day weekend in May". Then what ever water was left over was provided to the fish.

Which was an extra 50 CFS above inflow (ie - if 100 cfs is flowing into FEW...then 150 is released). Our issue is an extra 50 cfs is like pizzing in the river. The benefits are extremely minimimal and barely noticable.
Now this years plan will have an extra 100 cfs above inflow being released between July 1 - 29. The 100 cfs above inflow is much better and should see some noticeable benefits.

Is this what our group wants ultimately, NO. But with the quantity of storage available and considering other interests (rafters/kayakers), this is better. It would be nice to be able to get 100 cfs between July 1 and Sept 1, during the hottest time of season when flows are usually low. Also, this water would negate AMD and sewage affects and provide a healthier river system.

What is ironic, to do so wouldn't be all that horrific. If the WW interests would conceed 4 releases betweeen July 1 and Sept 15 then an extra 100 cfs above inflow could be stretched to Sept 1.

Remember there are a total of 10 releases between July 1 and Sept 15 - they also have 7 releases between May 9th and July 1 for a total of 17 guranteed. Then there are another 7 releases that are precipitation depenedent, bring up the grand total to 24 releases. The rafters/kayakers achieved their 24 total last season.

I don't think it's too much to ask to eliminate 4 releases in order to provide for a healthier aquatic ecosystem????

 

[Ryan R]

I love how they say they haven't been showing up in numbers. That's bull, they have always dominated the meetings with numbers. Previously, the dam operator had made acomment that the whitwater contingent has had his ear the most so far. That's a big reason for the angling community's call to action. That and the fact that each time we all meet in fall with the agencies to discuss the closing year's plan and make proposals for the coming year we're greeted with the Whitewater Releases already set in stone and we just get to work with the scraps. Hardly a fair process and the reason groups like the LCFA, LRSA, and local TU chapters are calling for anglers to give their own show of numbers at thee meetings. The whitewater contingent isn't exactly being honest or forthcoming with certain things involved with the release plan. No one within the organized angling community is asking the commercial rafter to make drastic cuts or sacrifices to their business because the truth is that they float tons of rafts down that river thru the trout water even on non-whitewater release weekends. They make a lot of money off the river, and everything is setup with them in mind first. Doing their part to provide a healthier aquatic environment isn't too much to ask.

 

[MACFLY]

Anyone attend the meeting...How did it go?