GAmE commission BuRno

Vol. V PORTLAND, OREGON, MARCH, 1950 No. 3

7e Refeee apid ReceareaareenetBy COLE M. RIVERS, Field Agent, Rogue River District

Once again, we are hearing of proposed U. S. Bureau of Reclamationdams on Rogue River, the famous stream in southern Oregon known allover the world for its sport fishing for steelhead and salmon. News releasesfrom Washington, D. C., indicate that approval of the Rogue River Projectwill be asked for in early session of this 81st Congress. For nearly sevenyears, the people of Oregon intermittently have had their attention calledto the planned dams on the Rogue and the threat to the valuable fisherythey impose. Those who believe in the perpetuation of this resource havefought and continue to fight for its consideration in the planning.

The Oregon State Game Commissionconducted a preliminary study in early1944, and it was then brought to the at-tention of the people of Oregon that the

r"- spring and summer runs of Rogue Riversteelhead and salmon could be in jeopardywith completion of main-stem dams.Since that time, the Commission has beenactively engaged in preliminary surveysto determine the probable effect on thefishery of the various changes in recla-mation planning. The U. S. Fish and Wild-life Service has assisted in planning anddirecting these investigations.

Plans A and B

Prior to the hearing held in Medford inJune, 1948, two plans of developmentwere offered, namely, Plans A and B. Thehearing brought out the desire of the pro-ponents to eliminate Plan B from furtherconsideration. Studies by the Bureau ofReclamation continued on Plan A whichnow involves multiple-purpose dams forcontrol of flood waters, development ofhydroelectric power, the irrigation of73,500 acres of new land and the supply-ing of supplemental water to 40,300 acresof presently irrigated land. Frequentchanges of Plan A have made it necessaryto adjust the figures relating to effectson the fishery from time to time.

Of the entire proposed basin develop-ment, the 242 foot Lewis Creek dam andprovisions necessary for its operation areprobably the most serious threat to sur-vival of salmon and steelhead. The site ison the main cliannel of Rogue River onthe Crater Lake Highway near the townof Trail. Constructed in conjunction withthis large storage dam would be a smallercontrol-type dam called the Trail Diver-

sion, located about two miles below theLewis Creek site. This dam would be usedto divert stored and released water fromLewis Creek to the Medford and TableRock areas for irrigation. Power wouldbe generated at both the Lewis Creek andthe Diversion dams while flood waterswould be stored behind Lewis Creek. TheDiversion dam would block salmon andsteelhead from their present spawningareas above that point.

(Continued on Page 4)

WINTER GAME LOSSESUnusually deep snows in western Ore-

gon and North Central Oregon during themonth of January, followed by zero tem-peratures early in February, have causedsome losses of game animals and birds.

Reports from the Commission's fieldagents who attempted to accommodatethe hundreds of requests for winter feed-ing of deer and birds indicate that someblack-tailed deer and elk were lost inwestern Oregon and that bobwhite andvalley quail suffered losses where theydid not have access to barnyards or theemergency feeding stations set out bycooperating sportsmen, farmers, andGame Commission employees. Thousandsof ducks and geese were along the Co-lumbia River from Umatilla County toAstoria while the snow was crusted andwaterfowl did not have access to grassesupon which they normally feed in winter.

Wesley Batterson, the Commission'sGame Agent in the North Coastal Dis-trict, has confirmed the loss of 79 deer andfour elk on the Trask, Wilson and Salm-onberry watersheds, and estimates that

(Continued on Page 3)

A favorite fishing spot on the Rogue River. (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo)

Page 2 MARCH, 1950

* THIS AND THAT *The Bandon hatchery received a set-

back in fish production when the GigerCreek earth fill dam was washed out, twoponds destroyed and the fish released inthe waters of the Coquille River duringthe January storms. The pipeline whichfeeds the hatchery and is supplied fromFerry Creek was collapsed by a slide.

* * *

Reports from field agents indicate thatthe fawn crop this year is very high, par-ticularly for mule deer. In a few areas 90fawns were present for every 100 doesobserved.

* * *

Plantings in western Oregon by thehabitat improvement section have beenresumed after interruption by freezingweather conditions in January and Feb-ruary.

a * a

Excessive cold weather also slowed upbeaver trapping operations but an inten-sive effort will be made to take care of alldamage complaints that have accumu-lated.

* * *

A bond of $450 was forfeited by WayneNegus of Bend after being charged withtrapping wild animals with unbrandedtraps, using flesh of game birds fortrapping wild animals and unlawfullytrapping marten. Suspected of illegaltrapping of beaver and marten, Neguswas apprehended in the snow-boundCrane Prairie area following a long tripby sno-cat by two Game Commission men,Henry Reed and Bob Borovicka, a statepolice officer and a district forest ranger.

*

While searching for deer losses in theTillamook Burn, Wesley Batterson foundthe remains of five deer that had appar-ently been spot-lighted by unscrupulouspersons, who took advantage of theemergency condition.

* * *

The next regular meeting of the Ore-gon State Game Commission is scheduledfor April 21 and 22 in Portland.

* * *

Copies of the Index for Volume 4(1949) of the Game Commission Bulletinare now available for distribution uponrequest.

* * *

During the month of February, 277pheasants were trapped from the U. S.Fish and Wildlife Service refuge on Mal-heur Lake and transplanted in adjacenthabitat in Harney and Lake counties.Also, 630 valley quail were trapped alongthe lower John Day River and transplant-ed in the Willamette Valley.

NATIONAL WILDLIFEWEEK

March 19 to 25

"JOE BEAVER" By Ed Nohiger

Forest Ferman, U. S. Department of Agriculture

"You won't jump like that when they dump that waste into the stream. '

The pelican derives its name from theGreek. It has a huge beak shaped like agreat Greek pelekus, an ax.

Oregon State GameCommission Bulletin

Published Monthly by theOREGON STATE GAME COMMISSION

1634 S. W. Alder Street P. 0. Box 4136Portland 8, OregonMIRIAM KAUTTU

Editor

Members of CommissionCarl C. Hill, Chairman Days CreekDonald Mitchell TaftDelbert Gildersleeve BakerJ. H. Van Winkle Oregon CityLoyde S. Blakley Bend

Administrative StaffC. A. Lockwood . . State Game DirectorP. W. Schnieder .. . Asst. State Game Dir.F. B. Wire SecretaryF. C. Baker ControllerGeorge Kernan EngineerH. R. Mangold . . Chief, Supply & PropertyC. B. Walsh Chief, Information and

EducationStuart J. Couper Assistant Chief

C, J. Campbell Chief, BasinInvestigations

John McKean Chief of Operations,Game Division

A. V. Meyers Federal AidR. U. Mace Big GameC. E. Kebbe FurbearersFrank Stanton . . Habitat ImprovementW. B. Morse Migratory Birds

H. J. Rayner Chief of Operations,Fisheries Division

R. C. Holloway .. . Surveys and SalvageE. W. Goff HatcheriesG. E. Howell. . . . Fishways and ScreensEntered as second-class matter September 30,

1947, at the post office at Portland, Oregon,under the act of August 24, 1912.

At the present time the Bulletin is circulatedfree of charge to anyone forwarding a writtenrequest.

Permission to reprint is granted providedproper credit is given.

Dates Set For WesternAssociation Meeting

C. A. Lockwood, president of the West-ern Association of State Game and FishCommissioners, has announced the datesfor the 1950 annual conference to be Aug-ust 14, 15 and 16. The meeting will beheld at the Multnomah Hotel, Portland,Oregon, and representatives are expectedfrom all eleven western states.

The western division of the AmericanFisheries Society will hold its annualmeeting at the same time in Portland.

Farm Superintendents MeetSuperintendents of Oregon's four

pheasant farms met in Portland on Jan-uary 31 and after spending one day in theoffice planning operations for the 1950season, they took a three-day trip intothe State of Washington to visit gamefarms at South Tacoma, Whidby Islandand Ellensburg. They also spent one dayon a chukar partridge range near Ya-kima. Oregon's Game Farm Superintend-ents are Harold Sevey, Ontario; J. K.Alexander, Hermiston; Roy Dickinson,Eugene, and Don Kirkpatrick, Corvallis.

Special Sauvie Island CrowShoot Permits Issued

Permits for shooting crows on the Sau-vie Island Game Management Area arenow being issued at the Portland office ofthe Game Commission.

The crow hunter must have a huntinglicense and a special free permit to shooton the area. The permits will expire at theend of each month and a new permit willbe issued upon request at the Portlandoffice.

The areas where crow shooting will beallowed will be changed monthly to allowfor crow migrations and to provide forthe least possible interference with win-tering waterfowl and upland game birds.This is the first time the Game Commis-sion has conducted a crow shoot on thearea, and until some experience is gained,the shooting success is not expected to behigh.

A map of the Sauvie Island Manage-ment Area showing the crow shootingsection will accompany each permit. Crowhunting areas will also be marked withspecial signs. The permits allow huntingonly on the designated areas on state-owned land. Anyone desiring to hunt onprivate property must obtain permissionof the landowner.

Preyed-upon species like the deer tendto have their eyes on sides of their headsproviding a broad field of vision. The eyesof hunters like the bobcat are generallyin front of the face so as to provide thebest vision of the prey they are pursuing.

I

MARCH, 1950 Page 3

PUBLIC SHOOTING GROUNDSHUNTING REPORT FOR 1949

The 1949 waterfowl season showed no perceptible change in the number of huntersfrom the 1948 season.

Unfavorable weather conditions resulted in a much lower total kill, especially ofgeese. Sauvie Island was in operation for the first time.

Results of the season are presented in the following tables.

HUNTING PRESSUREPermits Issued Resident

Summer Lake 3,684Malheur 1,401Chewaucan 190Sauvie Island 1,688

HUNTING SUCCESSSuccess Ratio : Birds Per Man Day

DucksSummer Lake 1.40Malheur 1.20Chewaucan 2.24Sauvie Island 1.16

WATERFOWL KILLED

3,6411,324

1901,685

Non Resident4377

3

Geese Total0.160.260.820.02

Ducks GeeseSummer Lake 5,061 589Malheur 1,681 360Chewaucan 412 151Sauvie Island 1,896 30

Total 9,050 1,130

LAW ENFORCEMENTArrests Made

Summer Lake 21MalheurChewaucan 0Sauvie Island 9

Total 36

WATERFOWL KILL BY SPECIES

1.561.463.061.18

Total5,6502,041

5631,926

10,180

Summer Lake Malheur Chewaucan Sauvie Island TotalMallard 1,849 237 320 768 3,174Pintail 851 118 31 340 1,340Baldpate 819 700 12 508 2,039Green Winged Teal 890 37 22 233 1,182Shoveler 189 76 15 280Canvasback . 18 96 10 18 142Gadwall 141 349 7 1 498Redhead 112 11 2 125Scaup 28 17 7 1 53Ruddy 24 7 . . 31Goldeneye 9 15 2 26Buffiehead 11 8 1 3 23Cinnamon Teal

-

Merganser 2.2

2Scoter 2Woodduck 2 .. .. 2Coot 115 5 2 123Ring-necked 3 5 8

Total Ducks 5,061 1,681 412 1,896 9,050Snow Goose 298 31 28 .. 357Canada Goose 102 257 64 21 444Cackling Goose 103 11 46 6 166White Fronted Goose 71 2 12 .. 85

Canada Goose 14 56 1 3 74Ross Goose 1 3 . . 4

Total Geese 589 360 151 30 1,130

Total Waterfowl 5,650 2,041 563 1,926 10,180

WINTER GAME LOSSES(Confirmed from Page 1)

the loss of deer in that area will not ex-ceed 10 per cent of the deer herd with 90per cent of the loss occurring in lastyear's fawns. The fawns did not have thestrength to buck the deep snow driftsand many succumbed from exhaustion.

Although previous attempts to aidcoastal deer by providing supplementalrations of hay and a wide variety of con-centrates have all been considered fail-ures, an attempt was made to feed thedeer and elk in concentration areas thatwere accessible. High-grade, second-cut-ting alfalfa hay was used readily by elkand more reluctantly by deer. For a whileit appeared that the supplemental rationsmay have been of some value. However,when the snows melted and search of con-centration areas was made in an attemptto evaluate losses, it was found that ahigher loss occurred in the vicinity of thefeeding stations than on similar rangeswhere hay and concentrates were not fed.This higher loss may be partially due tothe fact that the weakest animals accept-ed the artificial ration most readily.

Autopsy of four animals by the Veter-inary Department of Oregon State Col-lege revealed the principal cause of lossto have been malnutrition; however, ex-haustion and exposure were undoubtedlypartially responsible.

In addition to the deer losses resultingfrom storms, a total of 34 deer have beenreported killed by automobiles on north-western Oregon highways during themonths of January and February.

No heavy losses of pheasants or water-fowl have been reported and of the gamebirds, bobwhite quail appear to havetaken the greatest loss.

Steelhead SpawningGrounds Cleared

The fighting steelhead of the WilsonRiver are again returning to their an-cestral spawning grounds in JordanCreek. A ponderous mass of logs and de-bris has been accumulating in JordanCreek since the disastrous TillamookBurn of 1933. Logging operations whichfollowed the fire added to the great logjams until Jordan Creek was obstructedfrom end to end. Miles of clear, graveledriffles in which the steelhead, silver salm-on, and trout formerly spawned and livedwere completely blocked and covered bythe fire-blackened snags. Now, after acooperative program undertaken by theGame Commission and the State FishCommission, the last barrier has beenblasted from Jordan Creek. The CoatesLumber Company of Tillamook also aidedby removing several massive log jams.

E. C. High, Seaside logger who con-tracted for the job, used caterpillar tract-ors, a donkey engine with a high-lead rig,and blasting powder to clean up JordanCreek. Some of the log jams were 800 to900 feet long.

Page 4 MARCH, 1950

Gold Ray Dam where a counting station is operated by the Game Commission.

THE ROGUE ANDRECLAMATION

(Continued from Page 1)Joint Fishery Study

During 1949, the Fish and WildlifeService and the Game Commission joinedin a cooperative fishery study to gainfurther information on the extent towhich anadromous fish would be affected.Four men of the Commission and 15 menof the Service carried out the intensifiedstudy. A deadline for the report was setfor January 1, 1950, leaving less than ayear for completion. With such limitedtime available, it was doubtful that theinvestigation could cover adequately allramifications of the problem. Therefore,some phases of the study were elimi-nated.

A project was started at Gold Beachto tag runs of salmon and steelhead asthey came into the mouth of the river. Atotal of 809 fish were tagged and releasedthrough the season to continue their mi-gration up river. Tag-ratio counting sta-tions were established at Agness, SavageRapids and Gold Ray to determine theratio of untagged to tagged fish. This fur-nished the biologists with data on distri-bution of the fish and migration habits ofthe different runs.

Information on tagged fish was ob-tained by various methods. On one of eachpair of tags attached to a fish was printeda request to return the disks to the GameCommission and an address, enablinganyone finding or catching such a fish tosend in the tags. Previously mentionedtag-ratio counts furnished further infor-

mation. Cooperation from the sportsmenwas excellent, and to date 90 tags havebeen spotted or returned. This represents11 per cent of the fish tagged and com-pares very favorably with similar pro-grams in other areas.

Economic Value of the FisheryThe investigation included an intensive

effort to determine the contribution ofthe fishery to the economy of the basin.It was fully realized that figures pre-viously gathered on economic evaluationwere inadequate and very conservative.The 1949 survey made clear the many

A steelhead entering the ladder at Gold Ray.

ramifications involved in an evaluation ofthe large sport fishery. In estimating thisvalue, only those data were used thatrested on a solid, tangible foundation.

Without consideration of the many in-tangible factors, the study showed thatover $1,300,000 were spent in pursuit ofsport fishing on the upper river, and thatover $2,200,000 were spent on the lowerriver for a total of $3,500,000 for thebasin. Over $10,000,000 was found to beinvested in property for use by local andtourist fishermen. The fishery providestotal or partial support for 233 places ofbusiness surveyed. The study showed thatsports fishing on Rogue River is BIGBUSINESS.

The Rogue also makes a significantcontribution to the offshore commercialfishery along the Pacific Coast. Sufficientdata have not been gathered to assess thiscontribution accurately, but the fact thattwo fish were taken during the taggingprogram that had previously been taggedoff the coast of California indicates itswidespread importance.

Water volume and temperature studieswere made to determine quantities andcharacter of water that would be releasedfor fish life to the main river below LewisCreek. Reclamation planning has not yetprogressed to the point where we canforecast the good or damage to the fisheryfrom Lewis Creek water releases. Untilan operating schedule can be supplied forLewis Creek dam, no true analysis can bemade of water releases and their effectson fish. Cold water in the channel of themain river could improve conditions forfish during warm summer months, butthis means nothing unless the cold watercan continue to be released when thewarm surface of the reservoir is downnear the penstock releases of the dam.Reclamation engineers plan on 110 feetof dead-storage which would probably bemore than adequate for holding the warm,surface water within the reservoir. How-ever, can we be assured that this surfacewater will not be used for power and irri-gation during low water years ? The ef-fect on fish life would be disastrous. An-other thing to consider is that dead-stor-age is gradually reduced by deposition ofsilt. This is known to have had seriousconsequences in many storage reservoirs.

Most of the seven tributary projects aspresently outlined would probably causenegligible fish loss. The Ruch site on theApplegate River may be an exception, asadequate summer flows below the reser-voir for the protection of the downstreammigrants from the fall and winter runsinvolved are not as yet assured. ReleasesTor maintenance of minimum summerflows are essential to the perpetuation ofthese runs.

The Union Creek area located belowCrater Lake is contemplated for powerdevelopment. A series of five run-of-the-,river power stations is planned. For eacha low dam would divert the water for asufficient distance to develop the required

(Continued on Page 5)

MARCH, 1950 Page 5

THE ROGUE ANDRECLAMATION

(Continued from Page 4)drop, and it would then be returned to theriver through a power house. As a result,the river channel between each diversiondam and its power house would be dry ornearly so. This is a vitally important fish-ing and recreational area for thousandsof people in the State of Oregon. During1949, this section was used by 722,285people, 41.8 per cent of whom were resi-dents of Oregon. Steelhead and salmoncannot reach this part of the stream, butthe area is the most heavily fished resi-dent trout water in the Rogue basin.Under the proposed development, very lit-tle of the present recreational and fishingattraction could be retained.

Migration CountsAll upstream migrant salmon and steel-

head have been counted since April, 1942at the Game Commission counting stationat Gold Ray dam near Medford. Thesecounts have shown an annual decline inspring chinook and summer run steel-head, but it is believed that under soundmanagement this decline can be arrested,and the runs again built up. The annualsilver salmon count is increasing by leapsand bounds, the 1949 count being over 21/2times greater than the run from which itoriginated. During the last four-yearcycle, the chinook counts averaged 28,-144; silvers, 5,071; and steelhead, 12,075.

Chinook salmon redd (spawning bed)counts were made through the middleand upper sections of the river. Heaviestuse per mile of running stream was foundfrom the mouth of the Applegate Riverupstream to Grants Pass and in that sec-

tion from Lewis Creek dam site upstreamto the mouth of Big Butte Creek.

From these redd counts and the countsover Gold Ray, we know that from 10,000to 18,000 fish would be blocked at theLewis Creek development and would beinvolved in a salvage program. Compari-son with existing large salvage programsindicates that costs to install facilities forsuch an operation would be extremelyhigh and have small assurance of success.This cost would have to be borne by thetaxpayer through additional appropria-tions.

Salvage Not a SolutionOur general conception of problems in-

volving blockades to salmon and steel-head is that a salvage project can alwaysbe put to use, but how successful could itbe in assuring a good return ? Let's lookat the facts. Salvage projects with anad-romous fish have been known to be suc-cessful where the runs can be transplant-ed to suitable tributaries. This is particu-larly true when dealing with fall-runsalmon. One of our main reasons for ob-jecting to a salvage project is that thereare no available tributaries below LewisCreek to which the runs can be trans-planted. Too, as a reminder, we are deal-ing with spring-run fish. This leaves arti-ficial propagation as our only alternative.Artificial propagation alone has neverbeen proven successful with spring-runsalmon. For this reason, it is the desire ofall interests studying the Rogue problemto prevent having to accept and operatesuch a program. Why gamble on salvagewhen such a valuable resource is atstake ?

If another dam site could be used aboveand in place of the proposed Lewis Creeksite, Big Butte Creek could probably be

used in a transplantation program. A damsite above Big Butte Creek was suggestedby the Bureau of Reclamation in its PlanB. Under present plans the Lewis Creekdevelopment would block access to BigButte Creek.

Other than the dollars and cents eval-uation mentioned before, just how im-portant is this fishery ? Even though1949 was one of the poorest fishing yearsfor salmon known on the Rogue, 204,740pounds of salmon were taken in just thelower 12 miles of the river. This repre-sents more than ten thousand fish. In1945, 352,100 pounds or 17,600 fish werecaught in that section. In addition, be-tween 1,300 and 2,000 salmon are takenfrom salmon boards in the vicinity ofGrants Pass and an estimated 15 to 20thousand steelhead are caught in the riverannually. These catch figures representonly a portion of the total harvest fromthe basin. Census studies have had to belimited to specific sections because oflimitations on time and personnel.

At least one other alternative plan hasbeen proposed to provide irrigation waterand power without significantly alteringthe environment for fish. Extensive engi-neering studies on the ground that wouldbe necessary to evaluate this plan havenot been made. This indicates that PlansA and B may not be the only possiblesolutions.

However, in spite of these values andthe many questions still unanswered, theRogue Valley Irrigation Association hashelped push the Rogue development plantoward an immediate decision that wouldbe premature from a fishery standpoint.If this session of Congress approves theRogue River Project, first appropriations

(Continued on Page 7)

Recreational area in Casey State Park above the Lewis Creek dam site,which is valuable to spawning salmon and steelhead.

Mill Creek Falls on the North Fork, the upper limits of steelhead andsalmon migration 21 miles above Lewis Creek dam site.

Page 6 MARCH, 1950

ANNUAL REPORTDepartment of State Police

1949GAME CODE

Warn. Arrests Act'. Sent. FinesAltering hunter's license 1 $ 100.00Angling

Closed season 30 60 3 .15 1,567.50Prohibited areas, hours,

or methods 176 401 12 .78 9,916.75Disguising

Sex of deer 9 1 .24 545.50Species of bird 10 212.50

Exceeding bag limit 175 231 8 1.35 7,151.00Failure to

Post bear traps 4 .32Tag properly 39 196 6 1.98 9,430.50Remit fees collected 1

False application for license 1 16 3 355.00Holding game animal no permit 1Hunting

Closed season 14 177 13 6.15 11,092.50Prohibited areas, hours,

or methods 183 617 39 3.59 24,597.00Protected animals, birds 28 .82 2,753.00

Interfering with duties of lawenforcement officer 4 1 .06 100.00

Lending angler's or hunter's license . . 11 .08 545.50Molesting

Game animals, birds 1 1 25.00Trap line 2 .07 45.50

No duck stamp 1 25.00No fish ladder 1 2 50.00No license

Angling 365 357 11 .95 7.820.00Game breeder . . . 12 4 .64 350.00Guide . 8 4 2 . . 275.00Hunting 122 230 23 1.10 5,178.00Non-resident 1 113 6 .20 2,862.50Trapping 8 17 1 . . 276.00

No shipping permit 2 .28 25.00Permitting unaccompanied minor

to hunt 1 .08Possession

Game animal 1 163 10 7.44 16,329.50Game bird 93 2 .46 3,114.50Game fish 2 157 5 .90 3,985.50Protected bird, animal 75 1 .77 4,384.60

Purchase more than one license 1 1Sale game animal, bird, fish 2 275.00Tampering with fish screen 5 125.00Trapping

Closed season 1 2 50.00Prohibited areas, or methods . . 2 25.00With unbranded traps 5 5 .16 126.00

Trespassing 10 150.00Using license of another 1 19 .43 1,301.00Wanton waste of game 24 6 .28 3,718.50

Totals 1,135 3,066 159 29.28 $118,883.35

Licenses and bag limitschecked o. k.

17.53 years suspended $20,842.50 remitted

Predatory animals killed 38Searches

Angling and hunting 114,372 With warrant 49Fur dealer 5 Without warrant 13,073Game breeder 12 SeizuresGuide 52 Game animal 8Trapping 191 Game fish 3

Disposal of Alaska Fur SealsFinding carcasses of Alaska fur seals

along the Northwest coast has promptedmany inquiries to both the Game Com-mission and the Fish and Wildlife Serviceas to their disposal. As the fur sealscome under the jurisdiction of the UnitedStates Fish and Wildlife Service, that de-partment has issued the following infor-mation as to procedure to be followed byanyone finding a dead fur seal in thecoastal area :

1. Anyone finding the bodies of deadfur seals should immediately notify thenearest State or Federal Game or Fisher-ies employee or the State Patrol. If pos-sible the bodies of the seals should ulti-mately reach or be inspected by a Gameor Fisheries employee.

2. If the pelt is fresh it should be re-moved and preserved in salt. The pelt isnot cased but split up the belly. The valueof the skin depends upon its proper pre-servation and the condition of the animal.The skin of an animal that has been deadfor some time rarely has any value and inthat case the seal should be destroyed bya responsible official in the presence ofwitnesses. This is done by slashing theskin with a series of cuts along the lengthof the body. Disposal of such a destroyedbody should be made in a manner thatwill prevent its probable discovery again.

3. Any metal tags on the flippers shouldbe removed and forwarded to the Fishand Wildlife Service, 706 Federal OfficeBuilding, Seattle 4, Washington, togetherwith information about the animal fromwhich it was taken which would includethe point of discovery, date, sex, andlength of the body from tip of nose to tipof tail.

4. Whether a fur seal is preserved ordestroyed, a complete record of each caseshould be made and forwarded to the Fishand Wildlife Service, 706 Federal OfficeBuilding, Seattle 4, Washington. Such arecord should include the points men-tioned in paragraph 3, and any additionalfacts that may be pertinent.

5. It is the purpose of this office to havea representative visit the various coastalregions sometime during the latter partof February, if possible, for the purposeof reviewing the many cases reported.

6. For any further information contactthe Fish and Wildlife Service, 706 FederalOffice Building, Seattle 4, Washington.

March-April CalendarSalmon and Steelhead over 20", open both

months in inland waters.Salmon and Steelhead over 20", closed

until April 15 in coastal waters .

Trout, open April 15, Zone 1, (coast area)and northern part of Zone 2.

Spiny-rayed fish, open both months.Predatory animals, open both months.

NOTE : For exceptions consult officialhunting and fishing regulations.

MARCH, 1950 Page 7

Salmon anglers lined up at the mouth of the Rogue River.

THE ROGUE ANDRECLAMATION

(Continued from Page 5)would probably be asked for immediate

fe--\ construction of the Lewis Creek dam andMerlin dam ( a tributary project). This isseveral years ahead of dates previouslyannounced.

The Rogue River Project is definitely acontroversial issue within the basin itself,and among the people of the rest of Ore-gon and of other states. Since 1945, activegroups have opposed the main river damat Lewis Creek. Other groups question anddoubt the feasibility of the plans for irri-gation, power, and flood control. KennethG. Denman, Chairman of the Rogue RiverBasin Conservation Committee, says, "Noone, not even opponents of the presentreclamation planning, is against properdevelopment. It is readily admitted thatour general progress must not be stoppedor unduly hindered. All broad-minded in-dividuals who have taken the time tostudy the reports of the Bureau of Recla-mation and the reports on the fishery re-alize there must be a happy medium inwhich the basin can be developed withoutundue injury to our existing resources.We believe all the needs of the valley canbe supplied with tributary projects." ThePreserve the Rogue Association, headedby D. H. Barber of Trail, is opposing theLewis Creek dam and Union Creek powerdevelopment by claiming unsound eco-nomic planning. On the basis of the mostrecent data, the Oregon State Game Corn-mission urges that the Rogue develop-ment project should not be rushed intoconstruction until some alternate plan isfound whereby Lewis Creek can be elimi-nated.

One reason there is not more organized

and vocal opposition is well expressedby Merle E. Griffin, Josephine County As-sessor; who says, "The reason the oppo-sition is in the minority seems to be be-cause to a great many people one dollarlooks so much better today than two dol-lars tomorrow. One of the major localarguments favoring Reclamation Bureauplans is the money which will be broughtto the valley only during the period ofconstruction. We should all realize thatone valuable resource should not be sac-rificed for the sake of developing an-other." Fisheries interests have been se-riously handicapped in obtaining audienceand support. because so few of the resi-dents of the valley can appreciate theirshare in the monetary returns broughtfrom sport fishing and recreation.

Rogue Fishery a National AssetThe placing of responsibility for deci-

sion on the Rogue problem has causedsome controversy. Some contend it shouldbe decided solely by the residents of thebasin, but the natural resources of theRogue belong also to the other people ofOregon, and, in a larger sense, to the na-tion. For wise use of such resources, wemust not lose sight of this fact.

In viewing the Rogue fisheries as a na-tional recreational asset, many believethat the Rbgue Valley with its presentand potential attractions could be madeinto an outstandingly valuable basin. Withmore leisure hours available to all work-ing people, more and more facilities haveto be provided for recreational diversions.Nation-wide surveys have shown thatfishing is one of the most popular methodsof spending leisure time. The Rogue Riveris one of the most important sport fishingstreams in Oregon, if not the entire Pa-cific Northwest, and plays a most impor-tant role in furnishing this recreation.

Self-styled "experts" have made re-marks about how little the planned proj-ect would hurt the salmon and steelheadruns, and even, how much it would helpto bring the runs back to their formerabundance. The best fishery experts inthe country today have not dared ventureany definite comment on the extent ofdamage or aid to the fish population thatmight be expected with certain phases ofthe planned projects. Some conservativeestimates have been made, but they arefelt to be grossly inadequate. A majorreason for not making a fine analysis offishery damage is that bureau planninghas not advanced to the stage where op-erating schedules can be set up. The bestthat can be said at the present time isthat there is danger for the Rogue's anad-romous and resident fish. If the presentplans including the Lewis Creek develop-ment go through, the value of the Roguefishery would be reduced by approximate-ly 50 per cent.

ABOUT THE AUTHORCole Rivers, the

author of the ar-ticle on "The Rogueand Reclamation,"is appropriatelynamed as he is agood example of aperson who's job isa living part of him.

A native Oregon-ian, Rivers studiedfish and game man-agement at OregonState College, andsince 1941 has worked for the OregonState Game Commission primarily withthe fish of the Rogue River. His skill as aboatman has made it possible for him toacquire a familiarity with all sections ofthe river from its headwaters to the sea,and its every mood is known to him.

All phases of the reclamation planningfor the Rogue watershed have beenclosely followed by him in evaluating theprobable effects on this valuable fisheryresource.

Ducks use their webbed feet not onlyas a plane does its landing gear whencoming down, but also as rudders forflight maneuvering.

* * *

The neck of a bird has greater freedomof motion than that of a snake. In thetiny neck of a sparrow there are 14 ver-tebrae; in the swan's 23, while the neckof a giraffe has only 7.

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Oregon State GameCommission Bulletin

1634 S. W. ALDER STREETP. 0. BOX 4136

PORTLAND 8. OREGON

cAeWecticead 7/zottt'EgizewI aet

//It the Vtitecr,rn

fastest.

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-----Courtesy of "MICHIGAN CONSERVATION".