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Our 3rd Casting for Recovery SoCal Retreat for Breast Cancer survivors was amazing. The participants had so much fun learning to tie flies, cast, and learning bugs! Their enthusiasm was contagious. These women came to the Retreat not knowing what to expect and most had never fished let alone fly fish. They shared stories of their recovery and their challenges while learning the many aspects of fly fishing. The highlight of the Retreat was getting into the water on Sunday morning and fly fishing. Each participant had their own water helper to guide them as they cast their rod. Though the only fish caught was a tadpole, the excitement of the catch was still contagious.

Participants wrote...

"I left with a whole new outlook and feeling that I will be ok"
"Miss everyone still basking in the afterglow"
"I can't even begin to tell you how filled my heart is right now"

When the water helpers gave the participants their new rods there was not a dry eye at lunch. The women were so touched by the support and compassion shown to them by all the volunteer staff and water helpers.

We can not thank all the clubs enough as their support helped create the Retreat, from the water helpers that represented many of the Southwest Council Clubs to the clubs that purchased the rods, donated fly boxes and provided donations.

This Retreat does not happen without the all the support and generosity of the Fly Fishing Clubs, individuals and the community.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

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Detailed instructions for tying a Caddis Larva fly.

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In February of 2001, Inyo National Forest issued a Decision Notice that implemented a 10-year period of rest on the Templeton and Whitney grazing allotments in the Golden Trout Wilderness to facilitate recovery of watershed and channel conditions. The Notice indicated that grazing on the two allotments would be reconsidered at the end of the 10-year period. The Inyo National Forest has initiated an analysis and review of the Monache, Mulkey, Templeton and Whitney grazing allotments in the Kern Plateau/Golden Trout Wilderness on the Mt Whitney Ranger District.  This review will culminate in proposed actions that are analyzed through the NEPA process (EIS) that involves analyzing different alternatives to the proposed action, requires public notice and comment, and results in a NEPA decision. Final NEPA decisions are subject to administrative appeal.

SWC-FFF is providing this webpage as a resource for those interested in this important issue.

 

 

 

 

 

"Source of Map:  California Golden Trout Conservation Assessment and Strategy, page 22

USFS Inyo National Forest Webpage for Kern Plateau Grazing Assessment
http://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_project_exp.php?project=34380 This page is the central link for the Forest Service studies and reports.  Information regarding the NEPA review process is available at this site.

DFG Resources, Studies, and Reports:

DFG Golden Trout Homepage:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/REsources/WildTrout/WT_CaGoldenDesc.asp

Pister 2008 Golden Trout report:
Restoration of the California golden trout in the South Fork Kern River, Kern Plateau, Tulare County, California, 1966-2004 (PDF)
This report provides an excellent history of the restoration efforts for the golden trout.

Weaver, J. and  Mehalick, S.  Golden Trout Wilderness summary report 2008. California Department of Fish and Game. Available from: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=31252  Fish and fish habitat survey results for Golden Trout Creek, Siberian Creek, Stokes Stringer, and Mulkey Creek.

Weaver, J. and Mehalick, S. South Fork Kern River summary report 2009.  California Department of Fish and Game.  Available from: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=29689 Fish and fish habitat survey results for South Fork Kern River and tributaries in Monache and Strawberry Meadows.

Additional Research Reports and Websites

David B. Herbst, Michael T. Bogan, Sandra K. Roll and Hugh D. Safford. Effects of livestock exclusion on in-stream habitat and benthic invertebrate assemblages in mountain streams  Freshwater Biology (2012) 57, 204–217.

Andrew Skaggs California Golden Trout Literature Review May 2013

Website for UC Davis Genomics Variations Lab.  Reports available at:
http://genome-lab.ucdavis.edu/People/Stephens/Research%20Golden%20Trout2.htm

Website for publications by Roland Knapp:
http://vesr.ucnrs.org/pages/knapp/publications/publications.html

Publications by Kathleen Matthews:

Roland A. Knapp, Vance T. Vredenburg, and Kathleen R. Matthews. Effects of Stream Channel Morphology on Golden Trout Spawning Habitat and Recruitment.   Ecological Applications (1998) 8(4): 1104-1117.

Roland A. Knapp and Kathleen R. Matthews. Livestock Grazing, Golden Trout, and Streams in the Golden Trout Wilderness, California: Impacts and Management Implications. N. American Journal of Fisheries Management (1996) 16: 805-820.

Kathleen Matthews.  Habitat Selection and Movement Patters of California Golden Trout in Degraded and Recovering Stream Sections in the Golden Trout Wilderness, California. N. American Journal of Fisheries Management (1996) 16-579-590.

Kathleen R. Matthews.   Diel Movement and Habitat Use of California Golden Trout in the Golden Trout Wilderness, California.  Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (1996) 125: 78-86. 

Kathleen R. Matthews.   California Golden Trout and Climate Change: Is Their Stream Habitat Vulnerable to Gobal Warming? Wild Trout X Symposium – Conserving Wild Trout (2010) 

General References:

Conservation Assessment and Strategy for the California Golden Trout,  2004.  CA DFG, USFS, and USFWS.  Available at: http://www.tucalifornia.org/cgtic/GTCAssessmnt&Strategy9-04.pdf

Calfornia Golden Trout Does Not Warrant Listing Under the Endangered Species Act
http://www.fws.gov/cno/press/release.cfm?rid=287  This is a brief summary of the federal decision.

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-Month Finding for a Petition To List the California Golden Trout as Endangered  http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-10-11/html/2011-25652.htm  This is a link to federal listing decision in the Federal Register.

Other Useful links:  

Golden Trout Project website:  http://www.californiagoldentrout.org

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