Bull trout seminar in Montana

Calif. Hunter

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Second Announcement for 2005 ScCS Montana Workshop



North Fork Flathead River – Glacier National Park

September 7-9, 2005



Meeting Location: Big Creek Outdoor Education Center



It’s time to register for the 2005 meeting of Salvelinus confluentus Curiosity Society, an informal yearly gathering of bull trout biologists and native char enthusiasts. This year we will be meeting on the North Fork Flathead River, tributary to beautiful Flathead Lake and adjacent to Glacier National Park.



The 2005 ScCS workshop will be headquartered out of the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center, a rustic converted Ranger Station, now operated by the Glacier Institute. For more information, check out their website at www.glacierinstitute.org. The workshop schedule includes presentations and discussions Wednesday afternoon and evening, field projects in the Wild and Scenic North Fork Flathead River watershed and Glacier National Park all day Thursday, and concludes with more presentations on Friday morning.



The Outdoor Ed Center is a stones throw from Big Creek, where a few large adfluvial bull trout will be staging in preparation for mid-September spawning. The North Fork Flathead River is a short hop across the road and offers prime fall fishing for small native westslope cutthroat trout.





Program: Presentation and discussion topics for this year's workshop include a special International panel, with visiting Japanese researchers discussing similarities of bull trout with their close relative the white-spotted char. There will also be discussions of problems faced by adfluvial bull trout, new information on estuary and marine nearshore habitat use by bull trout, and more. There’s still room on the agenda, so please submit proposals with your registration and we’ll contact you. Opportunities for State and Provincial updates on bull trout will also occur during the workshop.



Field projects will include a major multi-crew effort to PIT Tag juvenile bull trout for an emigration study, a gill-netting adventure to look at lake trout on Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, and a tour of the bull trout aquaculture program at Creston National Fish Hatchery. Please indicate a preference on the registration form so we can plan the logistics.



Dates & Time: The workshop will start at Noon on Wednesday, September 7th. Bring your own sack lunch for that day or eat before you arrive. We will conduct field projects all day Thursday, September 8th (lunch provided). The workshop will end at Noon on Friday, September 9th, with lunch provided.



Cost: The cost of the workshop is $90 for registration, which includes meals, T-shirt and refreshments as well as access to Glacier National Park during the three days of the meeting, but no lodging. There are 3 lodging options:



1.) Camping is available for an additional $20 per person (nights of Sept. 7th and 8th) at the Big Creek Forest Service Campground Group Site, adjacent to the Outdoor Ed. Center. The campground has potable water and toilets, but no showers. Don’t forget your tent. If you are bringing friends or family who want to camp (but not participate in the meeting or meals) they can be accommodated at the group site for an additional $20 per tent (regardless of the number of occupants). They stay free if sharing your tent.



2.) There are a limited number of bunks (40) available in the nicely furnished rustic Big Creek bunkhouses. These include bathrooms with showers and are arranged in pods with four bunks per room. Bunks are available for $70 per bed (this cost covers both nights of the workshop). You will need to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow.



3.) For those who just can’t hack it under the Big Sky – we can provide motel options in Columbia Falls – 20 miles away. Call or send an e-mail.



Registration will be on a first-come first-serve basis, and PAID early registrants will get preference on bunkhouse lodging. Due to limited capacity of the facilities the meeting will be limited to 100 participants – so DON’T MISS OUT!



The Big Creek site is located at an elevation of about 3,400 ft, and September tends to be mild (mid 60s F) with low rainfall (no guarantees…it could snow….bring raingear). Nights will often dip to near-freezing temperatures.



Directions: Big Creek is about 30 miles north of Kalispell. Take US Highway 2 (from the west) or 93 (from the South) into Kalispell, then about 10 miles north to Columbia Falls. From there, follow the attached map. The most direct route is the North Fork Road out of Columbia Falls, 12 miles on pavement and 8 miles on a wide, but rough gravel road. If you want to stay on pavement all the way, go to West Glacier and take the Camas Creek Road back through the Park. To do this you’ll have to pay an entry fee of $20 per vehicle – good for 7 days. Park information: http://www.nps.gov/glac/.



Fishing is free in Glacier National Park. A Montana nonresident fishing license (for the North Fork Flathead River and other waters outside the Park) is about $24 for two days or $53 for 10 days: http://fwp.state.mt.us/fishing/default.html. Licenses must be purchased at a sporting goods store before you head up to the camp.



For those who are traveling by air, fly in to Glacier Park International Airport outside Kalispell. If you coordinate with us, we can arrange for a free shuttle to camp.



Another attractive option may be to come in by rail. The Empire Builder line of Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) comes from the west into Whitefish. We can pick you up at the Train Station and deliver you for the return trip. The scheduled arrival (one train per day) into Whitefish is 7:26 AM. It leaves Portland at 4:45 PM the night before (14 hour trip). Going back, the train departs Whitefish at 9:16 PM. Current round trip fare is only $134.



The Flathead is known as the Crown of the Continent. Besides the Park, in the immediate area there are many fishable and floatable rivers; Flathead Lake, the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi; dozens of campsites, trails, and roads on Forest Service lands (http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/flathead/); many private campgrounds and accommodations; refuges such as the USFWS National Bison Range Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/bisonrange/nbr/), Creston National Fish Hatchery (http://creston.fws.gov/), and many other scenic and natural wonders. Come early or stay late and enjoy this beautiful time of year.





Registration Form

Salvelinus confluentus Curiosity Society Montana Workshop



The cost of the workshop only, including meals, refreshments, and commemorative t-shirt is $90 USD. With two nights camping $110 USD. With two nights bunkhouse lodging (four per room sharing) $160 USD (limited availability – first paid, first served).


Only checks will be accepted. Please write checks to: "Wade Fredenberg - ScCS".



The registration should be sent to:

Wade Fredenberg
Creston Fish and Wildlife Center

780 Creston Hatchery Road

Kalispell, MT 59901



Please enter the following information and mail this page with your check:



Name:



Affiliation:



Address:



Phone Number:



Email:



Do you prefer vegetarian meals or have special dietary needs?





Will you be able to provide any of the following for use during the field day?

Please bring your own waders or hip boots.



Dry Suit or Wet Suit:



Backpack Electrofishing gear (type and Model):





Field Preference: Electrofishing_____ Gill-Net______ Bull Trout Aquaculture______





Do you have a project or topic that you would like to present or discuss? If so, please note on the registration form or contact us ASAP!


For more information contact Wade Fredenberg at 406-758-6872. [email protected]
 
Are you a fish bio Cali Hunter? Just curious. I am and would love to go to that meeting, but its smack dab in the middle of my opening week of archery elk hunt!!!
 
OH and Tom, electrofishing gear is fish sampling equipment used to "shock" the fish in the water so you can net them for various reasons (presence absence surveys, population estimates, movement studies, genetic sampling.......etc....)

Most commonly we use a backpack electrofisher, its an inverter on a backpack that runs off a battery or a little generator, Its got a pole you stick in the water and a cable tail that drags behind you. You push the trigger down and it lays the shmacker down on most any fish within close proximity. If things are set right, it basically just stuns them or sorta temporarily paralizes them so they go belly up and you can net them and throw them in a bucket, where they commonly recover immediately.

HS
 

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