www.singingfalls.com/seine

It has been a very busy period of time.
I have been having a miserable time with my computers. Same old problem. Proprietary drivers on my Linux operating systems. It is just a pure mess. I am able to access the system but not with the nvidia drivers which give me 3d acceleration. This kind of hassle isn't new for me. I've been using Linux since 1998 in one form or another. Usually things work out very well but it seems the battle is heating up. Actually, I think the problem relates to a state of global insanity that is taking over. But that's another story.
My wife's email program went on the fritz. I was able to fix it by manually deleting the offending virus infected email. It's the first email problem I've had in many years. In the mean time, there were emails I am unable to answer. If you are one of these please resend your email so I can reply.
-------------------------------------------
I have completed the Umpqua Basin Fish Access Survey on Schedule. It just so happened that I did Joe Hall Creek the very last. It wasn't planned that way but it was quite the experience.
As I reached the upper reaches of the stream I was amazed by the continued presence of water from the springs feeding the origins. At the first man made barrier ( a culvert ) I noticed that my map imperative indicated that anadromous fish species extended to the upper ends of the stream. There's no way that I can see coho or steelhead migrating that far up the stream. Nevertheless I kept looking into the large cool pool at the culvert outlet for small fry to show their squiggly selves. Purely by chance an insect happened to fall into the pool. Wham!!! A native South Umpqua Cutthroat trout snatched the unfortunate critter from the water's surface. I was simply amazed that any fish at all would have made it several thousand feet above the main stem of the drainage to hold up during the hot and dry season. Just amazing.
--------------------------------------------
I guided another tour of Singing Falls and the stream restoration project on Monday. This group consisted mainly of folks from the Nature Conservancy (The environmental arm of Pacific Power Company), Oregon fisheries biologist and directors of the wateshed council. Great group of people who are very enthused about stream restoration work. To top the event off a very large Yellow Legged Frog, another species about to blip off the radar screen, was found enjoying the moist environs of the waterfall area. Poor thing is probably blind from all of the camera flashes.
--------------------------------------------
I attended the watershed council's TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) this week also. We discussed the potential facilitation responsibilities that we may be taking on with the Formosa Mine clean up. The mine is a very toxic and now federally designated Superfund sight. It directly impacts the Umpqua Basin Watershed and we're glad efforts are being made to clean it up.
--------------------------------------------
Blessed be YHVH. The overextended summer drought has ended. We received 22 mm of rain in the last couple of days. That's a good start.
--------------------------------------------
And finally on this update. Work on the new high powered electrical fence around the riparian zone is progressing well. I should have 14 acres of riparian areas sequestered from the sheep and goats the third week of this month. With that I will have met the major components of my end of the CREP contract. The homestead will then once again be a main priority.