Jan 19 General Meeting - Fish and Fires 2000-2010

Bitterroot Trout Unlimited January Meeting

Thursday, January 19, 2012, 7:00 PM

Hamilton Elks Lodge, 203 State St, Hamilton, MT (for directions, see below)

“Fish and Fires” 

Bitterroot National Forest Fisheries Biologist Mike Jakober will be the speaker for the January 19 Bitterroot Trout Unlimited Meeting. The title of Mike’s talk is " Fish and Fires - you can burn us but we'll be back!”

The impact of fires on fisheries and streams is said to be horrendous. Guess what? It ain’t so! Come hear Forest Service Fisheries Biologist Mike Jakober dispel the rumors and explain the real effect that fires have had on our streams and fisheries. Our 2011 fisheries intern, Billy Brann, will also be on hand to talk about his summer project.

And, don’t forget! We will be having dinner with Pat at Spice of Life at 5:00 pm before the meeting. Long-time TU supporter Karen Suennen will be donating 10% of the proceeds to our club. So come join us for dinner.

Information for Spice of Life Cafe and Catering
163 S 2nd St Hamilton, Montana
(406) 363-4433
Directions | Menu | Hours

Information for Elks Lodge
203 State Street
Hamilton, MT 59840-2522
(406) 363-3031
Get directions

For more information, contact cassie.buhl@gmail.com or  drtrout@mtbloom.net

2012 Bitterroot Bugger Classes, fly tying, casting and more

FREE fly tying and fly fishing classes in Hamilton, Montana!

Do you know kids who would like to learn how to fly fish? How about fly tying? How about learning about bugs and fish identification? Classes are sponsored by Bitterroot Trout Unlimited and the Keystone Discovery Enrichment Program. Join them for the 12th annual Bitterroot Buggers learning sessions which are open to any child in the Bitterroot Valley ages 8 through 14. 

The program will provide small group instruction and all the materials. In addition to the beginner class, an advanced class is offered for students who would like to learn more advanced fly patterns.

For more information call the Westview Center at (406) 375-9999 or  Greg Chester at (406) 363-0033.
Click here for a class flyer.pdf (PDFformat) or class flyer.jpg (picture of the flyer).

Here are the important dates:

• January 24 – Deadline for registration
• February 7– Classes begin with orientation at Westview Center in Hamilton
  Classes continue on the following Tuesdays: February 14, 21, 28 and March 6, 13
  All class times are 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
• March 20– Final Class - casting instruction
• April TBA– actual Fishing Day and picnic

 Registration forms are available at:

•  Download Bitterroot Buggers Class Registration Form in Microsoft Word.
• Western Flies and Guides
  906 South 1st Street, Hamilton, Montana
  (406) 363-9099
  
• Fishaus
  702 North 1st Street, Hamilton, Montana
  

(406) 363-6158

• Westview Center
  103 S. 9th, Hamilton, Montana
  (406) 375-9999

The group can be as many as 50 children so help is welcome. If you are interested in volunteering to help teach fly tying, or supervise and interact with the students, distribute materials, etc., please call the Westview Center or Greg Chester.

What is expected of students?
The success of the program depends on the continued support of volunteer instructors. Because of this, participants are expected to arrive each week ready to learn and enjoy themselves with attitudes that are respectful of everyone involved. Every child is expected to help with cleanup and treat the materials and equipment with respect. If a student’s behavior is disruptive to the program or dangerous to themselves, volunteers or other students, parents will be notified immediately, asked to pick their child up and the student will be dismissed from the program. The program attendance is large and to be fair to all participants, general rules must be followed.

What is expected of families?
Because the staffed is volunteer, it is essential that children be at the class promptly but not before 6:30 pm. They must be picked up by 8:00 pm. No supervision is provided beyond the program time. For the safety of the children, the staff must be notified in advance if a child will be walking home or someone other than those listed on the registration will be picking them up. Parents are welcome to be in class and participate but are expected to assist the child in following the directions given by the instructors. Everyone has different methods and techniques used in tying but the curriculum has been carefully developed to allow for a continuity of techniques.

Be sure and take a moment to thank the volunteer instructors. They generously give up their evenings to prepare for and work with this program.

Download a copy of the "Buggers Expectations" in a PDF file here.

Keep up with Ravalli County Floodplain regulation revisions at the Planning Homepage

Click here to visit the Ravalli County Planning Homepage

The regulations are being revised and the County Commissioners will be discussing them tomorrow, December 13 and provide input for the first time. For more information contact:

Eric Anderson, P.E., CFM

Ravalli County Floodplain Manager

215 S 4th St, Suite F

Hamilton, MT 59840

406-375-6530 phone

406-375-6531 fax

eanderson@rc.mt.gov  

 

Plan to attend the public meeting with the County Commissioners. See the link below for more information.

Ravalli County Floodplain – meeting Dec 13, 1:30 PM

The meeting information is actually the previous BRTU blog post.

Ravalli County Floodplain - meeting Dec 13, 1:30 PM

Aerial view of Bitterroot River, Victor Bridge on May 22, 2009

The Ravalli Commissioners are having a meeting at 1:30 pm Tuesday, December 13 to discuss amending the floodplain regulations. Eric Anderson, Ravalli County Floodplain Manager, has been working with Dan Browder, Deputy County Attorney at Ravalli County Attorney Office, to codify the regulations along with all the other County regulations. Codifying basically means putting all the individual regulations into one large code of ordinances instead of separate stand alone documents.

Montana, Ravalli County Planning Department - Floodplain
www.rc13.mt.gov/planning/land.htm
See the link above for Ravalli County Floodplain Regulations - reposted 11/10/08

The floodplain regulations will be fully open to modification during this codification process. Anderson and Browder have been doing minor modifications to the regulations for the past few weeks, primarily to correct errors and to make the regulations more consistent with State and Federal law. At this point, no changes are seriously substantial, however, one is never 100% sure what’s going to happen during the meeting on Tuesday. It’s possible that the meeting might get a large turn out of people who would like more substantial changes to the regulations, possibly with less protection for the river. Attend the meeting if you would like to track the progress or make comment.

The meeting is scheduled for 1.5 hours and will likely be continued to another day for further discussion. The Commissioner decision is NOT scheduled to be made on Tuesday. It is simply the beginning of the process to open up discussion with the Commissioners. Anderson and Browder will be explaining all the changes they have made, point by point, to the Commissioners


It appears that the entire process is open to written public comment at any time.


If you are interested and have questions, contact Eric Anderson, see information below. Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested.

Eric Anderson, P.E., CFM
Ravalli County Floodplain Manager
215 S 4th St, Suite F
Hamilton, MT 59840
406-375-6530 phone
406-375-6531 fax
eanderson@rc.mt.gov 

A little humor - catch and release of an elk in CO

According to an email that was passed around, this guy from Texas was fishing on the Big Thompson outside Estes Park, CO. It was his first ever fly-fishing venture. A crowd gathered on the highway to take pictures, including a Denver Post guy. One of the pics is on the front page of the Denver Post. Click here to see more on the Denver Post website.

View all

Nov 17 General Meeting - Montana Water Project

Bitterroot Trout Unlimited November Meeting
Thursday, November 17, 2011, 7:00 PM
Hamilton Elks Lodge, 203 State St, Hamilton, MT (for directions, see below)

Pat Byorth
Trout Unlimited Montana Water Project
Montana Water Project: Saving Water with a Law Book

In old Montana, “Water is for fighting, whiskey is for drinking!” In today’s Montana, the Montana Water Project of TU National focuses on protecting and restoring coldwater fisheries by reforming Montana water law and policy while implementing on the ground instream flow and habitat projects with willing irrigators.

Please encourage your friends to come and learn from Pat Byorth how TU is changing the paradigm.

And, don’t forget! We will be having dinner with Pat at Spice of Life at 5:00 pm before the meeting. Long-time TU supporter Karen Suennen will be donating 10% of the proceeds to our club. So come join us for dinner.

Information for Spice of Life Cafe and Catering
163 S 2nd St Hamilton, Montana
(406) 363-4433
Directions | Menu | Hours

Information for Elks Lodge
203 State Street
Hamilton, MT 59840-2522
(406) 363-3031
Get directions

October 20 for the BRTU general meeting, Become an Outdoor Woman

Did you get this postcard in the mail? You should have. Please join us October 20 for the BRTU general meeting.

The meeting will feature Liz Lodman presenting a talk on “How to Lure Women Outdoors- Montana’s Becoming an Outdoor Woman Program. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm at the Hamilton Elks Lodge, 203 State St in Hamilton. The meeting is open to the public and there is no charge for admission.

Becoming an Outdoor Woman (BOW) is a nationwide program and the one that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks operates is known as one of the best in country. According to the MFWP BOW website (http://fwp.mt.gov/education/bow/default.html), “Montana's Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program has been providing women the opportunity to learn outdoor skills since 1994. BOW helps break down barriers that might prevent women from fishing, hunting, or pursuing other outdoor activities.” BOW holds workshops around the state to encourage women of all ages to learn about and to participate in fishing, hunting, canoeing, etc.

Liz Lodman manages BOW for the state of Montana and will present a great overview of the program with a special emphasis on fishing. Plan to attend and to encourage your friends to come learn about this program.

And, don't forget! We will be having dinner with Liz at Spice of Life at 5:00 pm before the meeting. Long-time TU supporter Karen Suennen will be donating 10% of the proceeds to our club. So come join us for dinner.

For more information, contact cassie.buhl@gmail.com or drtrout@mtbloom.net (363-3485)