Scribbled by Nick
I’m on vacation just outside of Eugene, Oregon, where the firs, cedars, and redwoods line the shores of the McKenzie River. Having just spent the past three days flyfishing (catch and release), I’ve learned quite a bit about the changes the river has undergone over the past forty years (each of our guides has been a resident since at least 1951, and guiding since 1961 at the earliest). The river’s less populated with salmon, and the steelhead introduced ten years ago brought with them a virus that’s decimated the “planters”–fish who are born in a hatchery and then released for the recreationalists. Generally speaking, the climate writ large is still alive and well, though the river’s warmed precipitously and begun to turn brown due to poorly planned man-made intervention. Overall, my sense is that the river’s held up well through decades of ecotourism, and that the greatest threat remains poor preservation policies and runoff from heavy logging back in the hills. Ultimately, it’s a beautiful place to be, and promises to be so for generations to come, but is definitely showing signs of anthropomorphic warming.
It’s a great post. Keep up the good work. I love to spend time enjoying nature as well…
Hamilton Lake