Ted Turner’s Impact on Native Trout

Alaska Guide Academy Offers an Alternative to Mining

The Simplicity of Tenkara Fly Fishing

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Ted Turner’s Impact

on Native Trout

Alaska Guide Academy Offers

an Alternative to Mining

The Simplicity of

Tenkara Fly Fishing

BY TODD WILKINSON

B Y T O D D W I L K I N S O N

TroutTed

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When Ted Turner slips likeHeraclitus into his favoritestretchofcoldwater—inhiscase,atwistingswirlofCherryCreek

knownas“TheButler”—he’llbecastingforsomeoftherarestfishesinMontana.

Thestreamheencountersthisyear,however,isnotthesameoneaslast.Giddyattheprospectofcoaxingwestslopecutthroattrouttorise,heregardstheglitterytransplantsaspiecesinalargerbiologicaljigsawpuzzle.

“Asgoodasitwillbetocatchthesefish,”hesays.“I’llfeelevenbettereverytimeIturnthembackintotheirnewhomeandwatchtheirnumbersgrow.”

Some65liquidmileshavebecomeanewprotectedstrongholdforpure-strainwestslopesthatdidnotexisttwo years ago.Originating in the rugged snow-fedhintersofCherryLakeintheGallatinNationalForest,andthentumblingwesttowardaconfluencewiththeMadisonRiver,thelion’sshareofthedrainageresidesonTurner’sFlyingDRanch.

RestoringnativewestslopesispartofTurner’songo-ingcommitmenttolandscape-levelconservation.TheFlyingD,his113,000-acreflagship,isemblematicofhowtheformermediamogulhasmadehislandsavail-able,likeNoahandhisark,toharborspeciesinneedofsecurehabitat.

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“ No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” — Heraclitus

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Cherry Creek

overgrazingby cattlebeforeTurnerboughtitin1989.EarliermanagementpracticeshadleftthebanksofCherryCreekdenudedofvegetationand itscobbleencasedinalayerofsilt.

While bringing back westslopesisthelatestinitiativeinalonglistofprojects,itrepresentsamilestonefornative trout conservationonprivateland, saysBruceFarling,directorofTU’sMontanaStateCouncil.

Farling has worked closely withTurner’s leadbiologistCarterKruseandPatClancey, theMontanaFish,Wildlife&ParksDepartment’swest-

slope reintroduction coordinator.Turner’s youngest son,Beau,anavidoutdoorsman,ishelpingtocoordinatethe reintroductions on his father’spropertiesintheWest.

“Thebattle to savewild trouthasstruggledmightilytofindsignificantsuccessstories,butthisishuge.”Farlingsays,“Itsscaleisunprecedented.”

Atonetime,westslopesproliferatedacrosswesternMontana,buthuman-causedhabitat changes and stockingofbrown, rainbowandbrook troutdrovethesenativesoutoftheirhistori-calreachesandcausedproblemswithhybridization.Farlingnotes that justfourpercentofwestslopesaregeneticallypureintheupperMissouriBasin.

In2007,aconservationagreementandmemorandumofunderstandingweresignedbyfederalandstategovern-mentagenciesaswellasconservationorganizationslikeTU,toplotarescueforthefishbeforeitbecametoolate.

BeyondCherryCreek, theentireMadisonRiverdrainagehasonlythreesignificantclustersofgeneticallypure

From red-streaked salmonids tonaturallycolonizinggrizzlybears,graywolves, elk, moose, pronghorn anddozensofothercreatures,theranchissomethingofamodernmarvel.LikeAmerica’smotherpark,Yellowstone,Turner’s spread is inhabitedbyeverymajorfaunaldenizenthatexistedherepriortothearrivalofEuropeans.

Turner, now in his 70s, creditsflyfishingwithopeninghiseyestoadeeper senseof stewardship.“In thebeginning,whenI first came to theWest,myobjectivewassimplytohaveafewrecreationalretreatswhereIcould

catchsomefish,”hesays.“Butthemorethatyoubecomefamiliarwiththelandatriverlevel,andcontemplateallofthethingsthatgointocreatingahealthytroutstream,yourthinkingnaturallyexpands.Thenit’syourchoicetoactonit,ornot.”

Hisprincipleobjective,asagreen-mindedcapitalist,isleavinghisproper-tiesinbetterconditionthanhefoundthem,restoringextirpatedspeciesalongthewayandachievingprofitabilitybyusingabalancesheetthatemphasizesecologicalsustainability.ConsideringthatheownstwomillionacresintheU.S.andhasabisonherdthatis50,000animalsstrong—onbothfronts,themostofanyindividuallandholder—hehasanepicagenda.

A milestone for trout conservationSetatthefootofthemajesticSpanishPeaksandsprawlingintothemiddleoftheGallatinValleywestofBozeman,theFlyingDsufferedfromdecadesof

“ While bringing back westslopes is the latest initiative in a long list of projects, it represents a milestone for native trout conservation on private land.” — Bruce Farling, director of TU’s Montana State Council

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has carriedouta landmarkriparianwillowandbankrestorationalongtheRubyRiver,withArcticgraylingbeingoneofthebeneficiaries.TheTurnerFamily Foundation also has helpedsupportsalmonpreservationonRussia’sKamchatkaPeninsula.

“Tedgetsthebigpictureofconserva-tion,”Krusenotes,sayingitparallelswhatTurnerthebusinessmandidinharnessinglocalTVchannelsinAtlantatosatellitesandcreatingbothCNNand

“ Ted always says that where it’s possible to have a positive impact, let’s make it the biggest we can. His land and goodwill are tremendous opportunities.” — Carter Kruse

westslopes,collectivelyoccupyingaboutseventotalmilesofstream.Toputthatinperspective,Farlingsays,anestimated1,200milesofstreamintheMadisondrainagehadwestslopes150yearsago.

“Ted always says that where it’spossibletohaveapositiveimpact,let’smakeitthebiggestwecan.Hislandandgoodwillaretremendousopportuni-ties,”explainsKruse.

At another Turner ranch inMontana,theSnowcrest,thebillionaire

achievinganuclearfreeworld)andaslewofotherworldleaders,butmostsatisfyinghasbeencastinglineswithhisgrandchildren.

At first, some tried to stop theCherryCreekproject from movingforwardbasedonunfoundedconcernsaboutthechemicalsusedtotreatthestream.Soundscienceprevailed.

In2010,thelastvestigesofunwantedfishwereremoved.NowCherryCreekfeatures a generationofpure-strainwestslopesdrawnfromseveraldifferentnativepopulations,saysClancey.Othertroutcannotre-enterCherryCreekoutoftheMadisonduetoasmallwaterfallthatservesasanaturalbarrier.

“This project succeeded becauseTurnerand,inparticular,CarterKruse

andPatClancey,had foresight that,admittedlyatfirst,seemedincrediblyfar-fetched,”Farling says,describingtheoutcomesasawinforfishandforthelandowner,andmostofall,forapublicthatcaresaboutitswildlifelegacy.

ChrisWood,presidentandCEOofTroutUnlimited,saysTurner’sworkisamodelforthenation.“It’sonethingtowork to recovernative speciesonpublicly-owned lands,”notesWood,“butwhenprivatelandownerssuchasTurnerembraceconservationandres-toration,that’swhenwereallybegintoseewatershed-levelrecoveryoccurring.”

Turner not only came up withmuch of the estimated $500,000costofrestoration,butCherryCreektodayrepresentsthelargestrefugiafor

westslopesintheUpperMissouriBasinandanewreservoiroffishthatcanbeusedtoanchorotherreintroductions.Intotal,CherryCreek’s65watermilesystemwillyieldatenfoldincreaseinwestslopehabitat.

“Thisoffersalessonthatwecandothisstuff,”saysClancey.“Whathap-penedatCherryCreekisrare,butitdoesn’thavetobe.”

Pat Flowers, a regional directorwith the Montana Fish Wildlife &ParksDepartment,saysCherryCreekestablishes an importantprecedent.“Ithinkthisprojectwasfulloftoughdecisions,allofwhichplayedoutverypubliclyastheyshould.”

“Intheend,”headds,“ourabilitytomaintainorrestorespeciesinperil

In total, Cherry Creek’s 65 water mile system will yield a tenfold increase in westslope habitat.

theSuperStation.“Inalmosteverythingwedo,hepersonifiestheslogan,‘ThinkGlobally,ActLocally.’”

Nativetroutareanimportantpartof themystiqueof theWest just likebisonare,Turnersays.“Wedon’t letotherpiecesofourheritageslipaway.Whyshouldtroutbeanydifferent?”

Westslopes endured profoundchanges in their environment dat-ingbacktothelastice-age,includingdroughts,floodsandwildfires.Theypersistedbecausetheyhadaccesstoalargefabricofinterwovenhabitatandcouldmovefreely—individual fishasmuchas 100streammiles—betweenbigriversandtributaries.

Farlinginvokesananalogytoout-doors enthusiasts who question theintangiblevalueofnatives,orretortthatatroutismerelyatrout.Imaginehowelkhunterswouldrespond,heasks,ifelkwerereplacedbyEuropeanreddeer?

Using science to guide restorationIf only rescuing native fish was assimpleasrallying togetherpassion-ate people with good intentions.Unfortunately,it’snot.

Beforewestslopescouldbebroughtback, rainbows, non-indigenouscutthroatsandbrooktrouthadtobecompletelyeliminatedfromallreachesofCherryCreek.Theonly surefiremeansofaccomplishingthattaskwasbychemicallytreatingthestreamusingthepiscicidesantimycinandrotenone.Those agents are fast-acting, breakdownquicklyinsunlightandhavenolong-termeffectsonwaterqualityornon-targetspecies,includingamphib-iansandmacro-invertebrates.

Atfirst,Turnerhesitatedtotreatthestreambecauseofhissentimentalattachment to the fish. The fish in“TheButler”wereofparticularcon-cern. There he has enjoyed fishingwithformerPresidentandFirstLadyJimmyandRosalynnCarter,formerSovietleaderMikhailGorbachev(whoishelpingTurnerpursuehisgoalof

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is going torequiremanymore suchdecisionsandwe’llneedtohaverobustpublicdebatestogetitdone.Itwon’tbeeasy,butifwe’renotwillingtotakeontoughprojects,wearegoingtolosemostofthesespeciesandsubspecies.”

Restoring Rio Grande cutthroatTU’srelationshipwithTurnerstartedinthe1980swhenTurnerbecameamemberof theorganization, and itextendstodayfarbeyondMontana,saysJoeMcGurrin,TU’snationaldirectorofresources.

“IrememberwhenTedshowedupatoneofourTUannualmeetingsandthenatatroutconferenceinthe1990s,”saysMcGurrin.“Whatsurprisedmeisthatherewasthislegendarylarger-than-lifebusinessfigureinthemidstoftravelingaroundtheworldmeetingworldlead-

ers,yethedecidestostopinandrubshoulderswithanglers.Themessagehedeliveredwas,‘I’macitizenvolunteerwhocaresabouttheenvironmentjustlikeyoualldoandIjustwanttohelp.’”

Mirroringhiswork inMontana,TurnerassignedKrusetobehisaquaticpoint person in the Southwest. Heinstructedhimtoforgecollaborativeprivate-public partnerships so thatTurner’s590,000-acreVermejoParkRanchoutsideRatonalongtheSangredeCristomountainsinthenorthandhis210,000-acreLadderRanchnearTruthOrConsequencescouldaidintherecoveryofnativeRioGrandecut-throattrout,NewMexico’sstatefish.

Piscicide treatments to eradicaterainbowsandbrownshaveoccurredinroughly10percentoftheupperCostillaCreekdrainagewithinVermejoPark.Itispartofalarger,ambitiousrestorationblueprintthatcouldeventuallyhelpto

recovertheRioGrandetoa100mileweboftributariestoCostillaCreek.

AsinMontana,publicconcernoverthe proposed use of piscicides heldrestorationofRioGrandetoAnimasCreekonTurner’sLadderRanch.Butthateffortmaybebackonatrack.

“Ifweareseriousaboutrecoveringnativespecies,wemustbeabletoworkonpubliclandsaswellaswithwillingprivate landowners.Going forward,the gains we can realize for nativetroutaresignificant,withoptionsthatweren’tavailableeven10yearsago,”saysWood.“Whatwereallyneededwasacatalyst.ItwouldbehardtofindamorededicatedcatalystthanTedTurner.”

Getting Rio Grande cutthroattroutre-establishedinCostillaCreekismomentous,saysKevinReilly,whoservesonTU’sNationalLeadershipCouncilandhasbeenoneofthecrucialgrassrootsplayersinNewMexico.

Adecadefromnow,ifthingsproceedsmoothly,100milesofwaterwaywillbe opened up for the Rio Grande,setting the stage,potentially, for thetrout’sreturntothe110,000-acreValleVidalspecialmanagementareaontheCarson National Forest adjacent toTurner’sranch.

“Ournativetroutbelonghere,justlikethemuledeerandthecoyote,”says

Reilly.“Theyareuniquelyadaptedtothisenvironment.Theirexistenceisonlythreatenedbytheactivitiesofpeople,andIthinkpeopleneedtodowhattheycantoprotectandsecurethem.”

It’saboutmorethanfish,Reillyadds.“Nativetroutthriveonlyinthemostbeautifulplaces,wherepurewaterflowsthrough healthy watersheds. What’sgoodforRioGrandecutthroatsdeliv-

ersdividendsforthequalityofwaterreachingthetapofpeopleinourlargecitiesdownstream.”

A toast to the futureThissummer,whenTurnerescortshisranchgueststo“TheButler,”theywon’tbedrinking in the flows,butratherraisingtheirflyrodsinadailytoast,ledbyTurner,tothefuture.

Globally,Turner is alsodevotingtime to working with bi-partisanpolitical leaderstoreducethespreadofnuclearweapons,whichhebelievesis one of the gravest threats facinghumanity.Locally,hesays,themajestyofa favorite fishinghole, filledwithoriginalspecies,isareminderofwhathumansaresavingtheworldfor.

“I’mtryingtodotheexactoppositewithwestslope cutthroats thanwhatwe’re trying to achieve with nukes.I’manti-proliferationwithbombs.I’mpro-proliferationwithnativetrout.Ifweallthinkbigandworktogether,wecanaccomplishanything.”

What’s good for Rio Grande cutthroats delivers dividends for the quality of water reaching the tap of people in our large cities downstream.

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Sante de Cristo Mountains