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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Look within and ask: Is war necessary? ... Smoking ban session draws little response ... Translating Shakespeare into modern English ... Look within and ask: Is war necessary? ... Smoking ban session draws little response ... Translating Shakespeare into modern English ... ENVIRONMENT Geos celebrates progress in restoring waterways Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 14, 2016 at 2:00 AM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 14, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News After restoring natural fish access and habitat to 1,300 miles on the Rogue River and its tributaries over the last 14 years, Ashland’s Geos Institute Friday threw an informational gala at Ashland Springs Hotel, showing off its accomplishments. In its $5 million Freeways for Fish Campaign, the nonprofit Geos brought scads of agencies, groups and landowners together for the removal of 25 dams, including the sizeable Gold Ray Dam, the Wimer and Fielder Dams on Evans Creek, the upgrading or removal of many fish ladders and culverts and “re-meandering” of poorly altered streams. “It’s a fantastic accomplishment. It improved water quality and removed barriers for steelhead and salmon, allowing them to get to their historic habitats. We often hear about stream restoration but you don’t often see it on this scale, with everyone working together and being able to quantify it at the end,” says Cathy Kellon, Working Waters Program Director at Geos. Led hands-on by Brian Barr, who left a couple years ago to head the Rogue River Watershed Council, the project engaged some 1,100 obstacles, with most of the work funded by federal agencies, he said. “All this restoration can be traced back to Brian, a muddy boots kind of guy, who is never happier than when he’s out there with his boots in the river,” said Geos Executive Director Tonya Graham. Barr allowed he’s “a simple guy who likes to go out to the river and figure out how to fix problems.” The accomplishment of the long and complex project, says Graham, is that, when you fix the river for fish, the benefits of fresh water arrive for wildlife and birds who live along streams, for better stream flows, less intense flooding and as a defense against climate change and its droughts. As an example of the work, she displayed aerial shots of Little Butte Creek, where it had been straightened decades ago, with the goal of allowing flood waters to exit rapidly, but the project restored a meander, thus slowing down water and allowing turbid sediment to settle out, with much benefit for fish and water quality. In the past, Graham adds, “our tool box was concrete, chemicals and tools” but, with the lessons from Freeways for Fish, Geos has launched its new Working Waters Initiative, focusing on healthy watersheds that work for nature and people and help us get ready for climate change, with lower stream flows, warmer water and increased flooding. Geos board member Stephen Sendar said it’s “a practical application of good science in restoring streams, as well as the connection of human beings to the Earth. Whatever resistance we’ve had to restoring stream flows and wildlife has seen benefits coming back to people.” Its partners included the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (especially on the Denman Wildlife Area), Environmental Protection Agency, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Bureau of Land Management, WildEarth Guardians and many others. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Mar. 14, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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