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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories SOU launches arts institute for high school students Emergency services Bacteria plague parts of Bear, Neil creeks Metal thieves ordered to pay $206,394 Highway 140 crash victim identified Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Metal thieves ordered to pay $206,394 Police arrest repeat offender after 90-minute chase Report of shooting in Jacksonville was a hoax, police say Missing Ashland woman found dead Politics and Elections Case, Salmon leading in Central Point School Board race Lundberg, Mannenbach leading Eagle Point races Jackson County district election turnout under 17 percent Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Education SOU launches arts institute for high school students SOU names new development, foundation leader Rogue River Chieftains not ready yet to drop team name Education Board again says tribal mascots must go Sen. Merkley talks 'Big Idea' with McLoughlin students Environment Bacteria plague parts of Bear, Neil creeks Drought may drop Lost Creek to near-record lows Mace Family Watchable Wildlife Area is a legacy project ODFW seeks big drawdown on Lost Creek Lake to protect chinook Crews will open hiking trails rarely explored off lower Rogue River State News Senate backs bill allowing Oregon workers to talk about pay Fifth Oregon marine reserve begins in January, off North Coast Rules aim to protect sage grouse habitat in 10 states Gary Goins takes deal, avoids death penalty in exchange for true life sentence Oregon Senate backs new regulations for medical marijuana Nation - World Uh oh .... 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Cyr: U.S. Senate trade vote reflects long-term history Editorials Our View: State needs to speed up retail pot timeline Our View: A fitting legacy for a wildlife champion Our View: Wine growers take note of climate change Our View: Don't siphon off prison savings just yet Other Views: PERS ruling leaves little room to maneuver Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 29 Letters to the Editor, May 28 Letters to the Editor, May 27 Letters to the Editor, May 26 Letters to the Editor, May 25 Columns Michael Gerson: Religious conservatives' shifting role George Will: The separation of campaign and state Dana Milbank: The decline of Rand Paul Kathleen Parker: It must not be easy being Bill Kristol We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions Guest Opinions We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions Guest Opinion: BLM management plans fail people and forests Guest Opinion: Medford needs SkyPark more than it needs parking Guest Opinion: Ample water? Think again Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers Lifestyle Latest stories Atkinson film on Klamath Basin water wars to play at Varsity Cocktail Hour Get Out: Friday, May 29 Health Watch: Taking action, with skin cancer on the rise An abundance of jays Food Community blog: Raise your glass to rhubarb before it's toast Community blog: Scallions, scapes bring more savor to rhubarb Lavender in your larder Traveling in time with Grandma Skinner's Scottish Shortbread Andrea Honaker: Getting to know rhubarb Home and Garden Betty Montgomery: Clematis is a lovely, versatile flowering vine Make herbs part of your plant world Homeowner’s insurance: What it covers, what it excludes Monarchs are disappearing, but you can help with a wildflower garden Linda Cobb: Time to make a list of spring garden chores Health Health Watch: Taking action, with skin cancer on the rise It Is What It Is: Come on body, stay with me! Community blog: It�s a Shame: How to Understand and Manage It Health Watch: How to avoid the diet rut Donna Knight: How to lessen your risk Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 22 Religion Briefs: Friday, May 15 Religion Briefs: Friday, May 8 Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Milestones and Achievements New rec program targets park events Prefontaine-style running trail proposed in south Medford Bukair-Hinkle Wedding: Stephanie Anne Obad and Mark Douglass Schmor Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Cast of Clowns pays tribute to Grateful Dead at Brickroom in Ashland YSSO showcases Mozart, Jerry Su and Mark Jacobs 'Night Train to Memphis' Unleash your inner cowboy at the Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo May 28-30 in Central Point Oregon Cabaret Theatre stages gritty 'Cabaret' Theater Oregon Cabaret Theatre stages gritty 'Cabaret' SOU presents Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale' OSF commissioned plays tour throughout country 'Cuckoo's Nest' is a big play, well presented 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' Music Cast of Clowns pays tribute to Grateful Dead at Brickroom in Ashland YSSO showcases Mozart, Jerry Su and Mark Jacobs The Farr Side: ‘American Idol’ could have continued much longer 'Night Train to Memphis' Oldtime Fiddlers keep the old tunes — and their stories — alive Community Events Backstage tours give insider's look at Oregon Shakespeare Festival It's a family affair for these trick riders at the Expo Unleash your inner cowboy at the Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo May 28-30 in Central Point Memorial Day celebrates veterans Third Friday: 'Into the Woods' is a must-see Movies Movie review: ‘San Andreas’ has its faults, but it’s a fantastic-looking disaster film What the ‘Entourage’ gang has to say about the film The ‘Entourage’ movie: Catching up with Vince, E, Drama, Turtle and Ari Interview: ‘Good Kill’ offers blistering look at ‘battlefields and blackjack’ of drone warfare Review: ‘Tomorrowland’ feels like another Disneyland staple — Dopey Dining Teapot on Wheels an outpost for Anglophiles Lavender in your larder Upscale pub fare at The Point Wine by the keg, growler, box and ammo can 6 stars of the Rogue Valley food universe Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: State needs to speed up retail pot timeline ... SOU launches arts institute for high school students ... Get Out: Friday, May 29 ... Our View: State needs to speed up retail pot timeline ... SOU launches arts institute for high school students ... Get Out: Friday, May 29 ... WESTERN DROUGHT ODFW seeks big drawdown on Lost Creek Lake to protect chinook It's an effort to protect Rogue River chinook from disease outbreaks By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 25, 2015 @ 3:11 pm By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 25, 2015 @ 3:11 pm Draft water-release strategy — by the nu... --> Here is the new draft water-release strategy proposed for Lost Creek Lake into the Rogue River, as listed in cubic feet per second. Through May 31: 2,300 cfs June 1-20: 2,... » Read more X Draft water-release strategy — by the numbers Here is the new draft water-release strategy proposed for Lost Creek Lake into the Rogue River, as listed in cubic feet per second. Through May 31: 2,300 cfs June 1-20: 2,600 cfs June 21-30: 2,100 cfs July 1-Aug. 10: 1,500 cfs Aug. 11-Sept. 5: 1,900 cfs Sept. 6-10: 1,300 cfs Sept. 11-Oct: 10: 900 cfs Oct. 11-31: 850 cfs — source: ODFW » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Poor streamflow conditions in the Rogue River Basin have state fish managers asking to dig deeper than normal this year into stored Lost Creek Lake to stave off a potential die-off of Rogue chinook salmon susceptible to disease outreaks in low and hot summer flows. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Tuesday will ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an extra 50,000 acre-feet of stored Lost Creek Lake water be spilled judiciously this summer to help both spring and fall runs of Rogue chinook migrate safely to upstream spawning grounds. That's above the 180,000 acre-feet of water already planned for Rogue fish enhancement, which joins winter flood control as the two primary purposes for operation of Lost Creek dam on the Rogue. The extra water is to make up for the lack of natural stream flow into the Rogue, as well as flows so low into Lost Creek Lake that the Corps already has been drawing the reservoir down to help make the Lower Rogue Canyon's waters more cool and fish-friendly for migrating spring chinook. Not spilling the extra water from the reservoir's regular "carryover" storage could trigger an outbreak of natural diseases that strike chinook, particularly the all-wild fall chinook run, when low water warms above 68 degrees in the lower Rogue at Agness, according to the ODFW. "We're going to have to use some carryover water unless we want dead fish everywhere," ODFW fish biologist Pete Samarin says. "That most likely will be the case." If done as expected, it will be only the fourth time in the reservoir's 38-year history that the ODFW has dipped into the carryover storage — stored water that forms the foundation for filling Southern Oregon's largest reservoir the following year. In the previous three years — 1992, '94 and 2001— late fall and early winter rainfalls allowed the reservoir to recoup that previously spent water and fill as scheduled the following year, Corps records show. The request comes after a new federal Natural Resources Conservation Service report shows the Rogue Basin runoff forecast is about 10 percent less than the already low April forecast. The new forecast triggered the ODFW to redo its draft water-release plan for Lost Creek Lake, which heretofore was slightly above last year's flows at some summer intervals. The draft release plan is now similar to last year, Samarin says. Lost Creek Lake's stored water is released under plans biologists, hydrologists and others craft to help migrating spring chinook and fall chinook avoid outbreaks of diseases such as columnaris, a natural disease that spreads in warm water. It attacks fish's gills and can trigger major die-offs in the Lower Rogue Canyon as salmon struggle to reach the cool upstream environs where they spawn in late summer and fall. Before the reservoir supplemented summer Rogue flows, columnaris outbreaks were somewhat common and kept the basin's fall chinook numbers down. Spilling more water than normal in summer now keeps the columnaris relatively in check, helping the basin's fall chinook population grow since the late 1970s. But outbreaks can still occur in drought years such as 1992, which killed off nearly 70 percent of the spring chinook run and triggered an upper Rogue emergency angling closure. That year, the reservoir topped out at about 19 feet shy of full on May 1, the regular date the Corps shoots for to fill. This year, Lost Creek Lake's elevation peaked just under full, but low runoff into the reservoir meant releases were higher than in-flows as early as late April. That has led to a quicker drop in the lake's elevation than most years, triggering the request for more water. "At this point, we have to watch every drop," Samarin says. "The carryover will be necessary to get the fall fish through."  Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman .   By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted May. 25, 2015 @ 3:11 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » 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. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site 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. 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