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For Wagner Creek What : Three events to promote health of Wagner Creek When : Volunteer training, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Talent Community Hall, 206 E. Main. Canvass beginning 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 6. Public forum, 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, at the Talent Middle School, 102 Christian Ave. Information : Ashley Henry at 772-7988. Wagner Creek group plans survey Project focuses on healthy stream By WENDY SIPOREN TALENT -- In between its headwaters in the Rogue River National Forest and its confluence with Bear Creek just north of Wal-Mart, the waters of Wagner Creek flow through a variety of lands -- Bureau of Land Management, orchards, suburban ranches and city neighborhoods and culverts. Just as that diversity breeds challenges for water quality, it also offers a unique opportunity for cooperation, says Ashley Henry of Oregon Trout, a fish conservation group. Along with the city of Talent, Bear Creek Orchards, the BLM and the Forest Service, the organization is coordinating a survey next week to promote creek health. Volunteers are needed to knock on 150 doors along Yank Gulch, Horn Gulch and Wagner Creek in an effort to educate property owners about the importance of riparian protection for water quality, fish habitat and flood protection. "It's really important that people take responsibility for the whole watershed," said Keith Emerson, orchard production manager with Bear Creek Orchards. "It's easy to point fingers (about pollution sources) but ... they all have to understand there's a common interest and they can all do something to improve it." Bear Creek Orchards owns peach and pear orchards along a quarter-mile of Wagner Creek. After the 1997 flood carried away stream banks and trees, the company decided to restore the channel in a more ecologically sound manner. "The '97 flood really opened our eyes," said Emerson. "We had situations where we were managing creeks like canals. We suffered a lot of damage in those areas." Emerson will be training volunteers and talking about Bear Creek's successful restoration efforts at a public forum March 10. Henry says the canvass volunteers won't be giving out advice about flood management, but they will be informing property owners of government incentives available to restore riparian areas. "The purpose of the canvass isn't to beat people over the head about the laws out there," said Henry. "It's primarily an educational tool so we can find out what owners' concerns are." While many property owners may be concerned with flood management, Talent's main interest in the project is reducing the sedimentation that causes water quality problems. The city draws water from the creek for its secondary water treatment plant. The city is also interested in the long-range goal of creating a greenway along the creek. From the fishes' point of view, the problem is high water temperatures and loss of habitat. "A lot of people think the fish don't come here anymore," said Henry. "But it's not true. The creek is one of the most important cold-water tributaries to Bear Creek. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA