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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 21, 2004 James gets his wish, meets the President By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Gerald James got what he wished for and more from his Freedom Fly on Thursday when President George W. Bush came to Medford. James, a master fly-tier from Grants Pass who sent Bush an Atlantic salmon fly tied like an American flag, was in the VIP section during Bush’s rally Thursday at the Jackson County Expo armed with a picture of the fly and hoping to shake Bush’s hand. Immediately after Bush’s speech, James was in the front row and shook Bush’s hand and showed him a picture of the fly purportedly kept in the Oval Office. "He said, ‘Oh, you’re the one. Yeah, it’s still on my desk,’ " James says. James tied the fly on Sept. 11, 2001, as a way of grappling with his emotions about the terrorist attacks. Advertisement James says he was thrilled by Thursday’s encounter. "I won’t wash my hand for a month," he says. Sport anglers and others can help state wildlife biologists this fall collect fall chinook salmon brood stock used for the Chetco River’s hatchery chinook program. Each year, volunteers help Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists collect 300 adult fall chinook spawned to create the 50,000 smolts released annually into the Chetco River as part of the Salmon Trout Enhancement Program. The fish return after one to six years, with anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 returning to the river as adults, according to John Weber, the ODFW’s STEP biologist for the south coast. The program depends upon volunteers who help Weber drag nets through two Chetco fishing holes to collect the brood stock. The fish are trucked to the Elk River Hatchery east of Port Orford, where they are spawned. The progeny are raised at the hatchery, then released into the Chetco as smolts the following year. Fish are collected at Tide Rock and the Morris Hole regularly between mid-October through the end of November. The first netting was planned for 2 p.m. today at Tide Rock. Future collection dates are weather-dependent and they will be announced when scheduled. Interested volunteers should telephone Weber at (541)247-7605 for more information. Public drive-in access to the popular Willow Bar portion of the Chetco River resumed Friday in time for the fall chinook salmon angling season. This past summer, to comply with a court-mediated settlement with the landowner, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife put a temporary lock on the gate to limit unauthorized access and reduce vandalism. Before the temporary lock, the gate was locked in a fashion similar to locks on the Denman Wildlife Area. The gates are locked, but the ODFW supplies free keys to anglers and others who register at the local ODFW office. On Friday, the ODFW returned the old lock so anglers can use their old ODFW-issued keys for access. Visitors were urged to lock the gate behind them. Willow Bar is off North Bank Chetco River County Road about 9.5 miles upstream from the river mouth at Brookings-Harbor. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s