I stole the below information from the gamefishin.com board that was posted by Robert Crocker (Bob I hope you don't mind). I love to fish the Cow and believe that it should be managed as a "sportsman river". One to use as recreational value and not one to experiment with and try to restore wild fish that woould take 30 years (at a minimum) to accomplish. The problem with the hatcheries from what has been posted is that they are out dated and that disease is rampant in them. If that is the problem let's modernize the hatcheries. This is the last major river left in Washington that will support both the guide and the sportsmans pressure. Kill this fishery and small rivers will end up just like the Nooch' in January and February. I stole it as a method of getting out the address's, not necessaraly (sp?) the text of letters that you may or may not write. I hope that if you have any kind of feelings on this issue that you will. The bottom line is that TPU wants out and not spend $$$$$ on what they committed to when the dams were built.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

The message from the Cowlitz meeting was to "send letters".... I have attached addresses and key words to end of this post....

IT was an interesting meeting.. (I arrived 90 minutes late,but.. the wife had made some plans I couldn't get out of).. It was a lot like what I had expected the first meeting of WAA to be like (but wasn't)... There were still about 80 people there when I arrived, but apparently many had left by 7:30......

I was most impressed with Clancy Holt..... He is the only one I've met (and this was my first time I've seen Clancy and listened to him talk) in my year and a half of working sport fishing issues who seems to have a real feeling for what "activism" is all about.... At about quarter after 8 he started talking about "writing the letters".. he noted that over half the original attendees had already left and that realistically only 4 or 5 of that group would write the letters that need to be written.... he went on to say that the remaining ones are the only chance we have.... if even 20 or 30 or 40 would just write 5 or 6 letters each, it might make a difference........................

I suspect most people think of "activism" as being crowds of demonstrators charging down a busy street holding up banners or clashing with police or that kind of thing......... and to a certain extent it is.. but this is the "tip of the iceberg" kind of stuff.. the action, the camera, the glory story...... actually 99.9% of activism is simply some poor smuck (and I don't use the term in a derogatory way) like Clancy standing in front of a crowd trying to convince them to write a letter to their congressional rep or some other powerful person to convince them to take a certain point of view.... as the "poor smuck" is talking, everyone is trying to act like they are attentive, but by the time the attendees hit the "exit door", 95% have forgotten what it was they were supposed to do... If you are lucky, maybe a handful of the remaining "faithful" will actually do something...... The fact of the matter is that if enough letters go in, they will make a difference.. but any one individual letter doesn't... Each attendee only thinks about his/her one insignificant letter and that makes it so easy to "not bother"....... It's a frustrating business.. this is why I only do it on a voluteer basis... it makes it easy to move on when I get tired of beating my head against the brick wall of indifference.......

I will send my letters, (probably a dozen or so)... but will recognize that very few others will do the same and the effort will no doubt end up in the "did not influence" column, like all such efforts ever initiated by the sport fishing community in Washington State..... but I will refer to them as "mercy letters"... because, even if the effort is successful, it will bring me no benefit.. Personally, my fishing experiences have been so dismal this year, I doubt that I will even be able to get psyched to purchase a license next year... Indeed, even though I sense a huge fall salmon run coming in, my available time is filling up with other, more rewarding, activities and I may not participate in it at all.. even once.

In fact I have found another forum already that has some of the most creative and entertaining people I have ever held political debate with... it has been most amusing and they leave me with sore stomach muscles every evening from laughing so hard (gotta get down to the gym and do more situps I guess)......

but anyways.. back to the letters.....

key words are....

FERC proceedings involving Cowlitz Hydroelectric Project #2016

Agreement will have a severe negative impact on recreational sport fishing (if this is too complicated... just say "it's a bad agreement").... This from a "water management" and "managed fishery" perspective.... If you want to go into more detail... the "water management" thing means that flows are not maintained for healthy native fish populations.. they are maintained for maximum TCL profit (the real detail here is pretty lengthy... it's best to keep this stuff short)..... The "managed fishery" thing refers to hatchery production and "resident" fisheries behind the dam.. Basicly, "resident fisheries" will be eliminated and "hatchery production" will be cut back significantly...

no point in really going into much more detail... if there are enough letters saying this is a "bad agreement", they know who to go to for the "filler"...... Oh yeah,,,, be sure to use the word "bad agreement" or something like that......

addresses to send letters to... pick one, pick 6, pick them all.. it's your choice...

Mr. Steve Fransen National Marine Fisheries Service 510 Desmond Drive, S.E. Suite 103 Olympia, WA 98503

David J. Muller, Manager PUD No. 1 of Lewis County P.O. Box 330 Chehalis, WA 98532-0300

Debbie C. Young, Manager Tacoma Public Utilities - Light Division P.O. Box 11007 - 3628 S. 35th Street Tacoma, WA 98411

Albert Liou, P.E. - Manager Harza Engineering, Inc. 2353 130th Avenue, NE, Suite 200 P.O. Box C-96900 Bellevue, WA 98009

Toby Freeman Tacoma Public Utilities - Light Division P.O. Box 11007 - 3628 S. 35th Street Tacoma, WA 98411

Mark A. Eames National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 7600 Sand Point Way, NE - Bin C15700 Seattle, WA 98115

Mark Crisson, Director Tacoma Public Utilities - Light Division P.O. Box 11007 - 3628 S. 35th Street Tacoma, WA 98411

Steven J. Klein, Superintendent Tacoma Public Utilities P.O. Box 11007 - 3628 S. 35th Street Tacoma, WA 98411

Sarah Hahn P.O. Box 11007 - 3628 S. 35th Street Tacoma, WA 98411

Lynn Burditt, Acting Forest Supervisor Gifford Pinchot National Forest 10600 NE 51st Circle Vancouver, WA 98682

Jocelyn B. Somers US Department of Agriculture 1734 Federal Building 1220 SW Third Ave. Portland, OR 97205

Frank S. Wilson US Department of the Interior Office of the Regional Solicitor 500 NE Multnomah Street, Suite 607 Portland, OR 97232

Mr. Gene Stagner US Fish and Wildlife Service 510 Desmond Drive SE, Suite 102 Lacey, WA 98503

Mr. Craig Olds Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 550 Capitol Way North Olympia, WA 98504-1091

Walt Dortch - Coordinator Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest 21905 64th Ave. West Mount Lake Terrace, WA 98403-2278

Neil L. Wise Washington Office of Attorney General 1125 Washington Street, SE P.O. Box 40100 Olympia, WA 98504-0100

and don't forget to add applicable state and US congressional reps...

good hunting....

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