Tippets: Hydroelectric Dam Licensing, Killing Lake Trout in Yellowstone, Walleye in The Deschutes

November 29, 2017 By: Erin Block

  • A bill that would speed up approval of construction and re-licensing of hydroelectric dams recently passed the U.S. House by a 257-to-166 vote, with 26 Democrats joining the GOP to push the proposal forward. “Sharon Bosley, executive director of the conservation nonprofit Kootenai Environmental Alliance in Coeur d’Alene, said the law allows federal regulators to potentially set aggressive approval timetables preventing local interests, including environmental groups or tribes, from voicing concerns.” Read more via The Spokesman-Review.
  • Fisheries managers in Yellowstone National Park have developed a novel approach to fighting invasive lake trout: using carcasses of their own species to smother spawning beds. “If the method proves viable on a large scale, it could be a key tool in the fight to help cutthroat stage a comeback and rebound to their historical numbers.” Via The Jackson Hole News & Guide.
  • Due to changes in river ecology and habitat, walleye are moving farther up the Deschutes River. And “this is not good news for salmon and steelhead juvenile migration. Juvenile steelhead and salmon are preferred food items for walleye and often for bass, much as they are for northern pikeminnow.” Via The Deschutes River Alliance