Bellingham Whitewater

Nooksack River: Voluntary Closure

Just thought I’d throw a little reminder out there to all you folks who might be headed up to run the NF Nooksack: a voluntary closure is in place from August 15th through September 15th. This closure is implemented by the Forest Service, and mainly affects the Canyon section, from the Douglas Fir Campground bridge down to the green bridge below Glacier. For folks running the Horseshoe Bend section, the Forest Service requests that an alternate put-in just downstream of the normal spot be used (see below). This closure only applies when flow is below 1,000 cfs, and is intended to avoid disturbance to threatened Chinook salmon populations as they migrate upstream and spawn in low-gradient stretches.

Boofing at Bench

Again, the closure is voluntary, but we’d like to see kayakers respect it, as this is a critical time of year for Chinook. In previous years, the river closure lasted from August through May, and the Forest Service has relaxed this closure in response to hard work by several local boaters.

Devin Representing

In addition to following the closure guidelines, kayakers can practice good river stewardship by avoiding disturbance to areas where Chinook may be spawning (areas with grapefruit sized or smaller gravel). This includes walking through these areas as well as paddling through shallow spots. If you see any Chinook while you paddle, give them a wide berth, as they use the last of their energy to migrate upstream from the open ocean to spawn. After spawning, the adult Chinook die, and their carcasses supply important nutrients to the river and the surrounding riparian zone. Even after the closure period ends, continue to avoid disturbing spawning stretches, because Chinook eggs can take up to 150 days to develop before fry emerge.

For information on the closure, access, points, or Chinook salmon, check with the USFS Glacier Public Service Center (360 599-2714), or take a look at the signs at the Horseshoe Bend put-in. Currently the sign is in the wrong location, one gravel pull-off downstream of where most folks put in. There also should be a sign on the message board at the Douglas Fir campground bridge.

Please do your part to be a good steward of the river.

Here’s few pictures from last week on the Bend, taken by Bob Wilkerson, visiting from California. Also, stay tuned for some upcoming trip reports from BC and elsewhere!

David from CA boofing center at Bench on his 6th lap in two days

Eddied out

Heather running right

Mid-SAT on a sunny August day

Eric and David, lower SAT

Finishing it out

Bellingham WILDwater

I’d like to call your attention to some big happenings in the local boating scene that a lot of you might not have heard about. On local runs such as the Sky, the Skagit, the North Fork Nooksack, and the Green, most boaters are out there hopping from eddy to eddy, looking for some sweet surf waves or fun rocks to boof off. Most of these same boaters think of canoes as crafts best suited for lazy floats down placid rivers, fishing rods in hand and a cooler full of cold ones in tow.

A couple of local paddlers see these rivers a bit differently.

Continue reading Bellingham WILDwater…

Four Rivers Permit Update

Waiting to hear whether or not you got a permit for the Salmon, Selway, or Snake? Well, it seems that you’ll need to keep waiting. Apparently, the lottery process was contracted out by the Forest Service, and it sounds like whoever they hired dropped the ball. Although lottery results were promised by the end of February, the Salmon-Challis National Forest answering machine now states that results should be available “hopefully sometime in March”…

Source: The Idaho Statesman