"The Season of Rain is Coming. Hold out Your Hand."

How having not only the right gear, but the right attitude can prepare you for the oncoming seasonal transition towards the end of summer...

The late Greta Wrolstad's poem "Fontaine de Vaucluse" speaks of rivers being released into a parched valley. Droughts along the west coast have dried lakes to record low water levels and shriveled river systems into a series of puddles making it impossible for anadromous fish to travel upstream to spawn. Forest fires have spread smoke miles across surrounding areas unaffected by the flames. It almost seems selfish at this point to mourn the loss of Summer. As the seasons change in the Pacific Northwest, the lack of vitamin D, also known as the "Sunshine Vitamin" changes our moods along with the weather. Rain, although a mild irritation, is a necessary element to our environment. Welcoming, rather than lamenting the transition of sunshine into precipitation is merely a matter of changing your perspective. Replacing your resentment with gratitude will change your attitude.

With the rain, the dust settles. Crispy brown grass that once invited fires to spread and consume everything in it's path like a virus will become lush, green vegetation. The moisture of the soil invites mycelium to spread beneath the layer of debris on the forest floor. The rising river levels push smolts out to sea, and invite adult salmonids upstream to create their next generation.

Fall is the return of football season, jumping into piles of leaves and hoodie weather. It's important for our psychological seasonal transition to be like water, and go with the flow. Pull your rain gear out of the closet and run it through the wash. Have a good pair of boots. Replace your windshield wipers and tires. Make sure the batteries in your headlamp are still good as the days begin to end earlier than you've become accustomed to. Maintain your physiological health with a stash of Vitamin D. Prepare yourself mentally for the challenges of maintaining an active lifestyle and have all the necessary items to prevent yourselves from being discouraged to go outdoors, rain or shine.

This piece was published by The Good Men Project on September 28th, 2014

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/the-season-rain-coming-hold-hand-wcz/

Bites and Rashes: Things to avoid while seeking outdoor adventures

Freshly sprouted Poison Oak. During the Fall,
the leaves morph into a deep reddish purple.

As the streets are emptied in our quiet college town, residents begin to get the itch to get outdoors and soak up the valuable abundance of Vitamin D. Plant life shows it's gratitude for the sunshine as well, and the Williamette Valley bounty provides a vast menu of wild selections. However, as the berries ripen and flowers bloom, poison oak puts out fresh, waxy, toxic leaves. While the simple rule of "leaves of three, leave it be" applies, it's not an easy plant to identify and take preventative action against coming in contact with it. While there is debate as to whether or not it's possible to possess or build up an immunity to Poison Oak, the best way to prevent getting a rash from it is to avoid it. When trekking through brush or wooded areas, it's helpful to wear long pants or socks, but the oils from the plant can stay intact within the material and still be able to cause an allergic reaction. It's also important to remember when walking a dog that the oils can transfer from their coat to human skin.

If you do come in contact with Poison Oak, there are a few over-the-counter products that are effective treatments. Marie's Original Soap was originally developed by a native Oregonian from Grants Pass. It features a blend of all-natural ingredients that removes the oil and soothes irritation. The oatmeal on the surface of the bar provides sweet relief with a gentle but abrasive texture. Tecnu also mades a wide range of treatments, from itch relieving calagel to their "extreme" scrub. The history of the product is based on removing radioactive dust from skin and clothing. Oregonian and chemical engineer Dr. Robert Smith was developing the product during the cold war when his wife discovered it's use in removing the toxic plant oils from human skin. The treatments all have different applications, but the scrub has a blend of ingredients that covers all of the bases. Although the list of ingredients is not as natural as Marie's Soap, the Albany, OR based products are used as a staple for outdoor first aid kits all over the country. Hyland's makes a homeopathic dissolvable tablet that treats the rash and irritation, however an outdoor product created in Los Angeles is bound to invite skepticism. If a rash persists in spite of over-the-counter treatments, it's a good measure to see a doctor and ditch the homeopathic and chemical topical applications.

Summer also brings out biting and stinging insects. Mosquito larva hatch, filling the late evening air with flying vampires. While at the bottom of the food chain, they are the cornerstone of the diet of many wildlife species. The internet is full of natural remedy cocktails that can be sprayed on the skin as an alternative to the common chemical deet, used in most bug sprays. However if you choose to apply some of these chemicals, it's a good idea to apply them to buff headwear (a versatile cloth that can be worn as a fabric mask) or clothing rather than directly on your face or skin.

Even with repellents, sleeves, pants and other coverings, some insects are persistent. Ticks take hold during the summer months looking for a host to sustain them. It's good to check your nooks and crannys under your clothing for these critters, but some of them are so small they are difficult to notice before they dig in. If you do happen to host one of these parasites, keep in mind that just about everything you have heard about removing them is probably wrong. Touching them with a hot match or something of the sort will cause them to vomit into your flesh at the site, increasing the chances of infection. Tweezers should be used to remove the tick just below the head with light, upward tugging, but no twisting. The remaining area should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol. Ticks do not grow back if you break their jaws or head off while they are attached to you. If this does happen, let the skin heal and reject the foreign object. If the bite develops a white ring or becomes inflamed and red, see a doctor.

There are a number of flying insects with stingers that are also a summertime buzzkill. Should you get stung by any of them, the treatments are pretty basic for any of these species. Remove the stinger with your fingernail or an object like a knife or credit card. Do not try to pinch the stinger to pull it out, as it simply releases more of the toxins into the body. Remove any constricting items like watches or rings that will be more difficult to remove after swelling and ice the bite area. Itchyness and irritation can be treated with any anti-histamine allergy medication. A wad of wet tobacco will act as an anesthetic, as well as constricting the blood vessels at the sting area so the venom doesn't spread. Keep in mind that honeybees are pollenators essential to providing the bounty of produce that feeds us and try not to disturb or eradicate these insects. You can call the Oregon State Beekeepers Association if you need to have a swarm removed.

This piece was published by the Good Men Project on May 15th, 2015:

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/bites-and-rashes-things-to-avoid-while-seeking-outdoor-adventures-r5b/

This piece was published by "The Hype - Corvallis" on August 26th, 2014:

http://www.thehypecorvallis.com/2014/08/28/got-bad-kind-outdoor-itch-rain-shine-can-help/

Don't get pinched: Cooking with Inland Crustaceans

Full version of this article is available online at Wide Open Spaces:

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/crawdaddin-is-best-in-the-pacific-northwest/

Photo by Colin Walsh

Mudbugs, the rock lobsters of the river. Crawfish, crawdads or crayfish go by many names, but the Pacific Northwest variety is slightly different than the swamp variety commonly associated with the traditional low-country boil cooking style used in roadside tourist attractions, catering for weddings, graduation parties, family reunions and other large social gatherings. While the flavor is more subtle, the native Oregonian signal crayfish grows just as large, if not commonly larger. The claws tend to be much more broad, and the meat inside them is worth the extra effort. The Louisiana swamp varieties have much narrower claws that lack this muscle tissue. The signal crayfish inhabits mostly fast-flowing rivers and can exhibit a variety of colors unlike it's southeastern cousin that mostly inhabits stagnant waters and exhibits a deep red coloration.

Recreational harvesting does not require a license in Oregon and you need very little equipment to collect them from the river. With quick reflexes, you can grab them behind the head, beyond the reach of their claws, but nets are more efficient when they kick their tails and use the current to sweep them out of reach. If you're lacking the ambition of harvesting them manually, traps work well when baited with any sort of oily meat that triggers their sense of smell. Given enough food, they will eventually fill themselves and escape out the same way they came in. Using some sort of mesh bag or pantyhose will keep them busy for hours trying to get the bait inside. Once you've collected your haul, it's good to make sure they stay cool and have fresh water. Get them back to the site where you plan to cook them as soon as possible to prevent them from dying off beforehand.

Once you've gotten them where you plan to cook, put them in a large cooler with just enough fresh tapwater to cover them and roughly a pound of salt. Stir them in the saltwater solution for 5-10 minutes. This will remove the parasites that have attached themselves to these river-bottom creepy crawlers. By now you should have all your ingredients in the boiling pot and a cage that will strain out the goods when the session is over. Once the water reaches a hard boil, net the clean crawfish from the saltwater solution and drop them into the pot... alive. They will begin to turn a bright red color within a few seconds, and within 10-15 minutes they will be done. Any longer than this and the meat will become more difficult to extract from the hard-shelled exoskeleton. Some of the basic ingredients essential to the boil include salt, butter, lemon, corn on the cob, onion and potatoes. Zatarains, Louisiana Brand or Old Bay boil seasonings work well as a key spice component. Don't be afraid to get use your imagination and add other ingredients like whole artichokes, shrimp, crab, whole spring onions, leeks, red-hots or sausages. When the boil is finished, pull the cage out of the pot and pour everything onto a table lined with paper to absorb the moisture and make cleanup easier. Traditionally there are no plates or utensils for this kind of eating other than your hands. Be aware that if any of the crawfish died previous to the boil, they will quickly begin to spoil. You can spot these after they've been laid out on the table because their tail will be straight. The boil will cause the live ones to curl their tails and remain in that position. Any crawfish with straight tails should be discarded. Pull the tail from the head, then start peeling the armored plating on the tail back with your thumb. The little morsel of tail meat is similar to lobster in flavor, but with a much softer texture. The mess left behind after peeling is also a great addition to garden compost.

Leftovers can be used to make jambalaya, gumbo or etouffee. Jambalaya is meat and vegetables cooked or simmered together in the broth with rice. Gumbo is a soup made from the broth, commonly served with a side of rice. Etouffee is a sauce simmered and thickened, served on top of rice. Knowing the difference between the three will give you an edge as a gulf-coast tourist if you get caught in a conversation in New Orleans about how superior the native Oregonian signal crayfish is to the Louisiana red swamp crawfish. Catching and cooking these tasty aquatic arthropods is a great addition to any summertime gathering.

This piece was featured in the July 3rd issue of the Corvallis Advocate
http://www.corvallisadvocate.com/2014/cooking-and-catching-crawfish/

Low Hanging Fruit: Wild Williamette Berries

A full version of this article is available online at Wide Open Spaces:

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/low-hanging-fruit-harvesting-wild-willamette-berries/

With wildflowers in full bloom during early summer, an assortment of wild berry varieties begin to bloom as well. Throughout mid to late summer, native salmonberries and huckleberries produce flavors uniquely distinct in comparison to domestic varieties. Invasive evergreen and Himalayan blackberries also produce a wealth of juicy berry goodness.

Salmonberries in different stages of ripening

Salmonberries are found mainly near mountain watersheds or coastal streams, growing along the west coast from California to Alaska. They are perennial shrubs that produce a fruit structure similar to raspberries, but have two stages of ripening. If picked early while the berries are a deep yellow, they tend to be more sour, and sweeten as they begin to turn a flame red-orange. Other animals tend to pick over this variety quickly, so it's wise to find a good patch and watch as the fruit begins to ripen, harvesting when the berries are available. Traditionally, these berries were eaten raw along with salmon or their roe, but are also used in making jam or wine.

Red Huckleberries grow in similar habitats along the coast range, but tend to take root growing out of rotten evergreen stumps and logs. Their deciduous shrubs produce a fruit structure similar to blueberries, but they tend to be significantly smaller. These berries were traditionally used as bait, due to their resemblance of a salmon egg. While salmonberries produce a high moisture content that prevents them from drying well, the red huckleberry can be dried and later used in sauces or eaten raw. It also produces quinic acid in the bark of the plant that was used as a remedy to treat colds. This variety is difficult to transplant, and although it has been attempted to domesticate, it also requires a particular pH content in the soil that is difficult to recreate. The wild nature of this berry makes a highly sought after jelly.

Although there are some species of blackberry that are native to Oregon, the Himalayan is the most common variety and can be found growing all around Corvallis from Bald Hill to your backyard. While it grows nearly everywhere, it's good to be aware of the areas you're picking to consume these berries to avoid pesticides and herbicides. Many of the roadsides grow lots of blackberries, but are commonly sprayed to keep this invasive species under control. For good measure, take along something to hold your harvest in a backpack that won't turn the berries into juice before you get home and pick them in a high elevation where there's trails without vehicle access. Although these species get a bad rap, the dark blue color is an indicator of a berry with the highest antioxidant qualities and their high tannin content improves digestion. They are quite versatile, eaten raw, juiced, cooked into sauces, frozen and used in smoothies, pies, crisps, pancakes, ice cream, brewing tea, mead or beer, liquor infusions and are great for canning jam.

There is a wealth of information online regarding recipes for each of these berries, but preserving them will allow you to enjoy their flavor out of season. Freezing them allows for a greater diversity of uses, but canning or drying doesn't require the same space for storage. While all berries are great with sugar, they produce their own natural sugars and can also be useful in savory sauces, chutney, brine or glaze. If you lack the patience or ambition for these techniques, enjoy the simplicity of their natural state as raw fruit, as this is the best way to absorb the plethora of nutrients these berries provide.

5 environmental stressors to PNW river systems that concern anglers...

1. Dams. The great majority of power in the northwest comes from hydro. When I have this debate, I like to remind my readers that I'm plugging my computer in on Pacific Power's Blue Sky Energy program so I'm not supporting major obstacles to wild spawning grounds. In many cases, hatcheries were created to substitute the rapidly declining fish populations in systems that cutoff spawning habitat upriver. The construction of fish ladders has opened passage to wild spawning grounds in many river systems, but the dam itself is still a major man-made obstacle that creates ecological problems.


2. Commercial fishing. While long-lining is a much more sustainable method of harvest, gill-netting puts wild fish populations at risk. The by-catch of this method includes lots of protected and endangered species. Many anglers regularly land wild steelhead with gill net scars. For every one that gets away there's probably several that don't. Exceptions for tribal gill-netting and hatchery programs create a problem that presents a unique challenge of finding a reasonable compromise considering American history.

3. Riparian Timber Harvest. Politically motivated lawmakers have allowed the harvest of timber in Riparian zones to creep closer to the water. None have made a serious effort to prevent the illegal harvest of timber near river systems nor have they made a priority of prosecuting timber companies that violate the current regulations. The result is landslides that are blatantly caused by logging too close to the water, causing timber to fall into the river, perpetuating erosion and landslides that are extremely detrimental to the river dynamic, destroying the natural spawning habitat. Fry hatch in gravel and use the nooks and crannies until they have consumed their yolk, then they use boulders as shelter from predators and current. This sort of logging creates a "sandbox" habitat that makes the first stages of life for hatching smolts difficult, and in cases like the Oso, WA landslide, a large portion of spawning habitat in the Stillaguamish River that had previously been in the process of restoration was completely buried. The effects of those sort of incidents are catastrophic. Anglers have been lobbying the state to prevent riparian zone harvest on that system since the 1930's. That "accident" could have been prevented.

4. Predator management. This is a tough subject. For the most part I disagree with the practice as a whole because it involves a lot of wasteful killing. However, seals and sea lions have learned to exploit man made obstacles like dams and fish ladders. They do not share the same discretion for harvesting hatchery fish that anglers are required to do, and their diet includes endangered and protected wild fish. They are also far more wasteful with their harvest than humans. Humans will eat a majority of the meat on a fish, while seals and sea lions are specifically trying to consume the belly meat for it's high fat content. It's very common for a single seal or sea lion to harvest twelve times the number of fish than an angler that limits out in a day. This predatory "overfishing" can be attributed to an overpopulated furry mammal that used to be a major food source for northwestern tribes before someone came along and decided cute mammals were more important to protect than slimy things that swim. Hunting rights for these animals and preservation of heritage are a priority for many of these Pacific Northwestern Coastal tribes. There are also discussions surrounding management of cormorants, an overpopulated and invasive waterfowl that consumes massive amounts of smolts. There are already other programs in the Southeastern U.S. that are trying public management of these birds to save not only the fish they eat, but the habitat they destroy by decreasing water quality and killing century old cypress trees due to their collective deposits of fecal matter.

5. Removal of Hatchery Programs. I am still open to seeing what new science develops on this topic, but in the meantime I don't believe shutting down hatcheries is going to help fish populations. If you put 25,000 smolts in a river that would only produce 5,000 juvenile fish on it's own, you are providing a buffer for the spawning habitat taken away by man made obstacles like dams. You're replacing the commercially harvested fish so some of them can actually get to the rivers. You're providing a rearing operation that replaces the cobble covered by sand from erosion due to over harvest of timber. You're putting a few extra in there to feed the predators (they gotta eat too, right?) and the most common sense argument here is that 25,000 > 5,000. I would even argue that placing hatchery fish in a river provides a buffer to the predation of wild fish populations.

There are plenty of valid arguments that hatcheries are a band aid solution, but it's the best we've got until people begin to consider problems 1-4.

In many systems, hatchery fish come from wild broodstock and wild fish come from hatchery stock that spawn in the river. One of the political reasons behind the cease of some hatchery planting programs is that planted fish come from broodstock programs at hatcheries on other rivers. A lot of these fish return to that hatchery via the ocean and their river of origin rather than returning to the system where they were planted. If they are trucked from the hatchery, that costs money. If they are trapped and returned to the hatchery for broodstock programs, that costs money. If many of the planted fish go up the wrong river, people start to question whether it's worth paying to restore a fish population to a river where it might otherwise not exist. If fishermen didn't purchase licenses and harvest tags that fund hatchery programs, there might not be any fish to fish for, and there would be financial chaos from losing major industries that are supported by the existence of these animals.

This article was published by The Good Men Project on September 7th, 2014

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/what-harms-fish-more-than-recreational-fishing-wcz/

Keeping Secrets: A Code of Ethics

 When you're trying to learn how to hunt, fish for or wild-harvest anything, you'll often find that people are very protective of their water and hunting grounds. While social media and online forums are a good place to start if you have an interest in an outdoor activity, chances are that people aren't willing to give out precise details about things like location. Social media has changed the outdoor experience in a sense that it makes things a little more inclusive for others. While there's no point in arguing that nature is for everyone, "chasing reports" not only has a negative impact on the localized ecosystems of areas that are hit hard by outdoor enthusiasts, but it has a negative impact on the exploration of new frontiers, discovering new fishing holes and hunting grounds, spreading out a wild harvest that would otherwise be wiped out rather than thinned out. Some people have developed a specific management program for their favorite spots that works and sharing those spots with you might not be a part of that.

Beyond the impact on the environment, there is a code of ethics among outdoor enthusiasts that keeps the experience as something to share with each other, rather than giving and taking. While it might sound like sharing is synonymous with giving and taking, sharing an outdoor experience with someone else is far different than giving someone a GPS location so they can go there and "take." The code of "I'm not going to tell you where I got this, but I will be happy to SHOW you." As a curious mind, it is in your best interest to befriend other outdoor enthusiasts for this reason rather than ask them twenty questions with the expectation of harvesting their leavings.

Don't be offended when somebody says "no, maybe or maybe later." Sometimes it's also in your best interest to let someone else scout an area and decide later on if they want to bring you along. Being consistent, but not pushy is a great approach to bringing those kinds of outings to fruition. It also doesn't hurt to offer something in return instead of being the guy who always needs a beer, a swivel, some split shot, a hook, a pocket knife, a shotgun, and a place to use all those things. If you have an offshore boat but you want to drift a river for steelhead, there's no reason you can't offer a ling cod and rockfish trip for a steelhead float or vice-versa. I can't tell you how many people have asked to take me fishing and don't even have a license, much less their own rod. At the very least, pitch in a couple bucks for gas. Don't be that guy.

This piece was published by The Good Men Project August 31st 2014:

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/keeping-secrets-code-outdoor-ethics-wcz/

Suggested Reading for the Locals: 5 Hikes to explore in or near Corvallis.

Great article in the Statesman's Journal about hiking near Corvallis. Highlights my favorite area hike, Beazell Memorial Forest, which I was unaware was the largest park in Benton County until I read this. Great photos as well, worthy of mentioning here and sharing for my own readers. Enjoy...

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20140420/OUTDOORS/304200010/5-hikes-explore-near-Corvallis?nclick_check=1