Weathering the fire
Flames across the continent are driving a search for solutions. Habitat restoration, advanced technologies, and a level of tolerance form one possible future.
Flow Staters:
This was a bad week for fires. Across North America thousands of people have been displaced and millions impacted by wildfires and their smoke.
Here in Oregon, after an intense lightning storm, hundreds of new fires touched off east of the Cascades, sparking two major complexes together encompassing over 200,000 acres.
The bravery and determination of wildland firefighters, both professional and amateur, are being put to the test. Landowners and neighbors are giving their all to protect what they love. And we all ask, yet again, "What is to be done?"
Above and beyond doing whatever we can as individuals to honor Smokey the Bear and mitigate risks when we hike and fish and recreate in wild, fire-prone areas, there are institutional advancements happening as well. We've learned more about indoor air quality since the COVID-19 pandemic, and have more public health solutions to reduce harms from wildfire smoke, including emergency measures like the cheap and effective Corsi-Rosenthal boxes. Emergency management aggregators like Watch Duty are helping share reliable information with first responders and citizens alike. Three new satellites entered orbit this week to pinpoint smaller fires before they get out of control.
And let's not underestimate what habitat restoration can accomplish. Stage 0 restoration on Whychus Creek in the Upper Deschutes watershed helped mitigate the negative effects of last August's Flat Fire. A similar project on the South Fork of the McKenzie helped prevent more widespread devastation along the river corridor during the massive Holiday Farm Fire in 2020.
There's a paradox here, though—the North American landscape is formed by fire, and was shaped by frequent burning. Decades of "zero tolerance" fire suppression policies have left forests full of fuels as they get drier due to climate change, leading to hotter, larger fires.
Progressive fire management practices and fire ecology, informed by native wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge, will require more-frequent, lower-intensity burning, and forestry practices that reduce monoculture planting and increase fire-tolerant species mixes.
Ending wildfire disruption will mean learning to live with more frequent wildfire, and stewarding the land toward a more harmonious balance.
Nick Parish
July Casual Casting
Casual Casting co-host Lisa Amato and I are back at it on Friday, July 31 at Westmoreland Park. Register here to drop by for an open casting session where we find stuff to work on, offer friendly critique towards improvement, and maybe even play some fun casting games.
July 31: Casual Casting
Join us at at a free Friday night casting practice co-hosted with fellow casting instructor in training Lisa Amato. All are welcome, and rods will be provided.
Have you got your ribbon map yet?
We've raised over $10,000 for the Deschutes River Alliance and sent ribbon maps to supporters in over 14 states! Have you got yours yet?
🎥 Film pick of the week
The North Umpqua conservation group Steamboaters have taken major strides to continue the legacies of Frank and Jeanne Moore on Oregon's iconic summer steelhead river. Watch Pass Creek Revisited: Keeping the Legacy Alive to learn more.
Leaders ➰
Fishy links to start your week. Got one to share? Hit reply and send it over! 🪝
Summer fishing for a dry Oregon summer 🗺️
With insight from previous dry summers, this update from Oregon Fish & Wildlife has a lot of juicy options for fishing this season. (myodfw.com)
More strollin' with Sled 🎥
In which our hero Sled tries to break his carp curse. (Schultz Outfitters' YouTube)
Note from Flagstaff 🐂
Jon Carver shares a little ditty summing up the surreal frustrations. (tenkaraangler.com)
A tale of two JLRs 🎙️
Jason Rolfe and Jesse Lance Robbins sit down to talk about the latter's new book. (theflyfishjournal.com)
Caddis on the march 🦋
Big Y helps you understand the larval and pupal stages of the caddisfly; learn more about this essential summer bug. (bigyflyco.com)
Adding ears to what science can see 👂
The study of otoliths—fish earbones—is essential to learning about their lifespans. Read about how scientists are augmenting visual study of bull trout spawning redds with otolith analysis. (fwp.mt.gov)
Help for La Guaira 🏥
Venezuela recently suffered a devastating series of earthquakes, and the fly fishing community is raising money for La Guaira, the town that helps support the renowned Las Roques lodge. If you've fished Las Roques, perhaps you want to take part. (gofundme.com)
Without a wire 🤺
Could a new "virtual fencing" system of remote shock collars eliminate barbed wire, cattle grazing through watersheds, and other agricultural harms? (columbiainsight.org)
Underestimated mussel-munchers 👄
A study of freshwater drum in Lake Erie shows Zebra and Quagga mussels make up a much greater percentage of their diet that previously known, offering a potential management solution for the invasive pest species. (canr.msu.edu)
Against litterbugs 🚯
As a fellow trash picker, I appreciated the sentiment in this note from Nicole Qualtieri. (substack.com)
Event calendar 📆
Got an event you want the community to know about? Send it over and I'll include it here. You can see all of our upcoming CFS events on Luma.
July
July 18, Roseburg, OR
Umpqua River Watershed Appreciation Day
(Umpqua Watersheds)
July 25, Wickup Reservoir, OR
Fish For Garbage Wickiup Reservoir Trash Cleanup
(fishforgarbage.org)
CFS: July 31, Portland, OR
Casual casting at Westmoreland Pond (luma.com)
August
August 22, Grants Pass, OR
Rogue Sepy Clave (daxfly.com)
September
Tenkara hang in NC ⛺
CFS pal Amanda Hoffner is gathering interest for a gals-only tenkara campout in North Carolina in early September. Sound like something you'd be into? Let Amanda know! (tenkaraangler.com)
That's it that's all! Current Flow State is a weekly newsletter from me, Nick Parish. You can also find CFS on Bluesky 🦋, Instagram 📸, YouTube 🎥, or the Fishcord 💬
If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend. We all need more fishing buddies. 💌
Read our editorial policy or browse the newsletter archives.
CFS members support and sustain the site, and our community. Learn more about membership benefits. If you're getting value from this work, consider becoming a member and giving back.
