TROUT STOCKING MEETING NEXT WEEK

Sourcing of McKenzie fish has changed

LEABURG: People wondering about angling in the McKenzie River next year will have an opportunity to ask questions next Friday at a town hall meeting sponsored by the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce. On the agenda will be potential changes related to a decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to defund and close the Leaburg Trout Hatchery.

The Leaburg Hatchery was built in 1953 to mitigate for the loss of trout production and habitat due to the construction of Cougar and Blue River Dams in the McKenzie Basin and operation of the Corps Willamette River Basin Projects. That mitigation involved 277,000 pounds of trout.

The decision to close the hatchery resulted in an open bid process that was won by the Desert Springs Trout Farm in Summer Lake, Oregon. Because the contract contains proprietary information the Corps said the document cannot be released to the public.

Speakers will include Erik Petersen, Willamette Valley Operations Project Manager of the Army Corps; Jeff Ziller, ODFW district biologist; and McKenzie River Guides Association president Steve Mealey. A representative of the Desert Springs Trout Farm has been invited as well. Each will be given a 10-minute period to describe their operations, followed by questions from the audience.

The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at McKenzie Fire & Rescue’s Leaburg Training Center, 42870 McK. Hwy. in Leaburg.

Image: A cataraft used for fish stocking in the McKenzie River.