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Steven Rinella discusses water issues in the West and how numerous factors, including increased water use and drought, can negatively impact fish and wildlife populations.
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I urge anyone who loves MeatEater–or, for that matter, anyone who loves hunting and fishing and eating wild game–to hurry over and check out the first of our Conservation Field Notes videos. We are making these videos in conjunction with the non-profit Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which received vital sponsorship backing from Bass Pro Shops. The reason that the MeatEater team chose to work with TRCP is summed up nicely by that organization’s rallying cry: Guaranteeing You a Place to Hunt and Fish. We love them for it, and because they wage a nonstop battle for wild lands conservation, day-in and day-out. What’s more, they’re not afraid to take unpopular stances when they know it’s the right thing to do for hunters and anglers. The aim of these Conservation Field Notes is simple: to alert you about specific issues that are imminent threats to our hunting and fishing lands, and to tell you how to join in the battle. So please, get your little butts over to http://www.trcp.org/community/conservation-field-notes. You owe it to yourself and to your kids. –Steven Rinella
Steven, I enjoy Meateater, and have been a fan of your manuscripts for many years, as well as your books. I applaud your work with the TRCP, but I must take exception to your comments about Wyoming water law related to “saving some water for fish and wildlife.” I work in water allocation every day as Wyoming’s North Platte River coordinator. I track all depletions to the river basin, as well as work with farmers, ranchers, municipalities and industries on water conservation. You specifically mention Wyoming as a bad example where an agriculture producer must “abandon” their water right for it to be used for fish and wildlife. That is one option under Wyoming water law, but it is not the whole story. Wyoming was one of the first states to enact and support instream flow legislation (since 1986). Only the State of Wyoming may hold a right for instream flow, but no single agency has sole responsibility for the instream flow program. The Game and Fish Department identifies priority streams, prepares biological assessments, and makes instream flow recommendations to the Water Water Development Commission. The commission prepares hydrologic analysis and then applies to the State Engineer for an instream flow water right. The State Engineer studies the feasibility of the instream flow segment and has the authority to approve the application. A public hearing is required, at which, information is presented and there is an opportunity for public comment. If approved by the State Engineer, an instream flow right is established. Water for instream flow can come from new appropriations or through the transfer of existing rights. The transfer of existing water rights, however, can only be done by voluntary transfer or gift. In many cases in Wyoming, lands that were irrigated 100 years ago under the different Homestead Act scenarios are not the most practical lands to irrigate today. Many of those lands have water rights that are valid, but not practical or useful. Abandoning those rights in lieu of water conservation make sense. Keep up the good work !
Dear Matt Hoobler: Thank you for the kind words about my work. I sincerely appreciate it. Also, thanks for taking the time to craft such a thoughtful reply to my remarks about water usage. I turned your comments over to someone who knows the issue much better than me, and his response is below. Thanks again. –Steven Rinella
Matt is correct that the state of Wyoming has an instream flow program that has protected some instream flow rights on rivers. But here’s the problem. The program did not begin until 1986, which means that those instream flow rights have a fairly “junior” priority date. Consumptive rights granted prior to that day trump the state’s right, and that’s most (and sometimes all) of the river’s flows. But Steven Rinella’s point in the Conservation Field Notes episode is that it is almost impossible for an individual landowner to leave his or her water in a stream for fish without potentially “abandoning” that right. The only option for a landowner who wants to improve flows for fish or wildlife is to make a permanent donation to the state of that water right. How many times has that happened in the history of the program? Once, and that only happened in 2011. Several other western states have realized that landowners should have the flexibility to use their water for more than just agricultural production. Montana, for example, allows landowners to lease their water rights for short periods (up to 30 years) without jeopardizing their rights. This allows a group like Trout Unlimited, for example, to work with a landowner to help improve irrigation efficiency and then use the “saved” water to improve a fishery. This has proven to be good for rivers and farmers. TU has been working for several years in Wyoming to get the legislature to create a similar program in that state, but this keeps getting blocked by those who somehow fear that this is an attack on traditional agriculture. To the contrary, it would give farmers more flexibility in how they want to manage their water and lands, and it directly benefits a multi-million dollar fishing economy in the state.
–Whit Fosburgh
President & CEO
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
I just wanted to say thank you. I became a fan last year of TWW, not missing an episode. The most poignant message to me, of any show, was in Alaska when you spoke about people’s views on hunting and “proxy killers.” (We are hunters and ranchers and know too well the disconnect people have with their food and what it takes to produce it or hunt it.) Ever since, I knew I liked your mindset … your ethos. We have loved ME too, again, seeing every episode, and when I say we, I mean my husband and 7 year old son and 5 year old daughter. That is why I wanted to sit down and write a reply tonight. This week in school my son began learning about rocks and minerals. So, tonight in our conversation he was talking about our “natural resources” and the topic of water and the water cycle came up. Long story short, I had just watched this video and it became a very good teaching moment that I could say to him, “Hey, I just watched a Steven Rinella video where he talks about the importance of saving the water we have, do you want to go watch it?” My kids have watched several of your online vidoes and even if they are too young to understand it all, each provides great teaching moments, plus it helps they are big fans! So … thank you. I learn (and am entertained) each time I watch the show, read the blog or watch a video (and now, as I read The Scavenger’s Guide, which I just purchased about a week ago) … and in this case, your video helped me to connect with my son to teach him about something important. As ranchers, he and I discussed the importance of conservation as a part of good ranching. He said, “Ranching, conservation and natural resources are all like cousins in a family.” I thought that was a pretty good analogy … all related, all a part of something bigger, all something we have to be stewards of. And, you sum it up perfectly in your last few sentences … when are we going to take a good, hard look at our consumption (water, green golf courses, excess in general) in the U.S. and what we are trading it for? It is the root of so many problems.
Melissa: Thanks for your very kind comment. I appreciate you taking the time to share your impressions about my TV show and work. I’m thrilled to hear your kids enjoy it; that’s not an audience I tend to think about, but I’m glad to have them. My own boy is turning two this May; we enjoy a little Elmo together now and then, but that’s about it. I can’t wait to be able to watch more substantive things with him, especially things dealing with the natural world. If you can go to the “contact” page: http://themeateater.com/contact/ and give an address, I’d love to send a signed copy of my book for your son and daughter. Take care. -Steven Rinella