Meet our Guests: Carter Kruse

Carter Kruse

Director of Conservation, Turner Enterprises

Bozeman, MT

9/7/2018

            Carter Kruse, the Director of Conservation and Coordinator of the Biodiversity Divisions of Turner Enterprises, sits with us in one of the few developed areas of the Flying D Ranch. The Flying D is the flagship ranch of Ted Turner, and an iconic part of Turner’s quest for ecological restoration and rewilding of the West. Kruse has played a critical role in the Turner vision for what this property could look like. As fisheries manager, he developed and put into action the restoration of 60 miles of Cherry Creek, which flows through the center of the ranch. Once brimming with native Westslope Cutthroat trout, they were outcompeted via the introduction of Brook and Brown trout, both fish invasive to the western states. Kruse’s plan involved poisoning the water, killing all fish in Cherry Creek, then reintroducing Westslope cutthroat trout to the river. This has proved one of the most ambitious river restoration projects to date. 

            The Biodiversity Divisions of Turner Enterprises, according to Kruse, represent “the largest private effort on behalf of endangered species preservation”. But he also refers to Turner Enterprises as a “reasonable illusion” concerning their efforts in conservation. He realizes that raising bison in a landscape with fences is not ‘natural’ and would probably be looked down upon by the public, especially the ranch’s use of feedlots to raise the bison to a correct weight. Kruse also looks down on trophy hunting, both because it is a form of bragging, but also because it is an ineffective way to manage an animal population if you only kill the largest, healthiest males. Yet he admits that it brings in a lot of money for Turner Enterprises and enables their conservation work to continue.

After lunch I ask Kruse what his favorite part of his job is. With little pause, he replies that his favorite part is being able to go out to a creek on Turners property and test for fish size and health, or more simply, just going fishing.

By David Dregallo

Meet our Guests: Kristen Kirkby

Kristen Kirby

Project Manager, Central Cascade Fisheries Enhancement Group

Twisp, WA

9/3/2018

Whitman alumna and fellow Westie (2004) Kristen Kirkby is a passionate fisheries biologist working as a project manager for Central Cascade Fisheries Enhancement Group (CCFEG). CCFEG uses funding from Bonneville Power Administration, state government agencies, and local Public Utility Districts (PUDs) to rehabilitate fish populations in the Upper Columbia River and its tributaries. Kristen works to restore habitat for salmon by creating flood zones, taking out levies, replanting riparian zones, and adding structure in the form of stumps and log jams to help create vital salmon spawning habitat.

Kristen greeted us with a truck full of neoprene, snorkel masks, and an enthusiastic smile along the banks of the Methow River just outside of Twisp, Washington. Before we made it down the path to the river she had us stop to dissect a female hatchery steelhead. We analyzed its eggs, held its perfectly round eye lens in our fingers, and even quizzed us on anatomical features of the fish. Snorkeling in the frigid water of the Methow did not seem to faze any of us, with white fish tickling the shallow shore and large Chinook salmon and Bull trout darting through the dark depths. There was an exciting new world to explore just beneath the water’s surface, one seldom seen by recreationists, and even fishermen. One can easily see why this sort of data collection and monitoring is one of Kristen’s favorite parts of her work.

Kristen expressed the importance of salmon as a species for not only their commercial value and recreational benefits, but their ecological benefits as they bring crucial nutrients from the ocean to the valley. Kristen imparted to us the value of a holistic approach to habitat restoration and how it takes careful management and monitoring along with education to help its impact flourish into the future.

By Liam Voorhees

Meet our Guests: Joe McCormack

Joe McCormack

Nez Perce Tribal Fisherman

Wallowa County, OR

8/26/18

Joe McCormack is a rancher, a Vietnam veteran, a fisherman, a watershed expert, and the only Nez Perce tribe member to still reside full-time in Wallowa County. He speaks with a slow, steady voice as his eyes move between each of us in the circle. The emotion not conveyed in his tone is communicated when his face cracks into a brilliant grin. Pausing mid sentence, to select from his plethora of stories and experiences, he shares the story of the Nez Perce on this land, the forced treaties, and dislocation that drove out his ancestors. Through this, he dismisses the notion that treaties “granted” the Nez Perce the right to the fish in these waters. Rather, Joe makes it clear that his people “reserved” a right that had always been theirs. He speaks of the abundance that these watersheds once held, and is dedicated to restoring those fish populations by collaboratively working with tribal and governmental agencies in order to manage the watersheds. The importance of this work is to increase the populations, even through the use of hatchery-raised fish. For Joe, the issue is not where the fish come from, but whether there are enough fish in the watershed for the Nez Perce to do as they always have.

By: Aliza Anderson-Diepenbrock