Articles

As Ohio Earthquakes Are Linked to Fracking, Investor Support Grows

by Chad Shmukler - Wednesday, Jan 4th, 2012

Ohio Earthquake Linked to Fracking

If you spend even a small amount of your time enjoying the vast recreational resources of natural environments, you've likely found yourself needing little proof of catastrophic events in order to take a stand against hydraulic fracturing. Better known as fracking, hydraulic fracturing involves drilling deep into underground rock formations and injecting chemical-laden, pressurized water in order to create micro fractures that allow gas and oil which would otherwise be trapped to escape. Fracking operations involve mass-disruption of natural environments through the building of roads and drilling sites, generate millions of gallons of chemical and radiation laced wastewater, have been linked to contamination of groundwater, lakes, and rivers, and evidence continues to mount that establishes fracking operations as the cause of earthquakes around the globe.

Most recently, a series of earthquakes -- culminating in a 4.0 magnitude quake on New Year's Eve -- in Ohio, are being linked to drilling operations harvesting natural gas and oil from Ohio's Utica Shale formation. Scientists have stated that, like earthquakes which have been circumstantially linked to drilling operations in other locations, the links between drilling and subsequent earthquakes are persuasive. Repeatedly, earthquakes occur subsequent to drilling operations in direct proximity to wastewater injection wells and during time periods which match the establishment and operation of those wells. The State of Ohio found the link persuasive enough to shut down operation at 5 wells surrounding the recent Utica Shale formation quakes.

Costa Announces New 'Double Haul' Sunglasses

by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Jan 3rd, 2012

Costa Double Haul - Costa Del Mar

Costa Del Mar sunglasses is spreading the word about a new line of performance sunglasses which is, as is always the case with Costa, aimed at anglers. Costa is debuting the "Double Haul" first, with more styles to follow. This newest style features Costa's venting system, designed to reduce fogging issues, but ditches the full frame underside Hydrolite™ non-slip coating found on recent models in favor of a more traditional nose pad and temple coating design.

Costa's 'Double Haul' glasses in black with silver mirror.

Costa's venting system is simple, but a feature not found on other competing glasses. Comprised essentially of 3 holes drilled into the frames on either side of the glasses, Costa's venting system may look like a minor addition, but Costa claims it provides big gains in reducing fogging and condensation on the eye-facing side of their lenses in conditions where anglers typically struggle with these issues.

US Fish and Wildlife to Destroy Almost Half a Million Trout

by Colin K. Breck - Tuesday, Dec 27th, 2011

USFWS staff clean river sediment deposited by Hurricane Irene flood waters from a fish rearing pool. Photo: Ann Froschauer/USFWS.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has approved plans to destroy 434,000 lake trout that were slated for stocking in the Great Lakes Erie and Ontario amidst concerns that stocking the fish would introduce didymo, more commonly known as "rock snot", into lake waters. Didymo, an invasive algae that can spread rapidly and destroy entire freshwater ecosystems, has not been found to date in either Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. After the failure of efforts to find alternative water bodies in which to stock the hundreds of thousands of trout in question, Fish and Wildlife's Northeast regional director Wendi Weber made the decision to destroy the fish.

The population slated for destruction is comprised almost entirely of 4-inch fingerling trout. The fingerlings were raised at the Bethel, VT hatchery on the banks of the White River, a river body known to be infected with didymo. Although the tanks are filled with well water and are not typically at risk of infection by the introduction of river water, floods during this year's Hurricane Irene brought river water into the tanks and infected tank water with didymo.

Allen Launches 'Olympic' Two-Handed Rod Series

by Chad Shmukler - Monday, Dec 19th, 2011

Allen Fly Fishing's new two-handed rod series, Olypmic.

Allen Fly Fishing announced today the release of a new, wide ranging, two-handed rod series named the Olympic. Named after Washington's Olympic peninsula, the Olympic series of rods offers a vast array of lengths and weights ranging from a 12' 5 weight to a 14' 9 weight. Allen has spent over a year developing this new rod series and claims to still be discovering virtues of the new design even as the rods are readied for delivery.

Allen Fly Fishing's new two-handed rod series, Olympic.

According to Evan Burck of Allen Fly Fishing, the goal in designing the Olympic series was to deliver a rod with top quality construction and components at the best value on the market, a goal which Allen feels they have achieved. Burck cites the Olympic series' medium-fast action and deep flex, noting that "unlike many other rods on the market that flex deep in to the cork for their power reserves, this series manages to do it without feeling too floppy or noodly."

Guides Ask for Halt to Trinity River Restoration Efforts

by Ben Kryzinski - Wednesday, Dec 14th, 2011

The Upper Trinity River

The Trinity River, which begins in the Trinity Alps and eventually joins the Lower Klamath River on its way to the Pacific Ocean, is renowned for its strong returns of both steelhead and salmon. The river serves as both a recreational haven for fisherman and other outdoor enthusiasts as well as a subsistence fishery for the Hoopa Indian Tribe. Over a decade ago, habitat studies were initiated whose results led to the establishment of the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP), which began efforts to reverse damage caused by dam and water diversion projects established during the 1950s and 1960s and to restore naturally-spawning populations of salmon and steelhead to near pre-dam levels. Today, fishing guides and the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) are calling for a halt to these restoration efforts.

In a letter to the TRRP, co-authored by the Trinity River Guide Association and C-WIN, these organizations are requesting that a moratorium be placed on further restoration efforts -- halting Phase 2 of the TRRP slated to begin in 2012 -- until a proper assessment of Phase 1 efforts can be completed. Specifically, Phase 1 efforts have raised concerns regarding the fill-in of holding pools due to the introduction of excess gravel introduction into the river as well as the failure of side channels constructed as part of restoration efforts. The letter calls the TRRP's restoration efforts "ill-designed", stating that there has been "significant negative environmental consequences of the TRRP’s actions that have not been adequately analyzed ... and we can no longer idly stand by."