Brian Wise covers the flood devastation in the Ozarks.
The April 29, 2017 Flood will be forever marked in the record books. Here is how YOU can help:
www.rebuildsunburst.com
www.gladitood.com/projects/riverstrong
Find “Friends of the North Fork of the White River on Facebook
Special thanks for Aerial Ozarks for help on the aerial footage, find their channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8fNwkfw9dLqwKsOurBpaaQ
The devastation resulting from the April 29, 2017 flood on Missouri’s North Fork of the White River was real to property, but not to the fishery. The logs, root wads and wood debris dumped into the river because of the flood will not hurt the fish and fishery, but enhance it. Gravel bars will shift under flood conditions but always seem to open up new spawning areas and channels that make for more interesting and better fishing.
Trout ,wild trout, have evolved as flood loving fish.They do not die in floods. And having seen numerous major floods in Ozark Rivers since the early 1970’s I’ll predict fishing ten months post flood will be great. And the river a better fishery. This is not a unique prediction.
If you want to raise money to help flood victims fine. But do not call it conservation. It is not.
Root wad removal from the river because someone finds it unsightly or “dangerous to floaters”
no reason to bring in and pay for large log moving equipment. And “bank stabilization projects” that enhance private property values and do nothing for the fishery is another non starter.
And please no more dams. The river already has one forty miles down stream. We need wild free flowing rivers and trout. Not more civil engineering projects.