Your article spoke well of the magic of the Deschutes. The Deschutes is truly a remarkable river and the annual appearance of salmonflies is unquestionably one of the high points. However, the Deschutes is remarkable and arguably unique for at least two other reasons. The most obvious is the presence of its legendary steelhead run on the lower river. While there is great joy to be had during one of the Deschutes River’s notable dry fly hatches, I’d argue that there’s nothing quite like wading into the cold river in the half light before dawn to methodically swing flies on the chance that a wild Deschutes Steelhead lurks below. The old saw about a 1000 casts to a hookup is probably an overstatement. Yet, it’s hard to argue that standing in a cold river at the bottom of a desert canyon, swinging flies on the surface for a wild steelhead is anything less than meditative. Of course, we all hope to hook one of these silver bullets, fresh back from its mysterious journey to the north Pacific. But expecting to hook and land one on a given cast or on any particular run is as good a lesson in humility as I can imagine.

The second remarkable thing about the Deschutes is the simple fact that after all these years, it’s still health and in fact continues to getting healthier. The Deschutes has certainly seen its share of abuse over the years, from overgrazing of livestock to a race between two railroad barons up either bank, from the construction of three massive hydroelectric dams near Warm Springs to the seasonal invasion of splash and giggle boaters, as well as from the withdrawal and manipulation of its flows, first for agriculture and increasingly for its growing towns and cities. For generations, Portlanders and many other Oregonians have viewed the Deschutes as “their” home river. They’ve floated it, they’ve fished it and they’ve often fought to protect it. But for many of us who live on the high, dry plateau east of the Cascades, the Deschutes River shapes and helps define who we are or at least think we are. And despite the indignities that the river and its tributaries have suffered, the future is looking favorable.

Most notably, the three giant hydroelectric dams that plug the Deschutes Canyon and block the free flow of the river are no longer an impenetrable barrier to the annual migration of sea run salmon and steelhead. This turn of events is over 40 years in coming and is both an unprecedented engineering feat and a testimony to the stubborn desire of Oregonians to bring salmon and steelhead back to their home river. Today, that desire is playing out on the rivers and creeks, stream banks and uplands that contribute the waters that are the Deschutes. A unique partnership between four community-based nonprofits known as the Deschutes Collaborative, with active support from our local communities and a host of public agencies is restoring, reconnecting and protecting the upstream habitat needed for the historic return of wild salmon and steelhead to the upper Deschutes Basin.

The Deschutes is a very special place and fortunately, Oregonians are committed to keeping it that way.

Brad Chalfant
Executive Director
Deschutes Land Trust
210 NW Irving Avenue, Suite 102
Bend, Oregon 97701
P. 541] 330 0017
F. 541] 330 0013
http://www.deschuteslandtrust.org