Bart Durham

Welcome Scott! Please circle May 16th on your calendar to come help out the ISA at this years DuPage River Sweep clean up effort!

Thanks to all who stopped by the ISA booth at this past weekend's Expo that took place in Schaumburg (Jan 23-26). The Expo was well attended and we saw many members and friends of the ISA at our booth this year. It was a successful weekend for the ISA at the Expo as we obtained 6 new members and sold a number of Blowout tickets. A special thanks goes out to Scott Ferguson who set up, took down, and worked most of the 4 day show. Thank you to John Lobach, Ed Buric,, Kevin Daly and Mike Gillig for working and volunteering at the Show. If I missed anyone please let me know.

That too as well as dam removal. Now if we could do the same on the Fox, can you imagine what kind of fishery it could become.

Warm up the coffee, see you there!

A pleasant surprise, seeing clean tributaries like these dumping into the DesPlaines river help to explain why the smallmouth is making a big comeback in the DesPlaines River!

Thanks for posting Mark. Couldn't access the link. Is Grant Creek the same as Grant River near Galena?

I've come to the conclusion the issue is confusing for a reason, State attempting to balancing rights of land owners vs. outdoorsman without upsetting both. For private access best bet IMO is to get permission from landowner to access and take out.

Not sure if this has sold but as owner of one the Jackson Coosa has served me well for many years and is an excellent fishing kayak for our local streams.

Hard to beat the combo of delicious Passero's pizza and end of year smallmouth talk with ISA members. Looking forward to see everyone at the Pizza Party.

The new record holder, Joe Capilupo, has accepted our invite to attend our next Blowout as an honorary guest.

Due to business conflict I can't get out of I won't be able to make tonight's dinner and will have to miss out on a meal from my favorite Thai restaurant. Have fun everyone and hope you have a great turnout.Get some good pics!

Amazing! Lake Michigan catch I see as many predicted.

If only I could have scored scored catches from the Menominee, maybe next years tourney will be held during our road trip, only problem is no boat catches are allowed.

Really enjoyed participating in the tournament and format. Some really impressive Illinois smallmouth caught by the leaders. I caught most of my fish on fly rod with topwater bugle bug popper. Was a tournament of missed opportunities for me as the big fish were there for the taking but I couldn't seem to land one for a variety of reasons. Impressive last minute charge by Colin to take the win. Looking forward to the next one.

The Missouri Smallmouth Alliance is hosting this float/wading/camping outing the weekend of Sept 20-22 on the Meramec River near St. Louis. See below for more information. Should be a great trip on what I understand to be a very good smallmouth stream in Missouri not far from Illinois border. If interested send email to: Missourismallmouthalliance@gmail.com. Fall Outing. September 20-22 @ Meramec Scenic View Mark your calendars and sign up today for this event at the Meramec Scenic View Resort. Gregg Lamb, one of our fellow members is the owner and we'll have access to some great water. Fishing: You have at least 3 different floating/fishing options: Birds Nest to Garrison’s Garrison’s to MSV and MSV to Onondaga. We can self-shuttle to any of these locations. Both the Courtois and Huzzah are also close by. If you don’t want to float you can easily wade up and down from Greg’s gravel bar or the lower Huzzah is about a 15 minute drive and you can wade there. Dining: We’re providing diner on Friday; breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. BYOB. Campfire on Friday and Saturday night. Lodging: Greg’s lodge sleeps 16-18 people. Full bathrooms, showers, kitchen. (take a look at the website). MSV isn’t a crazy campground. This is a very laid back, and quiet location. RSVP So is this free? Unfortunately not, but for $35 per night per person will pay for your lodging and food for the weekend. If you can just make it for the day, please come out and fish, hang out, eat, and just enjoy a beautiful spot. Please donate at least $10 so that we can cover all of our expenses. This is a very low-stress, fun, and relaxing way to get out and fish a really nice section of the Meramec while meeting and having fun with some of your fellow MSA members. RSVP by simply replying to this email!! Have questions? Reply to his email.

Hopefully the new Agricultural Department Administration will be more receptive to the desires of the community. It sounds like the only recourse may be the voting booth, and letting governmental officials in charge know how you feel about the Agricultural department not listening to the constituents.

Couldn't have had better conditions for the trip. Everyone caught abundance of fish including several 20" and 19" smallmouth. Our chefs did a fine job with outstanding dinners each night. My favorite part was sitting around the campfire sharing fishing stories:

Looks like the weather and river levels were perfect for the planting. Thanks to all that helped out! Was anyone able to see how last years plants looked?

Wow what a turnout, thanks to all that came, looks like everyone had a great time!

I can join as well if schedule permits. May be a little high right now.

The lighter colored tequelly with yellow legs has produced well for me this summer.

Looks like a great afternoon on one of my favorite Illinois Smallmouth Rivers.

Mark L and I fished the Fox last week when at 2200 cfs. The water looked great but we were skunked on smallmouth on this blazing hot day and left scratching our heads as conditions seemed perfect for fishing. Mark did salvage our day by pulling in this beautiful 22" walleye to avoid the complete skunk.

Big thanks to our volunteers and Jessie DeMartini for making this a great day! Jessie always make this a fun event and is generous in sharing her amazing knowledge of the plant life and muscle ecosystem on the Dupage River. I'll be anxious to see additional photos of our work!

Dynegy Withdraws its Bank Stabilization Plan But ... The Fight to Protect the Middle Fork Isn’t Over! Campaign to Protect the RIver Has Major Impact If you testified at the March 26, Public Hearing hosted by the Illinois EPA to solicit public comments on Dynegy’s 2,000-foot long riverbank project - or submitted a written statement during the public comment period - you know that Dynegy Midwest Generation has withdrawn their application for water quality certification. This decision follows the National Park Service’s determination to withhold their approval of the project. What Does this Mean? It was the strong public and agency opposition to Dynegy's plan that caused them to agree to withdraw their application for water quality certification and redesign their stabilization project. This is a huge win, since the Illinois EPA was poised to approve the plan as originally submitted. Dynegy has indicated it will resubmit its application to the Illinois EPA as soon as August. When that happens, the agency will issue a public notice, and the public comment period will begin. We haven’t seen the plan, but have learned that it may be reduced substantially in its size and impact. If that is the case, it is unlikely that the Illinois EPA will hold another public hearing for Water Quality Certification. We are in regular contact with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE). They do not intend to require Dynegy to refile their application. But the ACE has not ruled out another public notice and comment period. We are asking for both, because we believe the plan and supporting documentation should be made available to the public for comment. Enforcement in Process In the meantime, Dynegy’s plan for closing the ash pits is in the hands of the Illinois EPA and the Attorney General’s office as part of an enforcement action, initiated by the Illinois EPA last June. This enforcement action is expected to address the closure of the coal ash pits; river bank stabilization; and possibly fines. Coal ash pollution ponding next to eroded banks that abut Dynegy's coal ash pits. Pam Richart, Eco-Justice Collaborative It’s Still a Plan to Cap and Leave Dynegy continues to push to cap its ash pits and leave them in place. That is why they need to install stabilization next to the ash pits that will withstand the strong, continuous, erosional forces of the Middle Fork. Eco-Justice Collaborative continues to lobby for full ash removal. The pits are unlined, and a cap will not separate the toxic waste from groundwater, an coal ash contaminants will continue to flow into the river. Because the Middle Fork continues to move west toward the ash pits, we remain unconvinced that any stabilization will be sufficient to prevent a breach in the long-term. Need to Stay Engaged While these are clear wins in this multi-year campaign, the fight to protect Illinois’ only National Scenic River from coal ash pollution is not yet over. In the coming months, Eco-Justice Collaborative will continue to monitor agency actions related to the Middle Fork, and push for a resolution that: Permanently removes the ash to an upland location away from the river. Ensures future generations are not left with financial liabilities of polluting coal ash or the threat of a coal ash spill. Informs and engages the public in decision-making. This is Our River. Let’s Protect It! We want to thank you again for your work thus far, and hope that you will continue to support efforts to keep the river safe for generations to come. Coal ash is being moved at many other locations in the U.S. We think that Illinois’ only National Scenic River deserves similar protection. Save the Date for an August Fundraiser to Protect the Middle Fork! Thanks to the generosity of the new owners of the Rose Bowl in downtown Urbana, Eco-Justice Collaborative and Protect the Middle Fork Citizens Advocacy Group are jointly sponsoring an event to raise funds to help cover costs for the ongoing campaign to protect our National Scenic River. When: August 10, from 5pm to 8pm Where: Rose Bowl Tavern 106 Race St # 1, Urbana What: Music and fun in a relaxed atmosphere Two bands Cameo appearance by the Protect the Middle Fork singers! Cost: $10. That’s it! Admission includes a yard sign for those who want one You’re going to want to be there, so “mark your calendar” today! More information will be provided soon. Eco-Justice Collaborative 919 W. University Avenue Champaign IL 61821 United States ecojusticecollaborative.org