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Wild Trout Advocate Dick Vincent Receives Foundation's Annual "Friend of the Madison" Award
Retired fisheries biologist E. Richard "Dick" Vincent is the recipient of the Madison River Foundation's 2011 Friend of the Madison Award. The award was presented to Vincent on Friday at the organization's annual banquet held at the Old Kirby Place on the Madison near the West Fork.
The Friend of the Madison Award is presented annually to an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to the Foundation or to helping preserve and protect the Madison River.
The award was presented to Vincent by Bozeman attorney and Foundation board member James Goetz. Vincent, who grew up in Norris, crafted a groundbreaking Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks study in the 1960's and 70's that led to the cessation of stocking hatchery-bred trout in the Madison. In presenting the award, Goetz noted:
"In 1974, Montana became one of the first states to cease stocking hatchery bred trout in its streams and rivers, and instead to manage its waters exclusively for natural reproduction of wild trout. Although at the time this was a very controversial action and heatedly opposed by many, it has proved to be an indisputable success. This bold decision by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission was the direct result of work done on the Madison River. Today, almost four decades later, the Madison is recognized as Montana's premier wild trout fishery.
"The young biologist whose research on the Madison led to this landmark decision is this year's recipient of the Foundation's "Friend of the Madison Award" -- E. Richard Vincent.
"Dick Vincent grew up near the Madison in Norris. As a freshly-minted fisheries biologist from MSU, he was given the assignment of finding out why the trout fishery in the Madison, long a legendary angling destination, seemed to be in decline. Dick implemented a research study on the Madison that found convincing evidence that stocking of hatchery bred trout suppressed the reproduction of wild, stream-bred trout. Stocking actually resulted in fewer and smaller fish. As Dick often notes, he and his fellow biologists did not set out to overturn the hatchery system and put it out of business. He just followed the facts. And the facts led to an inescapable conclusion: the fishery would flourish if we just left nature, the trout, and the river alone.
"Dick took a lot of pretty rough criticism during his research, some from his own colleagues in the Fish and Wildlife department, but he stood by the integrity of his research. The results proved him right and his critics wrong. Thanks in large measure to Dick Vincent, today Montana boasts the best wild trout rivers in the United States. And it all started right here on the Madison with Dick Vincent."
Last year's recipient of the Friend of the Madison award was First Madison Valley Bank of Ennis. Previous recipients include Craig and Jackie Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies, West Yellowstone; Bob and Annie Graham of Elk Meadows Ranch; and Bruce Belles of ClackaCraft Drift Boats.
Many Thanks for Your Input
David Bricker, Foundation Director
Last spring, we surveyed our members to help determine if the Madison River Foundation was "on the right track." We sought input on a variety of topics from our mission statement to the priorities we should set for our projects and activities. Foundation directors and staff designed the questionnaire and we mailed it to our 287 members. We were very excited that 100 members (34 percent) took the time to respond and return it. Since then, we have spent considerable time and effort carefully reviewing the results. (It was a major topic at our annual strategic planning session held last fall.) Your input and opinions are very important to us.
Overall, those responding to the survey represent a good cross-section of Foundation membership: 17 percent are lifetime members, 22 percent live in Montana year-round, 43 percent are seasonal residents, 65 percent have attended the Ennis on the Madison Fly Fishing Festival, and 32 percent have attended at least one Guardians of the River Gala Banquet.
We asked our members to comment on the Foundation's mission statement. Of the 43 who wrote comments, 25 said they found it comprehensive, concise, and well-stated. Eight of you suggested various changes. At its strategic planning session, the board considered all of these comments and voted to reaffirm its mission statement.
The core of the survey focused on issues. Members were asked to select from a list of 14 topics and rate them from 1 to 5 as matters the Foundation should focus on most, with 1 being the most important and 5 being least important. For example, five respondents named "livestock grazing" as their number one issue, four placed it second, one placed it third, etc. The results are shown in the chart below.
| Most Important Issues for MRF Focus | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livestock Grazing Practices | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| Land Management Issues | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Fishing Regulations: Catch-Release, Single Barbless Hooks, etc. | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 29 |
| Conservation Projects | 15 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 42 |
| Tributary Stream Restoration-Habitat Improvement | 16 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 58 |
| Native Species Recovery & Restoration | 0 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 27 |
| Public Information & Education | 7 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 30 |
| Public Policy Advocacy | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 18 |
| Aquatic Nuisance & Invasive Species | 1 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 40 |
| Legal Action/Litigation | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Water Rights, Stream Rights, Groundwater Depletion | 3 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 39 |
| Growth & Development Issues | 4 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 34 |
| Fence Removal, Repair, or Replacement | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Public Access to the River & Public Lands | 23 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 42 |
- Tributary stream restoration and habitat improvement was the most important issue - 16 percent rated it No. 1 priority, 14 percent placed it second; 10 percent placed it third and 11 percent put it in fourth place. Overall, 58 percent put the issue in the top five.
- Public access to the river and public lands was the second most important issue to those who responded - 23 percent rated this issue No. 1 and another 19 percent listed it in their top five issues.
- Conservation projects were cited as the third most important issue, with 15 percent placing it first; another 27 percent putting it their top five.
- A total of 39 percent put water rights, in-stream flows and ground water depletion in their top five issues, although only 3 percent placed it in the first position.
- Aquatic nuisance species invading our rivers, lakes ands streams is clearly of concern to those who responded, with 40 percent placing it their top five, although only 9 percent named it number one or two.
- Fishing regulations - such issues as catch & release and single barbless hooks - was cited by 29 percent, with 4 percent placing it first.
- Public information and education interestingly was placed high, with 30 percent naming it as a top five issue.
- Although no one named native fish restoration as the top priority, 27 percent placed it in the top five issues of concern.
- Members responding to the survey clearly were not overly interested in the Foundation engaging in legal actions or litigation. Neither were they concerned about fencing issues. Just 8 percent put legal actions in their top five issues and 6 percent found fencing to be a priority concern.
- However, growth and development issues placed highly, with 43 percent putting the topic in the top five.
- Grazing and land management issues were scored similarly, with 15 percent and 16 percent respectively putting those matters in the top five.
Respondents expressed strong support for the Foundation and its leadership. Many comments offered words of support and encouragement for the work of the Foundation, its officers, directors and staff as well as the organization's projects and programs.
We appreciate the input and we have carefully considered the views of our membership. We want to thank all of you who took the time to fill out and return the survey. While members expressed positive support for the Foundation, there is always room for improvement. The results of this members' survey will help Foundation leadership evaluate programs and priorities as we plan for future growth and success as the "voice of the Madison River."
Madison Weed Mappers
Digital Maps Now available, Show the Results of a Great Volunteer Effort!
Last July more than 50 volunteers like those in the photo above took to boats, GPS units in hand, to map noxious weeds on the banks of the Madison from Raynolds Pass to Three Forks. Volunteers from the Foundation, Center for Aquatic Nuisance species (CANS), Madison-Gallatin Trout Unlimited, the Madison County Weed Committee, US Forest Service, BLM and others spent an entire day on the river mapping invasive weeds that threaten not only native terrestrial plants but aquatic resources as well.
Many thanks to all who volunteered and devoted a day to this first-ever project. Here is the result of your hard work. The links below will take you to digital maps of the upper and lower Madison. You can zoom in and out, target specific areas of the river, click on the tabs to see exactly what species of noxious weed was mapped. The maps will help managers target problems areas and nuisance species for control efforts.
Upper Madison Map Lower Madison Map
We learned a whole lot from the first weed mapping effort and plan to repeat the project again this summer. Tracking noxious weeds over time will give us a better picture of the size and scope of the problem, as well an indication if control measures are being effective. Watch this newsletter for information about the date of the 2011 mapping. The day on the river was not only valuable but also great fun. Even the crew that got stranded on Ennis Lake in the midst of an epic wind and thunderstorm, and was eventually rescued by Alan Leitgeb's power boat, had a great time!
If you're interested in helping out at this summer's weed mapping, or you want to know about other volunteer opportunities on the Foundation's conservation projects, Gala Banquet or Fly Fishing Festival, sign up for our volunteer hotline. Send us an email and we'll include you on our volunteer email alert list.
