Lets say you know of a good creek run that is choked full of brush and strainers. These are the types and variety that IMO could be pruned or removed with a little bit of elbow grease.

What is the prevailing ethics respected by the general kayaking community?

I expect the whole spectra from "Never Touch anything!" to "Blow it up with Dynamite!", but I am looking for the Party Line aka Normal Joe Blows opinion and the general prevailing ethics of the kayaking community.

Thanks!

Below the spillway is a great short run. But as you say, the brush makes it too hazardous. And there is no shortage of brush in that canyon. Remove whatever you need to make it safe.

One side note though. The water there is pretty smelly. Cache creek is a safer run. Still not clean, but cleaner.

just be careful removing vegetation for a wlpz(water,lake protection zone) is a big no no,and be sure to not let any veg matter fall into the creek (steals o2) and try not to remove shade (increases h2o temps)

you wont know if you dont go

don't ask don't tell.

Some creeks are part of local watershed action groups who may actually be looking for volunteers to do things along these lines. (Okay, maybe I'm stretching - usually they're looking for volunteers to remove non-native vegetation, but if the access is by boat, and you're helping other volunteers get to their non-native veg, ... yeah, it's a stretch, but those are the folks who I'd call to get the party line.)

www.putahcreekcouncil.org

http://www.yolorcd.org/programs/Cache%20Creek/cachecrk%20stakeholders.shtml

You have a couple issues here. In my view, the logs and 'strainers' that occur on a natural undammed creek should be left and portaged, there's a good bit of research that shows these are important to the integrity of the local ecosytem (source of food, shelter, habitat, etc. for fish and macroinvertebrates). Cutting them out so you can run a ten-foot section is kinda like using a Starbucks drive through to get coffee. Some folks would argue that removing a bunch from a whole run is like pouring drano in the creek. In my experience, most single logs flush every couple years anyway, so I assume let them be? Now, if a piece of wood is hidden within a commonly-run rapid that would likely trap somone...

The trickier issue is the veg on dewatered runs below dams. Usually you're dealing with hugely overgrown invasives that are well below water line when there's spill that weren't present historically (e.g., Rubicon is a mess), but as mentioned in some of the other posts, there's going to be pros and cons if you cut them (with the veg re-establishing in a couple of years anyway since the dam isn't going anywhere).

I know we have some ecologists reading this forum, feel free to speak up...

I found another link to watershed upkeep here (http://www.thewatershedproject.org/creekspeak/CreeksSpeak2003Summer.pdf).

Interesting to see that willows like to be planted in the streams. Ultimately, I guess, they keep the banks from eroding, which is presumably a good thing from a boater perspective.

Thanks for the replies guys. Also, webmaster can you reactivate my account? I changed email addresses but the auto email was never sent so now my account is inactive. Anyways!

I have been think about this for a bit now and think I may start by just removing the ones that are a definite threat to boaters/floaters (yes Putah gets floated more than it gets boated). There are two spot that come to mind as being extremely dangerous due to brush/strainers and with a hand saw and about 30 mins, I could clear those up fast.

Honestly, I think if free of the most dangerous sections of brush, Putah would be a staple in most NorCal kayakers diet for a place to hit quickly to get in a fast fun run. When the flow is above 600 cfs, you really only have two spots that are shallow enough to scrape from the bridge to Lake Solano with a couple of decent fun sections seperated by relatively flat fast moving water.

I plan on waiting till late fall when Berryessa will limit its flows and thus make it easier to get in there by foot and take care of the brush. Putah creek will never be a destination, but I can guarentee if opened up and splashed on the .Net it would draw boaters in plenty over the weekends. The run can be shuttled single person easily enough with a bike at the gas station.

I plan on throwing up a quick "guide" to the area for those interested. I'll post here when it is up.

I find that a real loud chainsaw on a full moon works best.

As an aquatic ecology nerd, in regards to the Large woody debris, I agree with the webmaster. The big stuff is important fish and invert habitat. Try to leave it alone when it's not a real hazard. And yes, these dam controlled streams get a lot of "unnatural" growth in the active channel because they never get enough of a flushing flow in the spring, and often get extended low flow periods which irrigate these dense willow forests.

BUT: The issue here really is that the willows have alot more time to grow back than you have time to prune. If you can afford to spend one weekend per month per river mile to clean out the willow growth from the active channel, I'd say you could turn this into a good run. But you and I both know you don't have that kind of time commitment, especially in a state where there are a few hundred other runs to do.

I'd try to lobby the damn dam people to give more flushing flows. In the end, this is probably the most effective way to fix this issue, and it's also good for the stream. So you get your cake, eat it too, and don't have to think in the artifactual terms of "boater vs fisheries". Dichotomous self imposed conflict dissolved. And you'll have more time to boat instead of prune.