Petition Started to Save Rock Creek Fish Hatchery

Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby has started a petition to save the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery from closure by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. You can sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/save-rock-creek-hatchery-a4c8b8d6-4dd9-4232-9041-58cebc09d51f Here is the message UFED shared in the petition: "The Issue We, the undersigned residents of Oregon, oppose Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s proposed closure of Rock Creek Hatchery (“RCH”), as identified in the agency’s proposed budget for 2025-27. We object to inaccurate information in the statewide hatchery assessment that precluded any option for rebuilding RCH. The assessment improperly measures water quality at RCH by ignoring the fact that the hatchery uses cool water from the North Umpqua River in summer months. The assessment also grossly overestimates reconstruction costs in order to dissuade decision-makers from rebuilding RCH. We strongly recommend the $17 million in insurance funding for the 2020 loss of Rock Creek facilities should only be used to rebuild Rock Creek, not to move its production to other river basins. Additional funding ODFW receives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or any legal action regarding the 2020 loss of RCH facilities should also be used to rebuild Rock Creek. We request that ODFW consider the local community values of Rock Creek Hatchery in the agency’s assessment and report to the Oregon State Legislature. These include: Educational Value: RCH has always served as an educational resource for the community and students. The Rock-Ed building, which survived the 2020 fire, continues to provide place-based education using the local community and environment to teach concepts in science and other subjects across the curriculum; Angler Demand: RCH fish production has provided tens of thousands of catchable and harvestable salmon, steelhead, and trout with a high benefit/cost ratio every year for the past century; Subsistence Fishing: RCH is within the state-approved co-management areas of three Indian tribes: Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Coquille Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. Two other tribes with historic connections to the site, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, have also expressed a positive interest in RCH and its fish production capability; Local Jobs: RCH enhances overall fishing opportunities for local, regional, and statewide recreational and commercial anglers; Tourism: RCH has traditionally been a tourist destination for those visiting the Glide, Oregon area and/or travelling to/from Diamond Lake and Crater Lake; Cultural Significance: RCH is one of the oldest continuously operating hatcheries in Oregon, and is the progeny of North Umpqua hatchery operations dating to before 1900; Local Volunteerism: RCH has long been aided by local volunteer projects and funding, including hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of grants from the Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby and the volunteer-funded Rock-Ed building. The Umpqua Fishermen’s Association and other volunteers have always been an integral part of RCH; Public Resource: RCH is a highly accessible site along the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway has traditionally been open to the public year-round." You can sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/save-rock-creek-hatchery-a4c8b8d6-4dd9-4232-9041-58cebc09d51f