Golden Trout Project

The Golden Trout project is a collaborative effort to protect and restore the California Golden Trout. It is organized by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) with assistance from Trout Unlimited (TU), California Trout (CalTrout) and the Federation of Flyfishers (FFF).

Fishing

Every summer and fall there are a variety of opportunities for volunteers to participate in the restoration and monitoring activities that will take place in Inyo and Sequoia National Forests and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks in the southern Sierra. All of the volunteer opportunities involve significant outdoor activity and some involve rigorous backpacking and/or hiking in the high country. In all cases volunteers will have to provide their own transportation to the starting points of the trips and their own camping, fishing, outdoor gear, and food.

Before filling out the form make sure you have read the project descriptions and planned activities to determine which volunteer opportunity best suits your interests. Then take a moment to fill out this form (remember, first come, first served).

Please note: If you participate in any activities you will be required to sign a liability waiver form and a CDFG Volunteer Service Agreement. If you are going to fish, a current CA Fishing license is required as well. We will take care of all other required permits.

Please submit a separate registration sheet for each family member or each individual in your group.

2010 Golden Trout Project
Volunteer Opportunities

2010 Schedule Thank you for visiting our site. Due to Department of Fish & Game scheduling issues involving another species of native trout, we still have not finalized our 2010 Golden Trout Project schedule. We will be posting our week-long project schedule as soon as it becomes available and the Volunteer Coordinator will be sending out an announcement to all prior volunteers. We will have a number of week-long summer projects that will be in late summer and early fall. We do currently have dates for the two weekend projects at Monache Meadows, they are June 25-26 and October 1-2. Contact the volunteer coordinator if you are interested in volunteering for these two weekends. Thank you for your patience.

Backpack Trips: In past years, we have had mules available for carrying everyone’s personal gear as well as a large group camp set-up and hearty home-cooked meals. This year, because of budget limitations, we have to cut back on the number of mules and therefore, the weight and volume of our food and gear. Food (weight) and camp amenities will be reduced to more of a backpacking-style set-up. Volunteers will be required to carry in their own camping gear and sometimes their food in their personal backpacks. No personal gear will be sent on the mules. On some trips we will be able to plan food and cooking as a group and have the mules pack it in, but it will be lightweight and mostly non-perishable. On other trips, everyone will have to bring and carry their own food, stoves and cookware. See each trip description below regarding the food and kitchen arrangements.

Monache Meadow Fence Maintenance
June 25-26 (Saturday and Sunday)

Monache

Activity: Help maintain the fence at the DFG wildlife area and the USFS Olivas pasture to keep the cattle out and protect the habitat along the South Fork of the Kern River and Monache Creek. Pot luck and barbecue Saturday night (meat and homemade ice cream provided by the CDFG). Plan on a full work day and potluck dinner on Saturday, and a half day of work on Sunday. Early morning and afternoon fishing for golden trout and brown trout on the South Fork of the Kern.

What to bring: Volunteers need to bring their own food, including a contribution for the potluck, and your own camping equipment. Be prepared for very cold nights and warm days. Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and eye protection (sunglasses). Bring leather work gloves, pliers, and a VHF radio, if you have them. All other tools will be provided.

The road into Monache requires four wheel drive with high clearance. We will coordinate car pooling in an effort to minimize the number of vehicles needed. Carpool space is often limited so if you have an appropriate four wheel drive vehicle, please offer to drive.

Volunteers: No limit but please register to assist with our planning.

Mulkey Meadow Fence Maintenance
July 6-9 (Tuesday - Friday) * * * Trip full * * *

Activity: Help the Inyo National Forest maintain a new electric fence in upper Mulkey Meadow to protect the stream from cattle damage. Volunteers will backpack, bringing all of their own food and gear, 3.5 miles from Horseshoe Meadow at 9942' elevation, over Mulkey Pass at 10380' to the campsite at 9500'. Volunteers may come for a few days or for the entire trip.

What to bring: All of your own food, backpacking, camping and fishing gear. Some pack mule support may be available. A detailed list and trip itinerary will be provided to confirmed participants.

Volunteers: 6 volunteers needed.

Monache Meadow Fence Maintenance
October 1-2 (Saturday and Sunday)

Activity: Help take down the fence at the wildlife area and Olivas Meadow for the winter. Volunteers will also assist with electrofishing the south fork Kern in the area near the Schaeffer Barrier. Early morning and afternoon fishing for golden and brown trout in the South Fork of the Kern. Work full day Saturday, potluck dinner on Saturday night, complete and work to be done and drive out (fish) on Sunday.

What to bring: Volunteers need to bring their own food, including a contribution for the potluck, and your own camping equipment. Be prepared for very cold nights. Bring neoprene waders (if you have some), work gloves and pliers, all other tools will be furnished.

The road into Monache requires four wheel drive with high clearance. We will coordinate car pooling in an effort to minimize the number of vehicles needed. Carpool space is often limited so if you have an appropriate four wheel drive vehicle, please offer to drive.

Volunteers: 15 - 20 volunteers total

** ALL TRIPS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE **
Brown Trout

Volunteers will be contacted and informed of any changes to the trip itinerary. The specific times and meeting places will be communicated to every volunteer that has signed up for an activity. The need for flexibility of schedule is important on some of these trips. We will do everything possible to communicate specific times and locations to all volunteers in a timely fashion.

Location note: All activities will take place in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at elevations ranging from 7,000 up to 12,000 feet. The weather is usually warm days with potentially very cold nights and sometimes rain or snow. A good sleeping bag and rain gear is critical. For these high-elevation trips altitude sickness is a possibility so being well-rested, well-hydrated and becoming acclimated to the altitude prior to the trip by camping at the trailhead are essential.

Forms: It is required that every volunteer register for all of these activities. It is also important, in the event you have committed to a trip and your plans change, that you let us know if you will not be able to attend. A tremendous amount of planning goes into these trips and there are people on waiting lists. It will also be necessary to fill out several forms, including special release forms for the time you are working on the project.

Map	Printable documents: Golden Trout Information Leaflet 2009 Pack Trips (Microsoft Word format)

For more information contact:

Howard Kern
Volunteer Project Coordinator
Golden Trout Restoration Project
(805) 405-9635

www.tucalifornia.org

TRIPS FILL UP QUICKLY!

BE SURE TO SIGN UP EARLY IN ORDER TO ENSURE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN A SPECIFIC ACTIVITY.

Supporting Clubs

Santa Barbara Fly Fishers San Diego Fly Fishers Kern River Fly Fishers Aquabonita Fly Fishers Kaweah Fly Fishers Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers Deep Creek Fly Fishers Southern Sierra Fly Fishers Fly Fishers Club of Orange County