Date Published to Web: 4/28/2009

MONMOUTH -- The Luckiamute Watershed Council is preparing to conduct its second round of fish counts in the Luckiamute and Little Luckiamute rivers and the creeks that feed into them.
   Volunteers are needed to help make phone calls to landowners to ask permission for access to the streams on private lands.
   Volunteers will begin making phone calls to approximately 245 landowners May 1 and continue through May 15. Training for phone calls will take place Friday, May 1.
   The fish counts are made by snorklers who quickly wade or swim into the pools, count the fish and then move upstream.
   The second round of counts confirms and expands the first official count of fish in the Luckiamute made in 2008.
   The entire results of that count will be reported May 28 by the scientist hired to conduct the study, Steve Trask, at a public meeting at 7 p.m. at the Monmouth Library. Meanwhile, the second round begins this summer to establish the numbers of fish in the pools where fish were counted last summer.
   Those who are interested in assisting the council with phone calls, or who want more information about the fish count, can contact Michael Cairns at 503-838-4275.