Mdc "open House Forums" On Didymo To Be Held

[Brian Sloss]

I don't mean this harshly so please don't take it this way, but there is a lot of: there are other possible ways to spread didymo so I don't want to give up my felt soles out there. Well fine, then bring those up at a meeting or call an MDC office and fill out a survey form. They will email it to you I bet. I did and have printed it off and mailed it back. Call them and request a meeting in the cities, I bet they will do it if they can. Tell them you would like to stress education. But back to the main point, just because it can possibly be spread on other things does not mean they should not ban felt soles. If no felt means a 10 % decrease in the chance spreading didymo, then it is worth it to me because that stuff is nasty and I don't want it in my home water period. We are talking to the MDC and the forest service about funding a cleaning station at the Greer access right now with money from our fall fly flingers weekend. They are planning them at trout parks and that is good. I encourage the FFF clubs, TU chapters and the MSA to explore the viability of funding stations at other rivers and creeks as well. A problem I see in society all to much is, "I'll only do the right thing if I don't have to give anything up, no matter how small". It would be a small sacrifice, we all waded for years without felt and did just fine. I gave felt up a year ago and it kind of sucked the first time out, but I got used to it and I still wade all the same water I used to.

[ozark trout fisher]

I wish I could come to the meeting but it just isn't possible. I live on the exact opposite end of the state as Shepard of the Hills and the gas money isn't there-heck I haven't even been able to make it down to an Ozark trout stream for weeks for the same reason, although I fully intend that change that next weekend.

I am still split on the felt soles thing. I have them and use them, but I never take the pair I use here in Missouri out of state, so I feel like it's extremely unlikely that I am doing any harm. But if a ban on felt soles is necessary to keep Didymo out of Missouri streams, I guess it's a sacrifice that I am willing to make.

But it would be a major bummer in a lot of ways. Felt soles are a real life-line in hard to wade places.