River Currents
Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission
Volume 10 Issue 3 November 2013
Commissioners
Dr. Riley Needham
Chairman
Gerald Hilsher
Vice-Chair
John Larson
Secretary/Treasurer
OSRC Staff
Ed Fite
Administrator
Cheryl Allen
Administrative Manager
Cassandra Carter
Education Outreach
Coordinator
James Hickman
Maintenance Supervisor
Josh Baird
Maintenance Department
Charlie Thurber
Maintenance Department
Bill James
Ranger Supervisor
Jeff Bashaw
Monte Bradford
Larry Clark
Randy Corp
Michael Fuhr
Archie “Trey” Peyton, III
Steve Randall
Rick Stubblefield
David Spears
As you are reading this edition of the River Currents newsletter, I hope you are also
making plans to get outdoors and enjoy autumn in Oklahoma. Fall colors are beyond words
this year. My advice: load up a canoe or kayak and take a float trip on one of our state’s
scenic rivers. I can’t think of a better way this time of year to enjoy nature’s beauty at its
fullest.
There are several upcoming opportunities to become involved with the Commission’s
business and our scenic rivers. As stakeholders in the future of the Illinois River, you will
want to mark these important dates on your calendar and participate where and when you
can. Please note that there are specific criteria for candidates who wish to run for open
seats on the OSRC board and to be eligible to vote in OSRC elections.
* OSRC will conduct an election on Tuesday, December 3rd for two “At Large”
Commissioner positions. The Commission is comprised of a 12-member board.
Filing period for candidates is 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday, November 11th – 13th. To be eligible, a candidate must be a resident of Adair,
Cherokee, or Delaware Counties. The OSRC Office will be open on Veteran’s Day, Monday,
November 11th.
Eligible voters must be previously registered or have registered by 4:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, November 12th . Voting in OSRC elections is restricted to persons who are registered
to vote in Oklahoma and who own real property, a permanent residential structure, or
reside within 660 feet of the Flint Creek or that reach of the Illinois River located upstream
of the Barren Fork Creek confluence in Adair, Cherokee or Delaware Counties, or that reach
of Barren Fork Creek located in Cherokee County, and have registered with the Oklahoma
Scenic Rivers Commission.
* Thursday, November 14th is the next Illinois River Watershed Modeling and TMDL
Development Project Informational Meeting. Once complete, a TMDL (Total Maximum Daily
Load) will be used to set the maximum amount of pollutants that the Illinois River and its
tributaries can tolerate without adverse effects. TMDLs are calculated generally on a daily
basis.
The meeting will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Cherokee Casino located on
US 412 in West Siloam Springs, OK. For more information contact Quang Nguyen, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency at 214-665-7238.
* Tuesday, December 10th is the next
regular meeting date of the Oklahoma Scenic
Rivers Commission. At this meeting Dr. Lowell
Caneday and Dr. Tracy Boyer, Oklahoma State
University, will present results from their study
of the economic valuation and ecosystem impacts
from recreational use of scenic rivers.
Once again, thank you for your continued
support to preserve and protect the Illinois River,
our most valuable resource.
Ed Fite, Administrator
Upcoming Events for the OSRC
River Currents Vol 10 Issue 3
Page 2
OSRC Board and Agency News
Successful Fundraising Efforts by OSRC and Save
the Illinois River Preserve Health of Illinois River
Between the months of May and September, the
number of Illinois River visitors increases exponetially. The
Commission bustles to maintain the
same standard of water quality in the
Illinois River under the increased
human traffic. Seasonal employees
are hired to regulate litter and debris
and to enforce Commission rules, while
permanent employees accommodate
the extra hundreds of thousands of
visitors in their normal routines.
Providing additional restrooms
for public use is one step the Commis-sion
takes to protect the health of the
Illinois River during the busy summer season. In the past,
cooperative efforts between the Commission and other
agencies have been made to fund the bathrooms. These
previous partners were unable to assist the Commission in
funding for the 2014 season, however, and the Commission
looked to the public for support.
Administrative Manager Cheryl Allen and Education
Outreach Coordinator Cassandra Carter, along with intern
and local Northeastern State University graduate student
Chris Ruddik, had been brainstorming fundraising efforts to
support the agency when the need for financial support in
providing portable restrooms became apparent. The staff
settled on holding a series of silent auctions to fund the
bathrooms.
In the fundraiser’s planning stages, Cassandra
contacted Save the Illinois River (STIR), a group of private
citizens dedicated to scenic river conservation. STIR
coordinated with the Commission to hold the auction at
STIR’s annual meeting. Several STIR members, including
Denise Deason-Toyne, Barb Daily, Ed
Brocksmith, and Nancy Garber, worked
closely with Cassandra to solicit
donations and advertise the event.
Several local businesses,
artists, and authors gave generous
donations. Some noteworthy items
were signed CD’s and t-shirts from the
Red Dirt Rangers, Joe Baxter, and Joe
Mack, a wide variety of paintings and
photography, outdoor products,
flyfishing lessons, as well as gift bas-kets
and certificates. STIR and Commission Vice-Chair
Gerald Hilsher also donated a kayak.
Two small auctions were held at the Tahlequah
Farmer’s Market and a final auction was held at STIR’s
annual meeting. These fundraising efforts raised
approixmately $3,700.
The auctions also raised awareness of the
Commission’s mission, of the services the Commission
provides, and the Commission’s need for outside support.
This led to donations from STIR and STIR members, Chero-kee
Nation, and Reasor’s. These donations totaled $6,300,
bringing the Commission to its overall goal.
Thanks to the efforts of all involved, 11 portable
bathrooms will be provided in Illinois River access areas
next summer. The Commission is grateful for both the public
and private support received and looks forward to future
cooperative efforts.
Silent Auctions: $3,700
STIR Donation: $2,000
CN Donation: $2,000
Reasor’s Donation: $2,000
Private Donations: $1,300
Total: $10,000
Employee Spotlight Josh Baird and Charlie Thurber, Maintenance Team Members
Maintenance duties at the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission consist of
maintaining Commission property, including public access areas and agency
headquarters. Members of the maitenance team mow, weedeat, remove litter and
debris, maintain Commission vehicles, repair equipment, and support Administrative
and Ranger efforts. Josh Baird and Charlie Thurber, along with Supervisor James
Hickman, make up the Commission’s maintenance team.
Both Josh and Charlie began at the Commission as seasonal employees
before being hired as permanent team members. Josh’s first season with the
Commission was in 2006. He has been working full-time since 2007. Charlie worked
part-time over the 2010 and 2012 summer season. He was also brought in full-time in
the fall of 2012.
Each of these young men posses a strong work ethic and a mind for achieving
the Commission’s goals. Their cooperation with each other as well as the rest of the
agency strengthens the Commission as a whole.
River Currents Vol 10 Issue 3
Page 3
Spotlights in the River Basin
2013 Illinois River Clean-Up
The 2013 summer season was a busy one on
the Illinois River. Hundreds of thousands of visitors en-joyed
all Oklahoma’s premier scenic river has to offer.
These visitors took away memories and expierences they
will fondly remember for years to come. Unfortunately,
these visitors also left many things behind; specifically,
pounds and pounds of litter.
Thanks to the efforts of approximately 100 vol-unteers,
nearly 2,000 pounds of this litter were removed
from the Illinois River and its banks.
Clean-up volunteers enjoyed the opportunity to
float the gorgeous Illinois River free-of-charge with the
various commercial float outfitters who participated in
the event. These outfitters included All American Floats,
Arrowhead Resort, Diamondhead Resort, Eagle Bluff
Resort, Peyton’s Place, Sparrow Hawk Camp, and War
Eagle Resort. Hanging Rock Camp allowed the Commis-sion
to hold lunch and prize drawings on their camp-ground.
Support from these local operations is vital to
the success of each clean-up. The Commission and
flotation operators share a vested interest in maintain-ing
the cleanliness and health of the Illinois River, and
cooperation to achieve these mutual goals is important
to the agency and the commercial operations.
Volunteers also had the opportunity to meet other
environmentally-minded individuals. The most important
thing volunteers took away from participating in the
clean-up was the fulfillment they gained from making a
positive impact on the Illinois River.
Individuals were not the only participants in this
year’s clean-up. Several groups and orginizations were
in attendance as well, including Cherokee Nation, the
Nature Conservancy, Cobb-Vantress, and Armstrong Bank.
Cobb-Vantress and Armstrong Bank were also
sponsor’s of this year’s event. These longtime support-ers
of the Commission provided kayaks for two lucky
volunteers. Cobb-Vantress once again partnered with
Reasor’s to provide a delicious lunch for volunteers to
re-fuel after floating the river.
Though there will be no more Commission spon-sored
clean-ups this year, individuals and groups who
are willing to brave the fall and winter weather are still
encouraged to visit scenic rivers and help keep them
clean and healthy.
Follow the Commission online, either at our
homepage, Facebook, or Twitter, for more information
on future clean-ups and other events.
Eugene Fabre, middle, winner of the Cobb-Vantress kayak,
poses with Cobb employees.
The Nature Conservancy’s Katie Hawk, right, poses with
her fellow employees and her new kayak.
River Currents Vol 10 Issue 3
Page 4
on the W ild Side.... Buffalo Swim Wild in Scenic Rivers
Buffalo are roaming wild in Oklahoma’s scenic
rivers – buffalo fish, that is.
The Ictiobus is a freshwater fish found throughout
the United States. There are five species of buffalo fish.
The smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) can be found in
Oklahoma’s scenic rivers.
The smallmouth buffalo was named by French
naturalist and Professor Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-
Schmalz. According to Louisiana Sportsmen writer, Jerald
Horst, the scientific names are Greek in origin and translate
to “bull fish.” The French referred to buffalo as bulls
While buffalo fish are similar to carp in appearance,
they are actually part of the sucker family. They are large
scaled and either blue-grey or tea colored. Buffalo can be
differentiated from carp by their down-turned mouths,
which marks their relation to the sucker family.
Like other sucker species, buffalo are bottom
feeders that prefer rocky freshwater bottoms to feed on
vegetation, zooplankton, insect larvae and small
crustaceans.
As their common name suggests, buffalo fish can
grow quite large. The record for smallmouth in Oklahoma
weighed 44 pounds and 2 ounces and was 35 inches long.
In this area, they generally reach a little over 30 pounds;
however, in other areas of the country, they can reach
weights up to and beyond 70 pounds.
Such heavy fish may seem like an anglers
dream, but buffalo species aren’t particularly popular game
fish. Buffalo are fighters that won’t bite for just any bait.
Many articles and forums have been created by anglers
searching for the best method to catch a buffalo.
When using a rod and reel, the most commonly
successful baits seem to be worms, nightcrawlers, corn, hog
and horse pellets, and homemade baits, such as balls of
dough. While some articles recommend weighting the line
so it will reach water bottoms where buffalo feed, many
anglers who have commented on various forums have
reported using little or no weights with success.
Due to the difficulty of catching buffalo with a rod
and reel, many fishermen and women employ gill nets to
land a smallmouth. Noncommercial use of gill nets on the
Barren Fork Creek, Lee Creek, the Upper Mountain Fork River,
and the Illinois River is prohibited however. These waters
are closed to noncommercial netting year-round.
Though buffalo are considered rough fish for
noncommercial anglers, they are a staple for commercial
fishers. Buffalo are the most commonly sold freshwater fish
in the US. Their meat is described as tastier than other
freshwater fish. Consumption of buffalo has been connected
with Haff disease, however, which leads to the development
of rhabdomyolysis (swelling of skeletal muscle with an acute
risk of kindey failure). Three cases of the disease associated
with eating buffalo were reported this year in Mississippi.
Buffalo are an important fish environmentally,
recreationally and commercially. By caring for our scenic
rivers, we will ensure these buffalo keep roaming.
Smallmouth buffalo find their food in the bottoms of rivers,
creeks, and ponds.
This angler shows off his 36 pound, 9 ounce smallmouth
buffalo. This fish is slightly heavier than the largest
smallmouth caught in OK.
