A new film highlights TU’s habitat restoration and reconnection work on the Olympic Peninsula
On the wild coastal rivers of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, Trout Unlimited is removing migration barriers, reconnecting floodplains, and restoring critical spawning and rearing habitat for struggling populations of wild salmon and steelhead.
Working alongside our partners at federal and state agencies, regional Tribes, and the Cold Water Connection Campaign, we’ve identified projects with the greatest benefits to native fish and are mobilizing a skilled, local workforce to replace key culverts blocking fish passage and return log jams to tributaries.
Building on top of state and private funding, extensive federal investments provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are allowing TU to expand the scale and impact of our restoration work in the coming years. For anglers and coastal Tribes, this work is critical to rebuilding wild steelhead and salmon runs. For local communities, these investments mean good jobs and durable road systems designed to withstand the impacts of climate change.
In our new film, join TU’s Luke Kelly as he travels along iconic rainforest rivers visiting our partners and projects to celebrate the incredible restoration and reconnection work underway on the Olympic Peninsula.
Recovering Wild Steelhead
Each winter, anglers from far and wide travel to the Olympic Peninsula to brave rain, cold and volatile coastal rivers just for a chance to cross paths with one of the OP’s iconic wild winter steelhead.
Trout Unlimited is deeply committed to rebuilding populations of these beloved fish. We are approaching this work through a two-pronged effort that includes habitat restoration and advocacy for better fishery management.
Images: Liam Gallagher
This new film celebrates the incredible restoration work led by our colleagues and their partners. To take full advantage of this work, and the great habitat that still exists in many places on the Olympic Peninsula, Wild Steelheaders United is pushing for sustainable fisheries guided by the best available science. Fisheries designed for the 21st century should be able to provide the angling opportunities we all treasure while letting enough wild steelhead reach the spawning gravel to rebuild their populations.
TU’s restoration work on the Olympic Peninsula is made possible by Trout Unlimited members and supporters, and our dedicated partners at NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, The Quileute Tribe, The Hoh Tribe, The Quinault Nation, the Coast Salmon Partnership, the Wild Salmon Center, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the Washington State Department of Ecology, Clallam County, Jefferson County, The Harder Foundation, PEW Charitable Trusts, the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, and The Open Rivers Fund, a program of Resources Legacy Fund, supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Congratulations to Liam Gallagher for his great work on the new film, and special thanks to John McMillan for sharing his astounding underwater footage of the OP’s salmon and steelhead.