Late last month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) get one step closer to repealing the Roadless Rule on the Tongass National Forest. You may as well read that as: last month the USDA got one step closer to opening up some of the wildest, greenest areas on the Tongass – the best areas in the forest for fish and wildlife – to industrial, clear-cut logging of ancient, majestic old growth trees.
Science Friday: Juvenile steelhead feast or famine depending on the number of spawning salmon
In this week’s Science Friday post, we discuss a new paper where we show how high numbers of salmon may be more important than we previously thought for steelhead.
Can-Kicking Lower Snake River Dams Record of Decision Released
The ROD adopts the preferred alternative developed through the agencies’ environmental impact statement process. The decision recommends a limited increase in the amount of water spilled over the four dams on the Lower Snake River, but allows the dams to stay in place at a significant cost to salmon, steelhead, tribes, anglers, and communities across the Columbia Basin.
The ‘How-to’ fly fishing guide for steelhead you’ve been waiting for
It’s safe to say, our very own WSU director, Dean Finnerty, knows a thing or two about catching steelhead, especially on his home river, the North Umpqua. Dean’s stories of such pursuits are a dime a dozen, but we wanted to share some of his tips that are sure to make you a more successful angler.
Opportunity for fish and anglers on the Clearwater
The Clearwater River has seen its fair share of low points over the last five years, from depressed steelhead runs to spring/summer Chinook runs that underwhelm the communities reliant on these runs for their economies. But there is one shining bit of good news on this river: the status of fall-run Chinook.
Wildfire Perspectives: Returning Home to a World Upended
Wildfires have consumed over 1,000,000 acres across Oregon. Countless homes have been lost and some of our most storied fishing grounds, including the North Santiam, McKenzie, and North Umpqua, have burned to the ground.
Another Blow for Columbia River Wild Steelhead
Last Friday, Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) voted 5-4 to reform its Columbia River Basin Salmon Management Policy (C-3620), which guides salmon management in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
Meet the Team: Alexei Calambokidis
Home Town: Olympia, Washington. Situated on the Southern tip of Puget Sound, I have easy access to both the Sound and to the Olympic Peninsula. As the state capitol, I have great access to Washington elected leaders and department heads to advocate for steelhead. Home Waters: As the son of two marine biologists I grew up on and around the …
Snake River Dams Perspectives: John Appleton of Alpine Archery and Fly
Earlier this summer, TU released a report entitled “Why We Need a Free Flowing Lower Snake River” that lays out the scientific basis for the federal government’s conclusion that the best way to restore salmon and steelhead in the Snake Basin is to remove the four dams on the lower river. Snake River salmon and steelhead populations are now so …
A Tribute to Gary Fredricks (and the many public servants like him)
In the world of salmon conservation, criticizing government agencies can be a popular sport. By nature they are easy targets: faceless, powerful, bureaucratic and slow to evolve even in the face of glaring need to do so. But often overlooked and underappreciated are the many well-intentioned, dedicated individuals working within those agencies.