We hope you can join us this weekend for two days of films, talks and fish art! Trout Unlimited and Wild Steelheaders United are partnering with local artist Joseph Rossano on a project dedicated to the preservation of wild steelhead and salmon. On Saturday and Sunday, October 13 and 14, Museum of Glass will host a makers event in the …
Run Wild, Run Free for the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Passed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1968, the Act was created “to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.” Since its passage, the Act has protected almost 13,000 stream …
Not too hot, not too cold, the ocean must be just right
Two weeks ago we were on the Dean. This week we go even further north, to Auke Bay near Juneau, Alaska, for our next Science Friday post. The greater Juneau are is home to several rivers that host wild steelhead runs. Auke Creek is perhaps the most important of these feeder streams, as scientists at the Auke Bay Marine …
The Life Cycle of Wild Steelhead
Well, it is steelhead season. No doubt. “Septober” is officially underway. To celebrate the changing season we are re-posing the question that every serious steelhead angler should be able to answer in the affirmative: Do you really know a steelhead? Think about it, we spend thousands of hours pursuing steelhead, but how much of that time is …
Protecting the Gem of the North Coast: Support State Scenic Waterway Designation for the Nehalem
Photo courtesy of Ken Morrish/Fly Water Travel Later this year, organizations and individuals across the country will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the federal Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Thanks to the Act, more than 12,000 miles of wild, scenic, and recreational rivers have been established nationwide including 1,916.7 river miles in Oregon. These rivers include a who’s who …
Science Friday: Some come early, some come late: Genetics of Dean River steelhead
There are a handful of rivers that every steelheader wants to fish. Among these is the Dean River in British Columbia, perhaps the most revered wild steelhead river on the planet. Not only is this river remote and beautiful, it is also home to some of the hardest fighting steelhead anywhere. The Dean’s fame as a wild steelhead fishery …
Science Friday: Sand bars, lagoons and moving steelhead
Back to back Science Friday posts focusing on California and the unique challenges that steelhead face in the state. This week we pivot from juvenile steelhead coping with ponded pools to a look at juveniles that enter and live seasonally in lagoons at the mouths of creeks and rivers — a phenomenon fairly common in smaller coastal watersheds in California …
Timely & Accurate Fish Counts on Oregon’s North Umpqua River
Knowing exactly how many salmon and steelhead comprise a particular run is crucial for proper fisheries management. Throughout wild steelhead range, agencies struggle with tight budgets and frequently, monitoring returning adults falls to the bottom of the priority list. Since the 1950’s the fish ladder and viewing window at Winchester Dam near Roseburg, Oregon on the famed North Umpqua river …
WSU leading the charge on sonar
Occasionally, we get asked what Wild Steelheaders United is really doing to improve wild steelhead populations across their range. We could start by mentioning that our habitat restoration and fish passage improvement projects are delivering big results in some of the last best wild steelhead strongholds in North America. In the past year alone, our work along California’s fabled …
Mining & Transboundary Rivers: What do the Skagit, Taku, Stikine, and Elk rivers have in common?
British Columbia is in the midst of a mining boom, with dozens of large-scale mines in various stages of exploration, development, and operation. Lax mining regulations and low standards for financial bonding have encouraged the industry’s expansion in the region, but at what cost? Many of these mine sites sit within watersheds of rivers — like the Skagit River …