Last week, the Oregon Board of Forestry met to consider stream buffers as they revise a rule that would determine how close timber can be harvested when next to a stream or river. The riparian rule as it’s called, stands to impact thousands of miles of water in Oregon and as such, important populations of steelhead. Increased buffers improve shade, recruit large …
Our WDFW Gene Bank Testimony
On July 21st in Seattle, Rob Masonis VP of Western Conservation at Trout Unlimited made the following testimony at the WDFW Puget Sound Gene Banks Meeting. We encourage you to use this in information for either your online or your verbal testimony. For more information Go Here “Let me start by applauding the Department for moving forward with WSGB …
The long hot summer: Three ways for anglers to minimize their impact on steelhead
The long hot summer: Three ways for anglers to minimize their impact on steelhead John McMillan It may be universally said that low stream flows and hot water are bad for salmon and steelhead, which is why this year is strikingly painful to experience as angler and scientist. Unquestionably this is the driest early-summer I have experienced in my time …
WDFW Announces Wild Steelhead Gene Bank Meetings
Here is a great opportunity to rebuild and sustain wild steelhead populations in the rivers of Puget Sound. As a supporter of Wild Steelheaders United, we encourage you to speak up. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will be setting aside some Puget Sound rivers to be managed exclusively for wild steelhead. These rivers — “wild steelhead gene banks” …
Update from Idaho’s Upper Salmon River
By Matt Green – Upper Salmon Project Manager This spring we put the finishing touches on the Mill Creek Reconnect Project in the upper Pahsimeroi Valley. As often happens within the TU community, a group of hard working volunteers planted over 1,000 potted plants along the newly constructed Mill Creek channel. Mill Creek is now connected to Big Creek for …
It’s the Right Time for River Protection – Smith River OR/CA
By Jack E. Williams : This first ran in the Medford Mail Tribune Big-time mining could change the face of some of our most iconic Oregon rivers. Large mines have been proposed for years in the Rough and Ready Creek area and now a foreign mining corporation proposes test drilling for nickel in the beautiful headwater area of Baldface Creek in …
The Steelhead Files: Catch and Release
Watch as John McMillan, science director for Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative walks through the proper technique to catch and release a steelhead, explaining the science behind it as he goes.
The Russian River, Drought, Fish and Wine
By Sam Davidson It’s tough times in California right now, water-wise. The Golden State is more like the Vermilion State – that being the color of extreme (or even exceptional) drought conditions in much of the state, in maps such as this. California’s salmon, steelhead, and trout are suffering as much or more than any other aquatic species in the current …
Steelhead Science for Anglers: Why you should go
By Tracy Pennel A few weeks back on the campus of the University of Washington, Trout Unlimited’s Wild Steelhead Initiative brought together scientists, conservationists, and anglers alike for a workshop exploring the current state and restoration potential of wild steelhead. As a novice steelhead angler and young professional in the world of fisheries, I was glad to participate in …
Steelhead Science for Anglers: Corvallis
The primary objective of the workshop is to inform anglers about the state of the science regarding steelhead issues most relevant to their angling opportunity and experience, and to provide an opportunity for anglers to share their insights with, and ask questions of the scientists. We have selected some of the very best scientists to present because they are …