On January 17th, the Oregon legislature commenced a “long session” that will continue into June. Wild Steelheaders United is tracking quite a few bills – and concepts that haven’t yet been filed as bills – that would affect wild steelhead.
Steelhead Conservation in Washington’s 2023 Legislative Session
Last week, the Washington State Legislature kicked off its 2023 legislative session. A few priorities this year that we will be working on include an important policy bill, and several funding items important to steelhead management and recovery.
Key Questions Surrounding the WDFW’s Hatchery White Paper
In Part Two of our hatchery white paper review, our Science Advisor provides further insights into the impacts of hatchery steelhead management on Washington Coastal systems.
Legislation Introduced to Remove Non-Tribal Gillnets from the Lower Columbia Mainstem
Kicking off the start of the 2023 Washington Legislative session, Senator Van De Wege (D-24) has introduced a new piece of legislation at the request of Governor Inslee that would permanently remove non-tribal commercial gillnet fisheries from the Washington side of the Lower Columbia River.
NOAA recommends an estimated $20M in funding for Trout Unlimited fish passage work
Last week, the NOAA Restoration Center recommended an estimated $20 million in funding for TU’s fish passage work, which includes our steelhead restoration efforts in both Washington and California.
Sharing the water
TU partnership secures permanent water protections for salmon and a historic mill in Oregon’s Rogue River basin
Meet The Team: Greg Fitz
Earlier this fall, we welcomed Greg Fitz to the Wild Steelheaders United team. Fitz is the West Coast Communications Director for Trout Unlimited and in this role works to highlight TU’s conservation, restoration, and advocacy efforts across California, Oregon, and Washington.
Reconnecting the Klamath
The decades-long campaign Trout Unlimited and our Tribal and conservation partners have waged to restore the third most productive river for salmon and steelhead on the West Coast has taken a dramatic leap forward toward eventual dam removal.
Fisheries experts across Oregon support the River Democracy Act
Dozens of fish biologists across Oregon have released a letter in support of the River Democracy Act, urging Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to pass the legislation this Congress.
Steel Dreams: Outing on Clearwater River drives home what’s at stake on the Snake
People often refer to rivers of the Northwest as some of the last truly “wild” places in the Lower 48. The Clearwater River in Idaho is one of those places.