WATCH THE FULL FILM NOW: Bases-loaded home runs are few and far between in the river restoration game. But for summer run steelhead, those mysterious and long-distance traveling cousins to winter run O. mykiss, that’s what happened when two dams on Washington’s Elwha River were removed over the past decade. While the rebound of salmon and winter run steelhead in …
The Elwha Files: My oh my, what have we found
By John McMillan Should we invest in dam removal? It’s a question that many communities, businesses and policy-makers are facing these days — partly because of aging infrastructure and financial liabilities, and partly because of legal obligations to protect water quality and recover declining salmon and steelhead populations. To that, I say: let the fish tell us what works. One …
Science Friday: Who’s who in the Elwha after dam removal
By John McMillan We should not be surprised by steelhead and salmon rushing upstream to pass former dams. That is their nature — to push boundaries, access new habitat. Unbuild it, and they will come. And come they have in Washington’s Elwha River, where in 2014 two old dams were taken down. Not only have we observed hundreds …
Rise of the Phoenix: wild summer steelhead in the Elwha River
By John McMillan, science director, Trout Unlimited Wild Steelhead Initiative A few years back, while working on the Elwha dam removal project, I donned a wetsuit for one of many snorkel surveys I conducted that summer. I had been snorkeling the main-stem Elwha, but that day – a crisp cool day in mid-October – I found myself drawn to …
A New Video Celebrates Trout Unlimited’s White Salmon Spawning Surveys
Volunteers are working with WDFW to collect steelhead spawning data after dam removal.
Fish are arriving upstream of the former Klamath dams. What comes next?
Now that the Klamath dams are down, the fish are back, but our work is not yet done to help them thrive.
What Should Come Next for Washington’s Wild Steelhead?
A recent article in the Seattle Times put a spotlight on the decline of Washington’s state fish and the issues contributing to this. We dig in and offer up our vision for the restoration and fishery management actions required to change directions for these incredible fish.
Klamath reconnected: The four dams are gone
The four dams on the Klamath River are gone, and the watershed is reconnected from the Pacific Ocean to its headwaters in Southern Oregon for the first time in over a century.
WDFW Begins Development of Native Trout Harvest Management Policy
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recently began development of a new policy to guide management and fisheries for resident native trout.
Science Friday: Lessons for recovery from Intensively Monitored Watersheds
In this week’s Science Friday we take a close look at the lessons provided by a recent report on the PNW’s network of Intensely Monitored Watersheds.