Last month, Dean Finnerty became the latest Wild Steelheaders United of Trout Unlimited representative to testify before Congress, when he appeared before the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in support of the Southwestern Oregon Watersheds and Salmon Protection Act.
Oregon conservation groups, timber interests reach historic agreement
New comprehensive agreement, known as the Private Forest Accord, will dramatically improve the health of Oregon watersheds for both fish and people.
For the First Time in My Life
For the first time in my life, I won’t be skating flies over glassy tailouts for summer steelhead this year on my beloved North Umpqua River. That’s because the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has closed this legendary fishery until December due to extreme low flows and dangerously high water temps.
Meet the Team: Sophia Kaelke
Meet Trout Unlimited’s Oregon Engagement Manager, Sophia Kaelke. Sophia focuses on outreach, organizing, and communications work and supports the Wild Steelhead Initiative in Oregon.
Salmon SuperHwy logs 95 miles … and counting
The Salmon SuperHwy’s Annual Report highlights the power of conservation partnerships to deliver real benefits for coldwater fish and local communities, even in troubled times.
Wild, scenic, and fishable
Today, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon introduced the River Democracy Act of 2021, which would create new Wild and Scenic River designations for a number of stream segments in Oregon where TU is working to protect and restore habitat, water sources and fishing opportunities. TU supports this legislation, which is based on more than 15,000 recommendations submitted by Oregon residents.
The case for better data on Oregon’s South Coast
A fishery management plan being developed for southwest Oregon coastal rivers has generated some debate over whether to temporarily reduce or prohibit harvest of wild steelhead.
It’s time for the lower Snake River dams to go
“It is our collective opinion, based on overwhelming scientific evidence, that restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River is essential to recovering wild Pacific salmon and steelhead in the basin.”
So reads a remarkable letter recently sent to the governors of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana by 10 of the finest and most-respected salmon and steelhead scientists in the world.
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.
Oregon Wild and Scenic Effort Heating Up
Late last year, Oregon’s Senior Senator Ron Wyden put out a call to all Oregonians to nominate their favorite rivers and creeks for potential designation under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The result of that call to action was over 15,000 different nominations for more than 4,000 miles of rivers and streams in Oregon. As we’ve written before, …