“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.
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.
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, …
The John Day Steelhead Project is raising funds for a collaborative research project between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, graduate students at Oregon State University, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and other partners seeking to better understand John Day steelhead migration patterns and how Columbia River dams may be impacting the health and abundance of these fish.
Southwest Oregon is one of the only places in the United States where you can legally kill a wild steelhead. Regulations used to allow for one wild steelhead harvest per day, up to five per year, but in 2018 bag limits were reduced to one per day and three per year following a petition from a group of southern Oregon …
Next up in our Meet the Team series is Oregon Field Coordinator, Kyle Smith. Kyle works to protect public lands and advocates for policies that ensure a bright future for wild steelhead. Home town: Corvallis, OR Home waters: McKenzie, Willamette Favorite way to catch steelhead (gear, fly, etc.)? Mostly fly rods. Boat or hike? Why? If I had to choose one, …
As a steelheader, you may already know the incredible story of Snake River salmon and steelhead, and the precarious position those populations are in now. Today, we have a chance to help Snake River steelhead and salmon. TAKE ACTION TODAY: TU has setup a website with all the information you need to get a handle on Snake River issues and …
Today, Governor Kate Brown announced a historic agreement between conservation groups and timber companies that represents an important first step in a process that will see the most significant update of Oregon’s Forest Practices Act in decades. This agreement, formalized as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the timber industry and major conservation groups, should deliver significant benefits for Oregon’s …
By Michael Gibson Nothing clears the mind like a good chukar hike. So, when the boss called for a work/chukar retreat in lower Snake River Country, I got excited. Late-season chukar in some of the best, and most rugged, chukar country the planet has to offer. About now, you are probably wondering, what’s this got to do with fish? We’ll get to that. Our new North Idaho …
By Kyle Smith, Oregon Field Coordinator Over 50 wild steelhead advocates turned out last Friday for a meeting of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in support of a petition that would have enacted emergency rules to prohibit harvest of wild steelhead in the southwest corner of the state. After almost five hours of public testimony, with the majority in …
