2024-2025 Annual Board Meeting Report: A bright future and a legacy of community building.

By James Adkins
Communications Director

The Annual Board Meeting is an opportunity for Steelheader leadership to reflect on the past years accomplishments and challenges in order to chart a path forward for greater success. As Board President Jeff Hernandez noted during the meeting, the Steelheaders’ strength lies in its members’ dedication to healthy fisheries, public access, and mentoring future generations of anglers. With a renewed focus on outreach, recruitment, and collaboration, the Association is well-positioned to continue being “the angler’s voice for conservation.”

The Steelheaders members and chapters have accomplished a great deal over the past year, and our community has a great deal to be proud of!

Vision and Goals for 2025-2026

Consistent board leadership and the new communications director have improved our capacity and laid the groundwork for greater accomplishments in the next fiscal year including:

River Workgroups

In order to improve our response time and engagement in local recreational angling current events, we are establishing community teams lead by River Ambassadors. As staff and chapters monitor issues, they will consult with River Work Groups to respond to threats and organize association action.

Executive Director

In July, the board approved a budget to hire an executive director. James Adkins is our top candidate, and we are targeting a start date of October 1, 2025.

Funding

The Association is encouraging a shift to sustaining members giving monthly. We will be focusing our near-term efforts on connecting with donors interested in giving annually, establishing corporate sponsorships and aggressively pursuing grant funding for our programs.

Family Fish Camp

The Association plans to revive the underserved youth/family focused fishing event with a camp scheduled for May of 2026. We have secured grant-funding and will need volunteers to help run camp activities.

New Chapters

The Association plans to launch a Central Oregon chapter this fiscal year and will be hosting a kickoff event in October of 2025. All are welcome and encouraged to attend, stay tuned for an official invitation!

2024-2025 Accomplishments

The Association of Northwest Steelheaders is becoming more financially stable and growing in membership.

Engagement Is On The Rise

The Association membership Increased from 659 total (July 2024) to 736 total (July 2025) across annual, lifetime, and sustaining members.

Growing Our Team

At the beginning of 2025, we hired a communications director who has improved newsletters, secured grant funding, supported promotion of events, and coordinated advocacy alerts.

Legislative Advocacy

Steelheaders were engaged in volunteer advocacy work this year, helping to block a proposed 2–3-million-acre public lands sell-off in the 2025 Congressional budget bill and our efforts to advocate for ODFW funding at the legislature paid off.

State level advocacy efforts were led by Bob Oleson our VP of Government Affairs. Several of the Steelheaders’ priority bills passed into law including an improved, more sustainable ODFW budget. Other legislative accomplishments included protecting access for recreational anglers and improving resources to fight invasive species. You can read the full legislative report on the Steelheaders blog.

Volunteer Impact

Chapters remain deeply engaged in outreach, education, and recreational angling communities. For anyone looking to get more involved in the Steelheaders, we strongly encourage you to attend a monthly chapter meeting! You can find our monthly chapter meeting calendar here.

Chapters reported thousands of hours of volunteer service across the region. From hatchery maintenance to creek cleanups, youth fishing events, veterans programs, and advocacy, Steelheaders continue to make a significant difference for fish, habitat, and communities. Highlights included:

• The Columbia River Chapter logging 1,457 hours including multiple Veterans focused fishing events getting hundreds of veterans on the water and securing a donated trailer for event gear.
• The Emerald Empire Chapter contributing 2,100 hours to youth fishing events and hatchery work, releasing 15,000 winter steelhead annually.
• The Mid-Valley Chapter reporting $29,000 in volunteer labor value and major community cleanup projects and the second annual family fishing event in collaboration with Oregon Department of Correction
• The Sandy River Chapter reporting 1,857.75 hours and 9,385 miles in volunteer activity, including hosting a Steelhead 101 fishing workshop with ODFW.
• The Tualatin Valley Chapter reporting 2059 volunteer hours, with more than 150 volunteers supporting more than 175 classrooms in Fish Eggs to Fry program.
• The Clackamas River Chapter (formerly McLoughlin) reported the formal adoption of Feldheimer Boat Launch including a plan to improve the parking area and holding multiple river clean ups.
• The Salem Chapter held multiple angler education and recruitment events this year including a “Learn the River” event with North Santiam River Guides Association and a “Learn to Fish” event, helping 54 kids and families learn basic fishing skills! Salem Chapter volunteers also supported a veteran focused event at Odell Lake organized by Bernie Hoene with the non-profit “Take a Veteran Fishing.”

Challenges & Opportunities

A portion of the meeting was dedicated to hearing from chapter leadership about the challenges they were facing. Common themes emerged across chapters, and the Association staff committed to address these issues in the coming year:

• The need to strengthen membership recruitment and retention, connecting with younger anglers, particularly as volunteer bases age.
• Expanding social media and outreach tools to reach new audiences.
• Sharing guest speakers and outreach resources across chapters to provide engaging chapter meetings.
• Continuing to build partnerships with ODFW, legislators, and community groups to sustain angling opportunities and conservation work.

Elections & Leadership Updates

The annual meeting is also an opportunity to vote on board membership, including officer roles that have set terms. Without the leadership of these individuals, the Association would not have survived the impacts of COVID-19 social distancing polices. Their creativity, passion and dedication have driven the associations work for decades. Thank you to our board members and officers for dedicating their time and energy to guiding the Steelheaders.

Elections Summary

• Brad Garrett(Sandy Chapter) was elected to Secretary – one year term
• Brad has been involved in the Steelheaders leadership since 2021, taking on the Sandy chapter newsletter, website, and online store. Brad’s efforts have greatly expanded the chapter membership, event participation and community partnerships.
• Curt Ward (TV Chapter) was reelected to Treasurer – one year term
• Curt has been an active member of ANWS since 2005, providing countless volunteer hours supporting healthy fisheries and the next generation of anglers. Curt has served as Treasurer for since 2017 and his diligence has kept the Steelheaders financially sound through challenging times.
• Bob Rees (At Large) was re-elected to Vice President of Conservation –
• Bob has been a figurehead in the recreational angling community as a professional fishing guide, conservation advocate and former Executive Director of the Steelheaders. Bob is also a trusted advisor to thousands as a contributor and publisher of the Guide’s Forecast.
• At-Large Members: The objective of At-Large board members is to infuse needed knowledge and skills such as legal, biological science, marketing, and fundraising.
• Mike Myrick (Sandy Chapter) – one year term
• Mike has served the Steelheaders for decades at the chapter and board level, leading relationships with ODFW staff and the annual NW Sportsmen show team. He has been a long-time angler education volunteer supporting Fish Eggs to Fry, Family Fish Camp and Steelhead 101.
• Bill Kremers (Mid-Valley Chapter) - one year term
• Bill is a charter lifetime member of the Association and served as Association President for 4 years. Previously a professional fishing guide, Bill is known for his savvy as an angler, and his generosity with seats on his boat.
• Ken Johnson (Emerald Empire Chapter) - one year term
  • Ken has been helping lead Letz Creek hatchery operations since 2009 and is a passionate angler and conservationist. Since 2013, Ken has been on the Emerald Empire chapter board and supported the Association’s board activities.
• Jurgen West (Sandy Chapter) - one year term
• We are excited to welcome Jurgen West the board. Jurgen is a member of the Sandy Chapter and a dynamite Steelhead angler. If you’re on the banks of the Sandy early in the morning or in the evening, no doubt you’ll see Jurgen there! Jurgen has been generous with his knowledge, providing presentations to chapters across the state on casting spinners.