Tim Lenihan Proposes Bill for Group Hunting and Fishing Licenses

January 15, 2020

Tim Lenihan Proposes Bill for Group Hunting and Fishing Licenses

Tim Lenihan, a combat veteran and dedicated Northwest Steelheaders member, testified in front of the Senate Veterans Committee on November 20, 2019, to propose a draft bill (LC 55) that would benefit Oregon hunters and anglers by reducing the financial burden of licensing on disadvantaged groups. Similar to a program already implemented in Washington, the draft bill calls for a program wherein the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife would issue group hunting, angling, and shellfish licenses to qualifying non-profit programs. Group licenses would be granted to organizations providing support to veterans, active service members, underprivileged and at-risk youth, and those that are hospitalized or have disabilities, among others. Currently, participants are required to purchase licenses for hunting and fishing programs themselves.

February 3, 2020

Northwest Steelheaders Submits Testimony on Columbia River Management Reform

On February 1, Northwest Steelheaders submitted testimony to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission concerning setbacks in lower mainstem Columbia River fisheries management reform policies. The testimony is a direct response to the March 2, 2019, decision by the commission to abandon two crucial principles that Northwest Steelheaders fought for in the reform policies: (1) Improve the selectivity and conservation value of lower mainstem non-treaty commercial salmon fisheries through the replacement of gillnet fisheries with alternative mark-selective, live-release fisheries, and (2) Optimize the economic and social benefits to our region through the prioritization of recreational fisheries on the mainstem.

February 18, 2020

2020 Columbia River Salmon Agreement Abandons Protection Principles

Last Friday afternoon the Oregon and Washington departments of Fish and Wildlife announced an agreement on allocation and gear types for Columbia River salmon fisheries in 2020. Notwithstanding poor run-size forecasts for ESA-listed salmon and steelhead populations, which will severely restrict seasons, the agreement calls for increasing commercial gill net harvests at the expense of public recreational fishing opportunity, and will potentially allow commercial netting on the mainstem during the spring season for the first time since 2016. Northwest Steelheaders is extremely disappointed in this agreement, which continues a disturbing trend to undermine the fundamental principles and commitments embodied in the 2012 Columbia River Reform package.

April 23, 2020

Keith Hyde’s Mission: Bring New Faces to Fishing

Hyde’s perspective on life and his passion for fishing changed after a long fight with stage four squamous cell cancer, which is a form of throat cancer. As a survivor, he began to more deeply consider his role in the world and the legacy he wants to leave behind. “I started thinking to myself, like, Why me? With this low survivability rate? I'm no one. I'm no one special. I'm no different than any other person. So why did God choose me to survive? I have no idea. But I felt like there has to be some reason.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I truly believe now that the reason is to promote the outdoors, to take people fishing, to enhance fisheries to provide opportunities for people to fish down the road. So now that's what I tried to do. That's kind of my deal. And I try to drag as many people along with me as I can.”

July 7, 2020

Harnessing the Power of Community for the Common Good

As president of the Columbia River Chapter for 6 years, my members have never ceased to amaze me. Every event, community project, fish along—you name it—starts with an idea from one chapter member. From there, other members start adding their two cents and a tangible plan starts to form. A few phone calls are made to friends, family, and acquaintances and suddenly there’s a network made up of skilled individuals geared towards achieving one goal. All of the pieces fall into place and volunteers show up excited and ready to help accomplish the project.

November 25, 2020

America’s Conservation Enhancement Act Prioritizes Fisheries Conservation and Community Involvement

Just before the election, Congress came together to enact a landmark piece of environmental legislation. With overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle, the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act (ACE) passed, ensuring hundreds of millions of dollars will be used for specific and actionable conservation goals in collaboration with key stakeholders in the years to come.

December 11, 2020

A Year in Review: Making Strides in 2020 with Your Dedicated Support

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that our community of recreational anglers is resilient. Your overwhelming support for our campaigns and programs proved that, as a community, we can adapt to change, support one another from a safe distance, and push for bold conservation goals. Through it all, you made fighting for the survival of salmon and steelhead a priority.