June 23, 2021

Norm Ritchie Opinion: Time for Tough Conversations

Norm Ritchie is an Association of Northwest Steelheaders board member living in Rockaway Beach, Oregon. He recently published an opinion piece in the Astorian on May 22, 2021 highlighting the need for our legislators to come together and have hard conversations in order to find a solution to save wild salmon and steelhead populations from extinction.
June 23, 2021

Chris Hager Opinion: Remove the Snake River Dams

Chris Hager is the executive director of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders. He was also appointed by Gov. Brown to serve on the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Advisory Committee and volunteers with the local chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. He recently published a letter to the editor in The Columbian on June 20, 2021 highlighting the need for lower Snake River dam removal in order to save wild salmon and steelhead populations from extinction
July 6, 2021

Steelheaders Secure Key Salmon Protections during Oregon’s 2021 Legislative Session

The 2021 Oregon legislative session has officially ended and overall, we were largely successful in securing the key bills and amendments we wanted. We negotiated an amendment legally tying the Columbia River Endorsement fee to a requirement that ODFW keep non-tribal commercial gill nets off the lower Columbia River and publish an annual accounting of what ODFW used the endorsement funding for. Also, after three long years, Board members Tim Lenihan and Bob Oleson got our bill to enhance fishing access for veteran’s angling programs signed into law. We also secured amendments to require weirs on private property are constructed from natural materials and ensured that material from ditch maintenance cannot be dumped into undisturbed wetlands, strengthen the Conservation and Recreation Fund, secure funding for stream restoration and fish screening, and expand the wildlife inspection station program.
July 15, 2021

Restoring America’s Wildlife Act Would Provide Opportunity to Pioneer Bipartisan Conservation

For more than a century, wildlife conservation efforts in America have been predominantly funded with hunting and angling fees. But with increased use, environmental changes, and more sensitive species, funding from permits and license fees is not enough to conserve the vast inventory of at-risk species and their sensitive habitats.
November 29, 2021

Delivering Schools of Salmon: A lifelong investment in wildlife conservation

Fish Eggs to Fry is an educational program of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) that provides salmon and trout eggs to schools for fostering in classroom aquariums. Students get to watch up close as salmon eggs hatch and grow to fry right before their eyes before being released into local waterways.
February 1, 2022

2022 Oregon Short Legislative Session: Northwest Steelheaders Priority Bills & How You Can Help

The Oregon state legislative session begins this month. Our Board of Directors has identified an ambitious list of bills to track during the 2022 legislative session, so we need your help!
June 2, 2022

When it Rains it Pours: Families Hooked on Fishing

The weather on the morning of April 30th, 2022 was indecisive. Patches of blue sky and sun dared everyone to hope that the torrential rain forecasted for the day might just decide to pass on by. At the entrance to Camp Angelos, 15 cars were parked in a line waiting for the clock to strike eight and the gate to open. Students get to watch up close as salmon eggs hatch and grow to fry right before their eyes before being released into local waterways.
July 27, 2022

Climate and Drought Resilience: The Future of Our Waters

When Oregon’s next governor takes office, they are set to inherit a myriad of ecoregions ranging from the temperate rainforests of the Coast and West Cascade mountain ranges to the sagebrush country of the Northern Basin. Almost every ecosystem within these regions is currently experiencing their driest period in 1,200 years.