When Forests Burn, Do Salmon Suffer?

November 19, 2020

When Forests Burn, Do Salmon Suffer?

For millions of years, fires have served as a source of natural regeneration in western U.S. forests. The fires salmon experienced before the widespread settlement of the west, however, were very different from the increasingly common catastrophic megafires they face today. Fueled by a century of fire suppression and drought, the wildfires that raged through the west this year wreaked havoc on many communities. Salmon communities may be some of the quickest to bounce back.

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 2, 2020

Eugene Register-Guard: Jump Starting Salmon Recovery

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 an opinion piece in the Eugene Register-Guard combatting misinformation about the impact sportfishing harvest have on wild endangered salmon populations. It was originally published on December 1, 2020 and is copied below for reference.

December 9, 2020

Fish Eggs to Fry Goes Virtual

Our program has received overwhelming support from educators, ODFW staff, and volunteers from Northwest Steelheaders, the Oregon affiliate partner of NWF. Together, we delivered 11,400 Chinook salmon eggs to 29 schools and partners for a total of 38 aquariums across the Portland-Metro region. However, with the transition to online learning this year, our new virtual resources have expanded the Fish Eggs to Fry program’s reach far beyond the state of Oregon. Now, students don’t even have to leave the house to experience the magic of the salmon life cycle!

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.

December 18, 2020

The Elwha: A Roadmap for River Restoration Across the Northwest Region

The Glines Canyon and Elwha dams on the Elwha River limited salmon and steelhead access to a mere 5 miles of spawning habitat–resulting in the imminent extinction of the awe-inspiring, hefty Elwha chinook. The decades-long fight to remove these dams provides a road map for other dam removals in the region, potentially even the lower Snake River dams.

December 30, 2020

Leaky Waders? Don’t Toss Them! 6 Tips For Repurposing Old Waders

Most of us have been there. After using a pair of neoprene waders for several years, they reach a point that no matter what you do to try to patch them, they still leak. You finally get tired of wet pants and invest in a new pair. So what happens to the old leaky pair? Most probably end up in a landfill where they will likely stay intact till the end of time. But given the fact that this material is so durable and elastic, old waders can be recycled into a host of useful and durable items.

January 11, 2021

High Water and Small Creeks: Winter Steelhead Fishing on Oregon’s North Coast

It was the beginning of what would be a turbulent year, but the only thing on my mind last January was how I was going to catch a steelhead during an almost month-long high-water event. All the rivers within my reach were blown out (too murky to fish) and many were flooded. As a dedicated winter steelhead fisherman, however, I wasn’t about to let that stop me. I came up with a plan to scout out potential tributaries at a higher elevation in the watershed than the main rivers, knowing they would be the first bodies of water to clear up.