Tim Lenihan Urges Oregon Legislature to Pass Bill for Veterans Group Fishing Licenses

February 5, 2021

Tim Lenihan Urges Oregon Legislature to Pass Bill for Veterans Group Fishing Licenses

On February 9, Northwest Steelheaders Board Member and combat veteran Tim Lenihan will testify before the Senate Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness to advocate for SB 320, a bill that would authorize group fishing licenses for nonprofits serving veterans. This would eliminate a significant barrier to entry for many veterans and active-duty military: the cost of an individual fishing license.

February 6, 2021

2021 Oregon Legislative Session: Northwest Steelheaders Priority Bills & How You Can Help

The Oregon state legislative session began last month, and it is already shaping up to be a busy year. Our Board of Directors has identified an ambitious list of bills to track during the 2021 legislative session, so we need your help!

February 7, 2021

Idaho Rep. Simpson Introduces Historic Salmon Recovery Plan for the Columbia River Basin

Northwest Steelheaders has been waiting for this moment for over 48 years. Today, U.S. Representative Simpson (R-ID) announced a groundbreaking proposal for a comprehensive $33.5 billion infrastructure package to recover Columbia River salmon and steelhead by restoring a free-flowing lower Snake River.

February 22, 2021

Angling For Advocacy Fundraiser Kicks off March 1st to Support Salmon & Steelhead Conservation

From March 1st through 7th, the Association of Northwest Steelheaders will be raffling 13 world-class fishing trips with premier Northwest guides to support angling advocacy. Our guides have generously donated their time and expertise to help you learn new techniques and develop a deeper understanding of Pacific Northwest fisheries and why their conservation is so important. If you win one of our trips, we can guarantee that it’ll be the trip of a lifetime! Our guides include Jordan Knigge, Big Dave, Chris Vertopoulos, Jack and Brandon Glass, Kevin Anderson, Damon Struble, Bill Taylor, Trevor Storlie, Herman Fleishman, Kevin Larson, Ciara Lambert, and Bill Woods. Find the details for each trip at the button below.

March 17, 2021

Why Should We Remove the Lower Snake River Dams? Your Questions Answered

At one point, 50% of salmon returning to the Columbia River Basin spawned in the Snake River or its tributaries. Today, only 1% of these salmon return to their spawning grounds as adults to reproduce. Each interaction a juvenile salmon has with a dam reduces their chance of returning to the Columbia River as an adult by 10%. Snake River salmon have to pass eight dams during migration: four on the lower Snake River and four on the mainstem Columbia River, bringing their chance of returning as adults to just 20%. Removing the lower Snake River dams will remove half of the major obstacles blocking fish migration to and from their spawning grounds.

March 24, 2021

Sandy River Chapter Nominates Still Creek for Wild & Scenic Status in Draft Bill

Last year, over 2,500 Oregonians submitted river and stream nominations for inclusion in Senators Wyden and Merkeley’s River Democracy Act, which is intended to add about 4,700 river miles to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Co-President of the Sandy River Chapter Greg Reed and Board Member Norm Ritchie advocated for the inclusion of Still Creek, a tributary of the Zig Zag River in the Sandy River Basin, and succeeded in adding it to the list of streams in the bill.

April 23, 2021

A Lot is at Stake for Oregon’s Forests and Rivers Over the Next 70 Years

The Oregon Department of Forestry is drafting a Habitat Conservation Plan that will manage 85% of state-owned forests. This plan will guide forest practices over the next 70 years, mainly in Tillamook and Clatsop counties.

May 1, 2021

Oregon Congressman Blumenauer’s Support for Simpson’s Salmon Concept Builds Momentum to Move Jobs, Energy, and Infrastructure Package Forward

Representative Blumenauer (D-Ore.) joined Representative Simpson (R-Idaho) in calling for strategic investments to ensure the Pacific Northwest’s salmon and steelhead avoid extinction, revitalize rural economies and communities, and modernize regional energy and transportation infrastructure.