Adipose
Photo by Chris Ringlee
The
Official Newsletter of the Wild Steelhead Coalition www.WildSteelheadCoalition.org
2011 Membership Drive 2011 marks a fresh, new, action-packed year for the Wild Steelhead Coalition. We recently sent out a mailer to many of you as a reminder that we are seeking 2011 new and renewing memberships. YOU are the WSC; this is your organization. Your membership donations enable the WSC to fulfill our mission of increasing the return of wild steelhead to the waters and rivers of the Pacific Northwest. As a special promotion to entice your support, the names of all 2011 New and Renewing members will be entered into a raffle drawing. One very lucky member will be selected to win a new Sage 7126-4 TCX spey rod. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this ultrahigh-performance, fast-action rod, we’re talking about the famous and coveted “Death Star.” The retail price for this 12’6” 7-weight cannon is $865, but one fortunate WSC member will win this rod for the mere cost of his/her membership donation. Here are the details: One entry will be recorded for each 2011 membership OR donation received by WSC between the dates of January 1st through May 4th. There is no limit to how many times you may enter since you may donate as many times as you like. The minimum accepted donation for a raffle entry is twenty dollars ($20). The winner will be drawn at the WSC Spring Membership Meeting on May 4th. The winner will be announced on the WSC website and Facebook page following that meeting. You can renew your membership or donate to WSC via Pay Pal on the WSC website: www.wildsteelheadcoalition.org/membership.htm
March 2011 A membership form in PDF format is also available on that webpage, if you prefer to snail-mail a check. A copy of the membership form is also included on the last page of this newsletter for your convenience. The annual WSC membership period runs from January through December. If you’re already a member, additional donations will gladly be accepted through the membership page’s “DONATE” link or via direct mailedin contributions. Wild steelhead desperately need a coordinated and informed army of advocates at this time of regulatory budget cuts and reduced environmental protection. WSC’s goal for this year’s membership drive is to maximize our influence regarding wild steelhead preservation through our strength in numbers. As an extra incentive to join, Individual and Family membership dues have been reduced for 2011 and are now just $20 for Individuals, $40 for a Family, $10 for Students and $100 for Clubs/Organizations and Sponsors. Memberships at the Lifetime, Business and Corporate levels are also available and detailed on the WSC website’s Membership page. Additional donations beyond membership dues are also welcome. Remember that as a 501c(3) organization, WSC membership donations are tax-deductible, and may also qualify for matching funds through many employers’ Matching Gift programs. Twelve out of 15 major wild steelhead stocks are listed as endangered. West Coast wild steelhead populations are disappearing at an alarming rate and if more advocates do not join the fight to save them, they will surely be gone forever. This advocacy must come from those who care most about these magnificent fish. To know them is to love them! Let’s work together to reverse this trend. The WSC needs the support of your membership to continue its work on behalf steelhead conservation. Please join us!
WCS’s goal is to maximize our influence through strength in numbers!
Photo by Bob Clay
The President’s Run “Give it your full 10 percent” I was seduced, as I wrote this, by a view of the Olympic Mountains completely enveloped with fresh snow standing in stark contrast to a clear February day. No doubt the glacial river systems—just a hop over the range, but yet so far away—are dropping into shape with pods of wild steelhead pulsing through them. I am still clinging to the image in my mind’s eye of the great tail-out slot I discovered on my last outing there. The main part of the run did not look too good, but since I was on foot I continued to work the water methodically, and the slot was simply discovered by an aggressive, building grab, line screech and then that empty nothingness. I like to think of its discovery as a high sense of intuition without knowing, but really it was plain dumb luck. Since childhood, I often have daydreams of such thoughts and experiences as I gaze towards this alluring range, but then reality set in and I was snapped out of it by an email. I regularly receive Google alerts whenever the words “wild steelhead” runs across the newswires. It helps me stay on top of what’s going on in the steelhead world. This time it provided an alert that a new book, Recovering a Lost River, is being released by northwest author Steve Hawley. His new book covers the topic of salmon recovery and the politics that affect their ability to recover. Although the premise of the book seems to dissect the entrenched sets of political and economic interests vs. heeding what the best available science says to conserve wild salmonids, one quote in particular really hit me in the article: “Fishermen, in particular, if they could spend one-tenth of the time that they spend on the river being active, making one or two phone calls to let their representatives and the agencies know what they would like to see happen, it might make a tremendous difference.” A few hours later I got a note from fellow board member Brian Bennett who wrote to inform the rest of the board to check a posting from the White Fish Can’t Jump conservation blog:
2
“What if every fisherman who values wild fish gave up 10% of their fishing time to tackle conservation issues?” Could this be a new call to action for all of us who have a passion for wild steelhead? Just think how powerful that could be, if all of us, not just a few took the initiative and applied this creed into our angling lives. What if we made it a priority as part of our angling lives? There is no doubt we could make huge gains for wild steelhead. Are you willing to make such a commitment? One of the lessons learned by the WSC is that there are so many issues surrounding the world of steelhead conservation, and we must keep the focus on our priorities while using the best available resources. If we don’t, it creates a tendency to chase our collective tails around various “reactionary” issues that momentarily take our eye off the bigger picture. As a result, the board created a WSC Focus 2010 chart last year, and currently is in the process outlining our focus items for 2011 while evaluating last year’s achieved goals. We have included the WSC Focus 2010 chart again in this Adipose (below) and rated it with levels of completion. How did we do this year? Not too bad, and I would give ourselves a “B” grade. This is due to the fact that we pushed ourselves rather aggressively in relation to our available resources. Some of the longer-term items will carry over into next year or were simply assimilated into another issue before we could begin performing them. I believe the biggest attribute in developing the WSC Focus chart was the fact that it kept many in the organization on the same page, and was a way to communicate what our priorities are within the board as well as to our supporters. For example, the article by Dick Burge on page seven illustrates how our advocacy efforts have paid off by getting a WDFW regulation into place that postpones the allowable harvest of wild steelhead until the middle of February. The previous date for retaining Wild Steelhead was December 1st. This WSC regulation change has cut the season for retention in half. Now the season is from Feb. 16th until the normal closThe Adipose
ing date on the rivers that allow wild retention. This regulatory change provides needed respite to the fish, aiding to rebuild the early component of wild steelhead runs on the coastal rivers of Washington. Additionally, regulatory changes were achieved by our work for further protection rainbow trout, the resident form of wild steelhead, in our anadromous waters. Of course there are going to be new issues that develop out of our focus that require our attention. We currently have a number of these developing issues on our plate, for example: Recent letters to Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife regarding their failure to enact barbless hook rules on the Columbia River, to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission regarding a major flaw in the Major Cycle Rules Proposal process. This flaw, in our view, is affecting the efficiency of conservation rules to be held for review. We also included a letter to NOAA with WSC comments regarding the protection of Puget Sound marine habitat for listed wild steelhead. In closing, I would like to mention that I continue to be impressed with the development of our board, trustees and new Adipose editor. The dedication of these individuals has raised our ability to be more effective for wild steelhead. Chris Ringlee has joined the board as our VP of Conservation, while Dick Burge changes his role to become our VP of Science. Chris’s proactive nature and keen ability to decipher issues has been welcomed and efficacious. Jack Berryman, who as served the board admirably in the role of Past President and helped the current President keep his sanity, will move to and continue to serve the WSC as a Trustee. I would also like to say thanks again to the many other board members and supporters who continue to seize every opportunity for the WSC to get its message across and gain visibility for the plight of wild steelhead and, in turn, engage others to be more involved. Thanks to everyone for an effective 2010 and to a more prosperous 2011 by giving your 10 percent!
Rich Simms, WSC President
The Adipose
3
Fish and Wildlife Director Text a Tip on Fish and to Hold Roundtable Wildlife Violations Discussion in Sedro Woolley
Source:
www.wdfw.wa.gov.news/release.php?id=jul1310a
OLYMPIA - North Puget Sound area When: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 residents can discuss fish and wild- Where: Sedro Woolley Sr. Center 715 Pacific St., life issues with Sedro Woolley, WA Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Phil Anderson and regional WDFW staff in a roundtable meeting March 22 in Sedro Woolley. The public meeting, scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Sedro Woolley Senior Center, 715 Pacific St., will be hosted by the Wildcat Steelhead Club. "I enjoy visiting communities and talking with our stakeholders to get perspectives from as many people as possible about their fish and wildlife interests," said Anderson. The Sedro Woolley meeting will include discussion of WDFW budget challenges and resource-management issues. WDFW staff will answer questions and take comments on fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, habitat protection, enforcement and other fish- and wildlife-related issues. "I encourage area residents to take this opportunity to share their views on fish and wildlife management with WDFW's director and local staff members," said Bob Everitt, WDFW’s North Puget Sound regional director.
WSC Members and all ! T wild steelhead advocates ER are encouraged to attend this L A N meeting on March 22nd! This is a
IO unique opportunity to meet T AC WDFW Director Phil Anderson
directly with and regional
WDFW staff.
Stand up for Wild Steelhead and be proactive. Ask these WDFW representatives about: The WDFW/NOAA Puget Sound Steelhead Recovery plan and what WDFW is specifically doing for Wild Steelhead recovery besides simply closing the rivers?
“We have a limited number of fish and wildlife officers in the field, so the public plays a critical role in protecting our natural resources by reporting violations,” said Chief Bruce Bjork, who heads WDFW’s enforcement program. “Text messaging is a quick and easy way to report violations.” The text reporting system is powered by Minnesotabased Citizen Observer, a private vendor under contract with WDFW. The system removes the texter’s name and replaces it with an alias before the message arrives at WDFW’s communications center, said WDFW Deputy Chief Mike Cenci. When necessary, the system allows the reporting party and the on-duty fish and wildlife officer to exchange text messages in real time, Cenci said. WDFW enforcement officials ask anyone who witnesses a potential violation to collect as much information as possible without confronting the individual under suspicion. Bjork said helpful information includes license plate numbers, vehicle color and make, the type of violation, the time it occurred and a description of the individual or individuals involved. Tips should be sent to 847411 (Tip411). The message must begin with the letters WDFWTIP followed by a space, and then a brief description of the violation and location. Go to http://wdfw.wa.gov/poaching/ for more information about how to report emergency and nonemergency fish and wildlife violations. The site includes instructions for texting, phone numbers and direct links to the email and online reporting options. The site also contains a link to Crime Observation Reporting Training (CORT) provided by the Eyes In the Woods association and WDFW enforcement officers. Violations also can be reported to any WDFW regional office, or by calling the Washington State Patrol Communications Center (see local phone directories).
Join the discussion
How much does the Hatchery operation on Puget Sound rivers cost tax payers? Watch for email regarding additional hatchery-related talking points in preparation for this meeting.
44
@ WildStlhd
Get updates
Receive Action Alerts
The The Adipose Adipose
Steelhead Summit Alliance Hosting Conference on the Future of Native Fisheries on the Elwha River By Marianne Mitchell, SSA Chair
T
tional Park and the WA State Dehe planning and preparations partment of Fish and Wildlife. It for the removal of the two is not apparent upon reading the dams on the Elwha River have been document that a diverse source going on for years, but the actual of opinions on the matter was removal of the dams is now desired nor solicited. This 191 scheduled to begin in Septempage tome can be found on the ber 2011 and it is estimated NW Region NOAA website that it will take a period of (www.nwr.noaa.gov). It may about three years to complete. look somewhat intimidating at In particular, the removal of the first to the layperson, but it is 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam is the very instructive reading. largest dam removal project in the US to date. The contract for the At this crucial juncture the dams removal portion of the project SSA, and in particular the was awarded last fall, and totals When: Saturday, March 12, 2011 Wild Steelhead Coalition, Wild just under $27 million. 9:00 to 3:00 Fish Conservancy and the Where: W. Fisheries Research Cntr. Steelhead Committee of the The removal of the dams is a very 6505 NE 65th St., Seattle FFF, is hosting a conference of exciting event for all of us who are distinguished scientists and writers who will working hard on many fronts to try to restore trapresent diverse points of view on the subditional runs of salmon and steelhead to the rivers ject of Elwha River fish restoration. Particiof the Pacific NW. And the more than 70 miles of pants include some of the authors of the NOAA river and tributaries that will become accessible to report, as well as others with extensive experinative fish runs is certainly a step in the right dience on the subject of managing fisheries for narection. (To learn more about the details of the tive fish restoration and enhancement. project, please visit the Olympic National Park website at www.nps.gov/olym.) Speakers include Jeff Duda (US Geological Services), George Pess, Gary Winans and Barry However, planning heretofore for the future of the Berjikian (NOAA/NMFS), Pat Crain (Olympic NaElwha River, especially as it pertains to the future tional Park) and James Lichatowich, scientist and of our native fisheries has been less than transauthor of the 1999 book, Salmon Without Rivers: parent, and activities are underway that are A History of the Pacific Salmon Crisis. We are already starting to shape the future. In paralso very proud to have Bruce Brown, author of ticular, as noted on the Park website, “a fish the seminal 1982 environmental classic, Mounhatchery on the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s tain in the Clouds: A Search for the Wild Salmon, Reservation is now under construction to reas our luncheon speaker. Tribal members and place the tribe’s existing hatchery.” The conbiologists were invited to participate in this Steelstruction contract for these hatchery facilities, head Summit, but declined the invitation. funded through the Department of the Interior as part of the 2009 Recover Act is $16.6 million, alWe will again be holding our Summit in the conmost as much as is being spent on actual dam reference room at the Western Fisheries Research moval. Center at 6505 NE 65th St. at the junction of Sandpoint Way near the UW on March 12th from The principal document that has been released 9:30 – 3:00. There is no charge to attend pertaining to future fisheries planning was issued and we welcome all who are interested. in April 2008 under a rather mundane name: However, for planning purposes, please “NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-90”, RSVP to me at heritagesea@aol.com. I look otherwise know as the “Elwha River Fish Restoraforward to seeing you all there. tion Plan.” The authors of this document include fisheries biologists from NOAA/NMFS, Olympic Na-
The Adipose
5
Wild rainbow trout critical to health of steelhead populations Source: http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2011/jan/wild-rainbow-trout-critical-health-steelhead-populations CORVALLIS, Ore. 01/31/11— Genetic research is showing that healthy steelhead runs in Pacific Northwest streams can depend heavily on the productivity of their stay-athome counterparts, rainbow trout. Steelhead and rainbow trout look different, grow differently, and one heads off to sea while the other never leaves home. But the life histories and reproductive WSC is an active health of wild trout and advocate of greater steelhead are tightly linked protection for and interdependent, more so than has been appreciresident trout ated, a new Oregon State for the reasons University study concludes.
affirmed by this study.
The research could raise new challenges for fishery managers to pay equally close attention to the health, stability and habitat of wild rainbow trout, the researchers say, because healthy steelhead populations may require healthy trout populations. In a field study in Hood River, Ore., researchers used DNA analysis to determine that up to 40 percent of the genes in returning steelhead came from wild rainbow trout, rather than other steelhead. And only 1 percent of the genes came from “residualized” hatchery fish — fish that had stayed in the stream and mated, but not gone to sea as intended by the hatchery program. “It used to be thought that coastal rainbow trout and steelhead were actually two different fish species, but we’ve known for some time that isn’t true,” said Mark Christie, an OSU postdoctoral research associate and expert in fish genetic analysis. “What’s remarkable about these findings is not just that these are the same fish species, but the extent to which they interbreed, and how important wild trout are to the health of steelhead populations.” This research, just published in the journal Molecular Ecology, was based on a 15-year analysis of 12,725 steelhead from Oregon’s Hood River, each of which was sampled to determine its genetic background and parentage. It was supported by funding from the Bonneville Power Administration. The study reveals a complex picture of wild trout and steelhead intermingling as they reproduce. A steelhead might be produced by the spawning of two steelhead, two wild trout, or a returning steelhead and a trout.
6
Rainbow trout are small to moderate-sized fish in most rivers, but if that same fish migrates to the ocean it can return as a huge steelhead weighing 30 pounds or more, prized for sport fishing. Researchers still don’t know exactly why some trout choose to go to the ocean and others don’t, although they believe at least some part of the equation is genetic. Studies of rainbow trout and steelhead have been undertaken, in part, to better understand the implications of hatcheries. Including all salmonid species, more than one billion hatchery salmon are released into Pacific Northwest streams each year. And because hatcheries produce fish that are less able to survive and successfully reproduce in the wild, there is concern about hatchery fish mating with wild fish. “One implication of this study is that the genetic contribution by wild trout is diluting the input of genes from hatchery fish to the wild steelhead population,” said Michael Blouin, an OSU professor of zoology and co-author on this study. “The genetic influences of hatchery fish on wild steelhead populations are still a concern,” Blouin said. “But the good news from the Hood River is that the hatchery genes are being diluted more than we thought, and thus may not be having as much impact on dragging down the fitness of the wild steelhead.” The genetic influence of wild rainbow trout, the scientists said, is roughly cutting in half the genetic input of hatchery fish that reproduce in the wild — a mitigation of their impact that’s of some importance. The scientists cautioned that results from one river might not be representative of all steelhead populations. Nevertheless, Christie said, “The importance of trout in maintaining steelhead runs should not be underestimated. “They can act as a healthy genetic reservoir and preserve reproductive populations during years when ocean conditions make steelhead survival very difficult,” he said. “So a good way of looking at it is, whatever is good for wild rainbow trout is also good for steelhead.” Worth noting, the researchers said, is that most other salmonids, such as coho or chinook salmon, do not have this type of fall-back system to help produce fish with a higher capability of surviving. As such, they may be more vulnerable than steelhead to the concerns about genetic weaknesses produced by hatchery fish.
The Adipose
WSC Efforts Secure Important Protection for Early Winter Steelhead Runs on the Olympic Peninsula During the WDFW Major Regulation Cycle of 2009, the WSC proposed a harvest closure of wild steelhead during the early winter months (December, January and half of February) that allowed fishing to continue by catch and release. That proposal was adopted by the WDFW Commission and became a formal regulation last year.
Photo by Chris Ringlee
By Dick Burge, WSC VP of Science
The following is a rewrite of the justification the WSC provided WDFW to justify this new regulation:
H
istorical WDFW and tribal records show there were large wild steelhead runs in most west side rivers during the early winter months (December, January and February) in Washington and British Columbia. These early runs were equal to and often greater than the late runs of March and April which dominate today. The decline and often loss of this early run due to over harvest is a major reason for the decline of wild steelhead runs since the 1940’s and 1950’s. Genetic studies from other areas show that these individual seasonal runs are different; hence the early run will not recover from recruitment from straying from the other seasonal runs.
The decline of the early winter run has been described in the literature by many authors/researchers as primarily due to the introduction of hatchery fish in the 1960/70’s. A mixed stock fishery developed for the early timed hatchery and wild fish which attracted new fishing effort and increased the harvest of steelhead. The fishery goal for the hatchery runs was to take as many as possible. However, because no controls were imposed on the take of wild fish, and their runs were smaller than the returning hatchery fish, they slowly declined due to overharvest to the depleted populations we have today.
The Adipose
Seasonal run timing (such as the summer, early winter and late winter runs) and the abundance of each run is one of the most important diversity traits of wild steelhead. Healthy seasonal runs help to maintain the total stock health, total annual run size and spatial distribution of steelhead in each river system. The early winter runs were known to migrate higher into the watershed during high winter flows and spawn in these areas. The depletion of the early run means that the winter run survival is dependent almost entirely on the late run. Steelhead run diversity, such as seasonal runs and the range in years that the fry stay in the rivers and adults stay in the ocean, also protects stocks against catastrophic natural and anthropomorphic damages. If a portion of a run is temporarily damaged by a landslide, summer drought, heavy flooding, heavy sediment input from logging, etc., the run will survive because fish from other seasonal runs and other brood years are still at sea. Protecting and improving the diversity traits of wild steelhead is one of the major keys to maintaining and rebuilding wild steelhead stocks in all rivers.
77
WSC pushes for Barbless hooks on the Lower Columbia By Chris Ringlee
T
he Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission has put aside the best science available regarding barbed hook mortality and has adopted the use of barbed hooks on the Lower Columbia River. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife had implemented barbless hook regulations on the lower Columbia but was forced to change the regulations to voluntary based on the conflicting regulations between Oregon and Washington anglers. Oregon and Washington have worked in cooperation together for nearly 100 years to create non-conflicting regulations and policies regarding the Columbia River fishery. However, Oregon negates this hard work and interstate alliance by refusing to adopt a set of regulations to help reduce fish mortality on ESA-listed Columbia River salmon and steelhead.
8
The WSC was discouraged by the use of barbed hooks that negatively impact Washington, Oregon and Idaho’s ESA listed fish and sent a letter requesting that ODFW Commission reevaluate its stance on the use of barbless hooks on the Lower Columbia. The Columbia River currently has 12 ESA-listed runs of Steelhead, Chinook, Coho, Chum, Sockeye, and Bull Trout. The WSC will continue to work hard on behalf of Columbia Steelhead and hopes that the ODFW Commission looks at the science regarding barbed hooks and adopts a barbless hook regulation for the jointly used lower Columbia River.
The Adipose
Livestock Grazing Halted to Protect Steelhead On a Quarter-million Acres of the Malheur National Forest Source: Western Watersheds Project http://www.westernwatersheds.org/news-media/news-release/2010/12/30/livestock-grazing-halted-protect-steelhead-quarter-million-acres-
PORTLAND, Ore. 12/30/10- A federal judge today barred livestock grazing harmful to endangered steelhead on more than a quarter-million acres of public land on the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon. District Judge Ancer Haggerty ordered the U.S. Forest Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to reconsider the effects of the federal agencies’ grazing plan on native steelhead streams before grazing can resume. According to Judge Haggerty, grazing has harmed steelhead by damaging the streams they depend on. The court’s order prohibits the Forest Service from allowing grazing on a vast area, including nearly 200 miles of critical steelhead habitat, until the agency complies with the Endangered Species Act. Along another 100 miles of steelhead streams, the court ordered the Forest Service to continue to carry out protective measures it approved during the last two years. The judge also ordered the Forest Service to comply with its steelhead habitat monitoring obligations under the National Forest Management Act and the Malheur Forest Plan before resuming grazing. Today’s court order is the result of long-running challenges to Forest Service grazing by the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA), Center for Biological Diversity, and Western Watersheds Project that began in 2003. It follows Judge Haggerty’s June 2010 ruling that the Forest Service’s grazing plan violated the Endangered Species Act and National Forest Management Act along more than 300 miles of steelhead streams in the John Day River Basin. “Today’s decision puts the responsibility for protecting steelhead squarely on the agencies,” said Brent Fenty, ONDA’s executive director. “The court makes clear that the agencies have to make steelhead protection their highest priority, and that they cannot let riparian grazing continue until the agencies create a plan that complies with the law.” In his ruling earlier this year, Judge Haggerty noted evidence that stream side grazing failed to meet ecological standards designed to conserve steelhead. The standards, established by the Forest Service and NMFS, are meant to protect the key elements of healthy fish streams: stable stream banks and overhanging vegetation that keep streams clear and cold. The Forest Service’s grazing program has damaged stream banks much more severely than is allowed under federal standards.
The Adipose
“This decision insures that the Forest Service must give up its business-as-usual grazing management,” said Jon Marvel, executive director of Western Watersheds Project. “There will be no grazing on hundreds of miles of important fish streams until the Forest Service and NMFS can guarantee that grazing will not harm steelhead.” Judge Haggerty’s order is the latest in a series of decisions that have resulted in significant protections for threatened steelhead. The judge issued a preliminary ruling in 2008 barring grazing on two allotments, which protected more than 90 miles of steelhead streams. In 2009, the court imposed strong conditions to restrict grazing and limit damage to streams. In the places where the court’s orders have prevented grazing during the past two years, even a single year of rest has allowed for significant initial recovery of riparian plant communities, stream channels, and fish habitat. “Suspending grazing on more than 200 miles of stream on the Malheur National Forest will not just benefit endangered steelhead, but numerous other wildlife species dependent on healthy rivers for their survival,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director for Center for Biological Diversity. “It will also benefit the public by improving water quality and recreational opportunities, such as fishing, bird-watching and boating. Numerous studies have conclusively demonstrated that there is no compatible use of riparian areas by livestock.” The Malheur National Forest is located in eastern Oregon’s Blue Mountains. It includes portions of the Upper John Day, Middle Fork John Day, North Fork John Day, and Malheur Rivers. The 281-mile long John Day River is the second longest undammed river in the continental United States. The river and its hundreds of miles of tributary streams on the Malheur National Forest provide spawning, rearing and migratory habitat for the largest naturally spawning, native stock of wild steelhead remaining in the Columbia River basin.
9
2010 Financial Summary By Nathan Keen, WSC Treasurer 2010 saw the organization increase its net assets by just over $9,000. The highlight of the year was a $10,000 donation from Patagonia to support the work of Bill McMillan on his Historical Distribution and Abundance of Columbia River Steelhead & Salmon project. Our annual fundraiser and banquet, while profitable to the organization, was hampered by the overall decline in the economy. As such, WSC will utilize several smaller fundraisers in 2011 to raise funds without using extra resources of both time and money. Our budget for 2011 reflects the average financial activity over the past several years. We expect most of our income to come from membership activity and donations from corporate matching programs and other conservation minded organizations. The organization embarked on funding a new website in late 2010 and the Washington Fly Fishing Club Foundation has supported this effort with a $2,000 donation in early 2011. A statement of activities, which summarizes our income and expense for 2010, is shown below. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at: Treasurer@WildSteelheadCoalition.org
WSC Becomes 1% for the Planet Nonprofit Partner By Jack Berryman, WSC Trustee
The Wild Steelhead Coalition has been approved as a 1% for the Planet nonprofit partner and will join a network of over 2,000 nonprofit organizations doing great work on the ground to help the planet. Information on the WSC has been entered into the 1% for the Planet database and can be viewed by all participating companies online through the non-profit section of their website: www.onepercentfortheplanet.org As a newly approved partner, the WSC has added the 1% for the Planet logo to our website. This logo will denote that the WSC is eligible to receive donations from 1% members. The WSC has begun to search the member companies database for those in our geographic area and/or having interests relative to our mission. We are reaching out to these companies introducing the WSC, providing a brief summary of our focus, and a link to our website. If you know of 1% for the Planet companies that may have an interest in the work of the WSC, please let us know. Better yet, if you work for one, talk to your employer about the WSC.
Fly Tying Desk to be Auctioned for WSC Online auction will be kick-off event for new website launch. Steve Burns built this tying desk as a generous donation for WSC. He has been a WSC member since 2000, and has been building furniture as a hobby for over 30 years. This desk took approximately four months to build, working off and on during weekends on days that were too cold and windy to fish. The desk is made from Red Oak with Mortise and Tenon joints, and finished with a clear Urethane. This beautiful and functional desk will be offered for bidding on an online auction kick-off event for the launch of WSC’s new website in sometime in April. Stay tuned for details.
10
The Adipose
By Jack Berryman, WSC Trustee The Wild Steelhead Coalition has received a $2,000 grant from the Washington Fly Fishing Club Foundation earmarked for the improvement and enhancement of our website. Greg Crumbaker, president of the WFFC Foundation, said his members recognized the important conservation work being done by the WSC as well as the crucial need to get our message out to more people through an updated and expanded website. The WFFC have been staunch supporters of wild steelhead over the years and several WSC members are also WFFC members. In the past, the WFFC has financed bus transportation for members to attend hearings to testify in support of wild steelhead and have given similar grants to the Steelhead Committee of the Federation of Fly Fishers to support their website as well as their journal dedicated to the preservation of wild steelhead, The Osprey. The WSC thanks the WFFC and its Foundation for their commitment to the future of wild steelhead.
New WSC Alaska Regional Representative, Dave Little WSC has increased its geographical reach with the addition of its first regional representative in Alaska. Dave Little lives in Anchorage, Alaska with his wife and two children. Dave's father taught him how to fly fish in Michigan on the famed Au Sable River, birthplace of Trout Unlimited. Last year, Dave's five-year-old caught his first salmon on a fly rod by himself. Dave is an active member of Trout Unlimited, Renewable Resource Coalition, and the Federation of Fly Fishers. A professional educator, Dave teaches Fly Fishing at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and has been an Alaskan fly fishing guide. When asked about his involvement with the Wild Steelhead Coalition, Dave said, "the WSC blends with my personal philosophy of protecting our resources, for my children, and all Alaskans." Dave's WSC/Alaska goal is to educate Alaskans on this diminishing and fragile fishery with hopes that it will lead each person in becoming an assertive steward of their home water. "Many folk believe that Alaska has an inexhaustible fishery, and that's not the case" Dave added. The Adipose
New V.P. of Conservation, Chris Ringlee As a lifelong resident of Washington, I caught my first steelhead by accident on the Quinault River when I was six years old. That first wild steelhead changed my life. While I never intended to become a full blown steelhead bum, many of my friends call me that, with the ongoing joke that I live, breathe, but don’t eat Steelhead. My formal education is from the University of North Dakota in Aeronautics. I hold three Commercial Pilot Certificates and three Flight Instructor Certificates; using the certificates to instruct Chinese Airline students and fly float planes in Bristol Bay Alaska. My summer job during college was working as a fly fishing guide at Alagnak Lodge, and I now have spent six seasons professionally guiding in Bristol Bay at Tikchik Narrows Lodge and most recently Mission Lodge. Spending the last 20 years of my life chasing steelhead throughout Washington has shown me the perils these fish face, and how wild steelhead desperately need our help. Working for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conducting Steelhead and Chinook bycatch research has solidified my passion to work on behalf of wild steelhead conservation. I look forward to serving on the Board of Directors, using my enthusiasm to spread wild steelhead conservation issues and data far beyond our accomplishments to date.
Did You Know...? The Wild Steelhead Coalition is an ALL VOLUNTEER organization. The Wild Steelhead Coalition is the ONLY organization solely dedicated to the future of wild steelhead.
Photo by Mike Morgan
WSC Receives $2,000 Grant
The WSC recommends that anglers DO NOT RELEASE HATCHERY FISH unless required by regulation. Releasing hatchery fish is a detriment to WILD steelhead.
11
Save the Date: WSC’s Spring Membership Meeting May 4, 2011 6:00-9:00 P.M. Graham Visitor’s Center UW Arboretum Seattle, WA Mark your calendars for the next membership meeting. The event will be held on May 4th at 6:00 PM at a new location called the Graham Visitors Center in the UW Arboretum. Food and drinks will be hosted by the WSC. Program Topic: Impacts of Hatchery Steelhead on Wild Steelhead in the Skagit River Watershed By: Dave Pflug, Sr. Fisheries Biologist, Seattle City Light Program Synopsis: Three organizations, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Skagit River System Cooperative (Skagit Tribes) and Seattle City Light formed a partnership to pursue a Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant* to better understand how hatchery steelhead maybe effecting wild steelhead populations in the Skagit River watershed. There are several ways for impacts to express themselves; genetic impacts on wild stocks through interbreeding with hatchery steelhead, habitat competition while juveniles, predation on wild steelhead juveniles by hatchery smolts or direct competition for prey items by hatchery smolts, and potential over-stocking of hatchery smolts that may be contributing to declines in wild stocks. By answering these questions, we can adjust hatchery steelhead programs so as to reduce these impacts, which should result in increased abundance of the natural steelhead stocks.
steelhead in the Skagit watershed are composed of a single homogeneous stock or if individual stocks of steelhead exist. The outcome of this genetic work may have profound effects on how federally listed steelhead from the Skagit are managed and hopefully recovered in the future. The third part of the study focuses on the collection of basic migratory behavior data from adult steelhead gained from acoustically tagging and monitoring the movement of steelhead prior to, during after spawning. For additional information, an article highlighting this study, titled “Wild Steelhead Research on the Sauk and Skagit Rivers” was featured in on pages 5-6 of the November 2010 issue of The Adipose. (Read the article at www.wildsteelheadcoalition.org/adipose.html) Graham Visitors Center in the UW Arboretum 2300 Arboretum Drive E, Seattle, 98112 www.depts.washington.edu/uwbg/docs/ArboretumMap.jpg
The second component of the study involves collection of basic genetic information needed to determine whether
12
The Adipose
The Adipose
13
Membership Application Please fill out clearly and mail check to: Wild Steelhead Coalition, 218 Main Street, Box #264, Kirkland, WA 98033 Make checks payable to Wild Steelhead Coalition Full Name:____________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________ Phone #:___________________________ Email Address:______________________________ Membership Options: Renewal New Membership
Student Individual Family Club/Organization Sponsor Lifetime Business:
$ 10 (Must provide copy of student ID) $ 20 $ 40 $ 100 $ 200 $1,000
Gold $1,000Silver $500 Bronze $250
Corporate: Gold $10,000
Silver $5,000 Bronze $2,000
In order for the Wild Steelhead Coalition to be successful it needs membership involvement and volunteers. Please provide the following information: 1. What type of activity or committee would you be interested in participating in?
______________________________________________________________________________ 2. What type of skills or experience do you have that could lend value to the WSC?
______________________________________________________________________________ Signature: ___________________________________ Questions? Contact VP-Membership@WildSteelheadCoalition.org KL 2011
14
The Adipose
WSC Membership & Renewals: The annual WSC membership period runs from January - December of each year. Your Membership dues payment enables the WSC to fulfill our mission of increasing the return of wild steelhead to the waters and rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
To JOIN or RENEW your membership, go to: www.WildSteelheadcCalition.org/newmember.htm Already a member, or just want to donate? ...general DONATIONS can also be made using the same link on the Membership webpage. Questions? Contact Jim Schmitz, V.P. of Membership at: VP-Membership@WildSteelheadCoalition.org
Board of Directors President Rich Simms rks57@yahoo.com, 425-789-1916
VP Membership Jim Schmitz lostriver99@yahoo.com, 253-759-0477
Past President Jack Berryman cohojack@hotmail.com, 425-821-1774
VPs Fundraising Brian Bennett brian_bennett@patagonia.com, 253-946-6722
VP Science Dick Burge fskibum@olypen.com, 360-765-3815
Treasurer
The Wild Steelhead Coalition is a Federally-Recognized 501c(3) organization;
Nathan Keen Treasurer@wildsteelheadcoalition.org 425-343-7590
VP Communications
as such, your donation is completely tax deductible and may qualify for matching funds through your employer. An easy way to increase the impact of your donation is to have your employer match it. Thousands of companies have Matching Gift Programs that will double, or even triple, individual tax-deductible contributions made by their employees. Check with your personnel office to find our about your company’s program. They will give you a matching gift form that you can fill out and send to us with your contribution.
Jonathan Stumpf jonathanstumpf@gmail.com, 303-918-8802
VP Conservation Chris Ringlee Cringlee@gmail.com, 253-318-9876
VP Political Affairs Jim Holland hollandjim@hotmail.com, 206-713-1866
VPs At-Large Richard Hunt richard@obwilliams.com, 425-745-2539 Bob Young fishbum@seanet.com, 206-323-2189 Ryan Petzold ryanpetzold@msn.com, 425-238-4903
Secretary Jon Velikanji jvelikanji@qwest.net, 206-522-4112
Trustees Frank Amato Nate Mantua John MdGlenn Bill Bakke
Les Johnson Dylan Tomine Bob Margulis
Regional Reps Region 6 North Bob Ball rball@olypen.com, 360-374-2091 Region 4 Rob Endsley rendsley@earthlink.net, 360-961-2116 Region 5 & 6 South Ron Nanney ssteelhedr@wwest.net, 360-484-3409 Region 3 Steve Worley worleybugger@elltel.net, 509-962-2033
The Wild Steelhead Coalition was founded in 2000, and is dedicated to increasing the return of wild steelhead to waters of the Pacific Northwest. Beliefs of the WSC: Wild steelhead are an important legacy to the Pacific Northwest and have undeniably been reduced to a fraction of their once historical capacity. Over harvest, habitat degradation, poor hatchery practices, construction of impassable barriers to migration, and misguided management strategies have all contributed significantly to the decline, and in some cases extinction, of wild fish runs. Without a change in policies and attitudes, these same factors will continue to reduce and extirpate wild steelhead.
The Adipose
E. Wash., N. Idaho, W. Montana Mike Mathis michaelmjmathis@comcast.net 509-927-6733 Alaska Dave Little little_david@asdk12.org
Adipose Editor Kim Lyons 425-489-9784 rivertrance@frontier.com
The Adipose is the quarterly newsletter of the Wild Steelhead Coalition.
15