Our first virtual fishing derby & auction, Clackamas hatchery broodstock, our new voter guide, internships, and a wildlife photo contest! ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Dear supporter,

The Clackamas Hatchery needs your help!

Over 450 of your fellow Oregonians have shown their support for collecting new broodstock for the ODFW Clackamas Spring Chinook program, but the fight isn’t over. We need your voice to make it happen! 

The Clackamas River once held an iconic spring Chinook run that provided an incredible opportunity for anglers in the Portland metro area. That run has dwindled over the past decade, so much so that only 10 hatchery spring Chinook were harvested between 2018 and 2019. Collecting new broodstock will improve fish fitness and ability to survive migration, increase production capacity for the hatchery, and result in better fishing opportunities on the Clackamas River.

Speak up for the Clackamas Hatchery today! The public comment period ends August 31st.

Forward we go, together.




Chris Hager, Executive Director

 

Support Environmental Education with Our First Virtual Fundraiser!

Northwest Steelheaders has come a long way over the past 60 years, and this year, we’re excited to usher in a new era of growth and change. Our theme, Crossing Boundaries, represents our fearless and resolute commitment to deconstruct the physical, social, and economic barriers that recreational angling faces in 2020… and we’re not just dipping our toes in, we’re diving headlong into the whitewater!

From September 26th through October 4th, our fundraising efforts will support our mission to activate a conservation ethic in both novice and seasoned anglers. This starts with our work to provide environmental education to kids by overcoming financial obstacles for schools and families. We aim to do this by extending the reach of our Fish Eggs to Fry program, offering Family Fish Camp scholarships in increasing numbers and partnering with organizations that promote underserved communities in outdoor spaces.

Further, we are launching our brand new Women’s Program, which is built to bridge the divide between outdoorsmen and women and offer new female anglers a safe place to hone their skills and learn from female mentors.

Our goal this year is to invite fresh perspectives to sportfishing and give anglers the tools to fight tooth and nail alongside us for the restoration of salmon and steelhead populations in the Pacific Northwest. Together, we dare to cross these boundaries into new waters. Join us!

Registration opens September 1st!

Events Schedule

 

Our Advocacy Tacklebox Now Includes Resources for Voting!

In November, we will be voting for new federal and state legislators, as well as other elected positions. The Advocacy Tacklebox provides links to trusted resources so you can learn which Senate and House seats are up for election and which candidates are running for seats in your district. You can learn about candidates' legislative histories and priorities, including salmon recovery and recreational fishing opportunities. Learn more

 
 

The Fish That Unites Us

Centering Indigenous Perspectives of Salmon in Fisheries Management

By Betsy Emery, Advocacy and Campaign Manager

The relationship between northwest Tribes and salmon is significant—so significant, in fact, that many groups refer to themselves as “Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum” or “Salmon People.” The salmon, however, are declining, forcing the "Salmon People" to change their religious and cultural practices. 

“It’s not only the decline of fish, but the removal of us from our rivers. We have to make trips to get the few fish that we can legally catch. Our grandparents and great grandparents used to go dipnet [salmon] right out of the river to feed their entire families,” said Bobby Mercier, Language and Cultural Specialist at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. “Now our entire Tribe is allowed to harvest 15 salmon each year from the river.”

First Salmon Ceremonies were historically timed with the spring arrival of salmon to Tribal groups along the river. Now, many Tribes plan these ceremonies many months in advance given uncertainties about if or when salmon might return from their 400+ mile migration from the ocean, through the Columbia and up the Willamette hydrosystem to the Grand Ronde Reservation.

“Our [First Salmon] Ceremony is being planned now for specific dates. Instead of harvesting a fish from the river for the ceremony, we sometimes have to use fish from the market or the freezer,” Mercier said. “It is absolutely not the same. We are paying homage to the fish, but we are not doing it the natural way. It defeats the purpose of us honoring the specific fish that is returning to us.”

It is time for our river managers to pay more attention to Indigenous perspectives and restore an ethic of reciprocity and respect for salmon to fisheries management. Framing our management decisions in the integral knowledge that comes with long-term presence on the land will surely improve salmon returns, a substantial benefit for us all.

As the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission describes, “Salmon have shaped the culture of the newcomers to this region just as they shaped Tribal cultures before them… Whether they realize it or not... We are all Salmon People. Let us all work together to protect and restore salmon—this fish that unites us.”

Learn More...

 

TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Elected Officials You Want Bold Action on the Lower Snake

Do you want better salmon and steelhead fishing opportunities on the Columbia River? Tell your elected officials that the process we've been using to try to restore salmon populations for the past 30 years isn't working. We need a new approach. Federal agencies have been planning how to recover endangered salmon and steelhead populations from risk of extinction for 30 years - spending substantial time, energy, and financial resources developing plans, only to have those plans deemed illegal by district Courts, putting the agencies back at square one.  Learn more...

 

Internship Applications are Due September 21st!

We are offering two part-time, unpaid internships. Our Digital Content and Communications Internship is catered to undergraduates, while our Advocacy and Organizing Internship is built for graduate students. Among other benefits, we offer $300 for intern-specific professional development, which may include training, online courses, conferences, or other resources that will help each intern achieve their specific career goals. Applications for our Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 internships must be submitted by September 21st, 2020. Learn more and apply

 

Help Us Plan Our New Women's Program!

We are planning a Women's Program, which is intended to help bridge the gap between fishermen and women in order to create a more equitable, inclusive, and strong society of conservation-minded anglers. Currently, we are gauging interest in this program among our membership and the wider angling community. We are seeking valuable input from women interested in angling (no experience necessary). If this sounds like you, please learn more here and then take this survey to share your ideas! We want to know how we can best serve you. If you have any questions, please contact Alix Soliman at asoliman@anws.org.

Photo by Evan Smogor
 
 

Volunteer to Help Clean Up the Clackamas

We Love Clean Rivers is hosting their 18th annual Down the River Cleanup on the Clackamas and registration is open! Mark your calendar for Saturday Sept 12th or Sunday Sept 13th. If you have ever fallen in love with this or any river, we invite you to join for this spectacular event of organized chaos where 300+ river-lovers jump in their rafts, kayaks, drift boats – or maybe even dawn a snorkel mask – uniting to scour the banks and bottom of 20+ miles of riverway from Milo McIver Park to Clackamette Park where the Clackamas empties into the Willamette. Learn more & register! 

Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest

Be part of NWF's visual community that recognizes the impact of gardening for wildlife. They are rewarding the photographs that best illustrate the faces of Garden for Wildlife through striking color images showing the impact of habitat gardens, on wildlife and people – in urban, suburban and rural settings on land, in the air and in the water. 

Every person who enters not only honors their own work, but also helps support the conservation mission of the National Wildlife Federation, which is dedicated to saving wildlife species and their habitats. Photographers retain rights to their work. Those who chose to donate some of their images share joint ownership with NWF, and further help us advance our conservation mission. Learn more and submit your photos!

Grand Prize: $1,000 cash prize

Runner-Up: $500 cash prize

Category Winners (5 total): Each will receive a bird feeder, a copy of Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife, and a $100 gift certificate to Botanical Interests, Inc.

Runner-Up Category Winners (5 total): Each will receive a $40 gift certificate to Botanical Interest, Inc.

Honorable Mentions: Each will receive a $20 gift certificate to Botanical Interests, Inc.

 

Find Your Dream Home & Support Northwest Steelheaders

As an affiliate member of the Northwest Steelheaders, Tim Wilson will donate $1000 if any Steelheader works with Tim or refers him to friends and family to purchase or sell real estate and the transaction closes. $500 will go to the procuring member's chapter and $500 will go to the association's general fund. To date, Tim has raised over $11,000 for the Northwest Steelheaders through this program. View Tim's webpage and contact him at timwilsonsellshomes@gmail.com

 

Support us when you shop!

When you visit https://smile.amazon.com/ and designate "Association of Northwest Steelheaders Inc" under the search bar before you make a purchase, Amazon will donate 0.5% to our organization. While this seems like just a small drop in the pond, it really adds up and is easy to set up.

 

Coming Up

Itchin’ for Twitchin’ with the Sandy River Chapter, Sept. 2 @ 7pm

Learn how to twitch for Coho: techniques, gear, and methods for rivers and streams. Join us at Glenn Otto Park, 1208 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Troutdale, OR 97060.

Get Involved

Become a Volunteer! As a volunteer-driven organization, we thrive when you take action on issues you care about. Learn more...

 

Follow us if you don't already!

Association of Northwest Steelheaders
P.O.  Box 55400, Portland, OR 97238
(503) 653-4176
office@anws.org
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