Dear supporter,

We are excited to announce the hiring of Jason Wedemeyer as the new Executive Director for the Association of Northwest Steelheaders. Jason is an experienced leader in non-profit organizations and has worked extensively as a director, organizer, educator, and wilderness counselor. 

As a campaign director and strategist, Jason has been instrumental in working with diverse communities in achieving collaborative goals, along with ensuring the development of organization goals and fiscal development. He has worked as a stakeholder for conservation coalitions in Wild & Scenic River advocacy and wildlands management with federal, state, and local agencies.  

His work with organized labor unions boosted membership growth, engagement, and activism. Supporting recreational and educational opportunities for diverse groups of all ages is both a passion and priority for him. 

Jason enjoys fly fishing, hiking, biking, and gardening. When indoors, he enjoys baking, playing and listening to music, reading, and writing.  

We are excited about his new role with ANWS, and the capacity that he brings to the overall mission that supports our chapters, membership, and communities. 

 

All of us at Northwest Steelheaders

 
 

We're Hiring! Join us as Education and Outreach Coordinator

We are looking to hire an Education and Outreach Coordinator with the National Wildlife Federation and Association of Northwest Steelheaders from September 2022 through July 2023 based in Sandy, Oregon.

This AmeriCorps position through Confluence Environmental Center promotes environmental justice and engages communities and partners in opportunities that help develop access to outdoor experiences like our Family Fishing Events, coordinate salmon education initiatives like our long-time favorite Fish Eggs to Fry program, support sustainable environmental education through Eco-Schools USA and Schoolyard Habitats programs, and recruit wildlife stewards to restore and protect wildlife habitat through the Garden for Wildlife program. 

Application review to begin June 23rd, open until filled.

 

Court Orders Release of Summer Steelhead Smolts into North Umpqua

After the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced the termination of the summer steelhead hatchery program on the North Umpqua River,  a Circuit Court Judge ordered the Rock Creek Hatchery to release 70,000 hatchery summer steelhead smolts. While wild winter steelhead runs in the North Umpqua have faired relatively well, the summer runs have not been fairing as well. Last year's summer steelhead run was so low that ODFW closed the North Umpqua's summer steelhead fishing season for the first time ever.

To learn more about the decision, read the ODFW news release linked below.

 

Murray and Inslee Report: The Time to Act is Now

On June 9, 2022, Murray and Inslee released the first phase of their initiative to develop a plan to recover Northwest salmon and steelhead populations—a draft report that examines the means for replacing the services of the lower Snake River dams currently provide. View the report here.

This report shows the services provided by the lower Snake River dams can be replaced. It estimates the cost of removing the dams and replacing their energy, transportation, and irrigation services for agriculture is between $10.3 billion and $27.2 billion. The four Lower Snake River dams are aging and increasingly inefficient, and importantly, this report does not evaluate how expensive it would be to keep the dams in place. To date and adjusted for inflation to 2022 dollars, the total spent to recover fish and wildlife from the effects of the Snake River Dams since 1980 is just under $24 billion.

The findings in this report are the groundwork for developing a comprehensive solution to restore the lower Snake River and its salmon, uphold promises to Tribal Nations, invest in our communities, and modernize infrastructure. Public comment is accepted now through July 11. This 30-day comment period gives the opportunity to express appreciation for their leadership and strong support for urgent action to protect salmon from extinction. The final report is expected in mid-July and a plan for salmon recovery and a decision on whether to breach the dams later that month.

 

Fishing Report: Best Places to Fish and Regulation Changes

For those of you new to angling, the Recreation Report published by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is a great resource. The report is updated frequently on where anglers are having the most success and which areas are going to be stocked and with what type of fish. While we highly recommend talking with other Steelheaders about their favorite fishing spots, the report is another good option if you haven't been able to plug into your chapter yet. Everything from mid-season regulation updates and the Weekly Willamette River fishery summaries are consolidated on this page, so it can be a helpful for anglers of all experience levels.

Visit the Report at the link below.

 

Deschutes and Umpqua River Fishing Closures

Due to another low summer steelhead forecast, fishing closures have gone into effect on the Deschutes River for steelhead, bass, and salmon. The 2021 steelhead run to Bonneville Dam on the Columbia was the lowest since recording began in 1938—spurring the first steelhead fishing closure on the Deschutes in 43 years. 

Under temporary rules adopted by ODFW for the Deschutes River:

  • Steelhead and bass fishing is closed from June 1-Aug. 15 from the mouth at the west bound I-84 Bridge upstream to Pelton Dam.
  • Chinook salmon fishing is closed from Aug. 1-15 from the mouth at the west bound I-84 Bridge upstream to upper railroad trestle (approx 3 miles downstream from Sherars Falls).
  • Coho salmon fishing is closed from Aug. 1-15 from the mouth at the west bound I-84 Bridge upstream to upper railroad trestle (approximately 3 miles downstream from Sherars Falls) and from Sherars Falls upstream to Pelton Dam.

If you live near or prefer fishing on the Umpqua River, there are some closures on the Umpqua from now through Sept. 30, 2022. To learn more about the fishing rules adopted for the rest of the summer, visit the links below.

 

Chapter Meetings

A few chapters have resumed Monthly Chapter Meetings in-person, and we hope to get everyone meeting as soon as possible! To get more detailed meeting information please visit our Events Calendar. If you're having trouble finding a meeting you can attend, please reach out to us at office@anws.org and we'll help you out. As always, Chapter Meetings are free and open to the public. If you're new to Northwest Steelheaders, attending a meeting is a great first step to getting more involved with your local fishing community. 

Upcoming Meetings

  • Emerald Empire Chapter - Tuesday, July 5 @ 7 pm
  • Mid-Valley Chapter - Wednesday, July 6 @ 7 pm
  • McLoughlin Chapter - Tuesday, July 12 @ 7 pm
  • Columbia River Chapter - Wednesday, July 13 @ 6:30 pm
  • Tualatin Valley Chapter - Thursday, July 14 @ 7 pm
  • Tom McCall Chapter - Wednesday, July 20 @ 11:30 am
  • Salem Chapter - Wednesday, July 20 @ 7 pm
  • Sandy River Chapter – On summer break until Tuesday, September 8.
 

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.

 

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