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Steelheaders are a passionate bunch, but our motivation doesn't end with all night coffee-fueled drives to favorite rivers. Over the past two years steelheaders have proven that we will also go big when it comes to conservation of our favorite species.
As the ranks of Wild Steelheaders United have steadily grown so has the reach and impact of our voice, and the results have been impressive. Hundreds of you sent letters urging the BLM to issue a mineral withdrawal for the Oregon headwaters of the fabled Smith River, which helped prevent a proposed large-scale nickel mine from being developed here. Over 400 of you sent letters opposing Seafood Watch's designation of Olympic Peninsula wild steelhead as a "good alternative" for consumers. Even on lower profile campaigns steelheaders have been turning out in strong numbers to make their voices heard. From water supply management issues to new angling regulations to defending public lands habitat up and down the West Coast, WSU adherents are proving that we can make a real difference for wild steelhead by getting informed, getting organized, and taking action.
These are uncertain times for both wild steelhead populations and steelhead fishing. Compromised habitat, dam operations, climate change, an administration emphasizing resource extraction over conservation, and in some areas over-fishing are a witches' brew of current threats to sea-run O. mykiss. Now is no time to take our foot off the accelerator of advocacy for wild steelhead. We must speak louder and more effectively than ever if we want our generation -- and those that follow -- to have abundant wild steelhead runs and fishing opportunity.
John Day River Steelhead
Seafood Watch has downgraded Hoh River steelhead to "Avoid" as a choice for consumers, after initially recommending them as a "good alternative." Hundreds of letters from steelhead anglers played a key role in bringing about this adjustment. Several other OP rivers remain on Seafood Watch's "good alternative" list for steelhead so there is more work to be done here, but the downgraded rating of Hoh River steelhead is a positive step.
Also, a popular swath of public lands fishing and hunting grounds in Oregon just got a dramatic reprieve from being sold to private timber and tribal interests. Following an outpouring of protest from sportsmen's groups, including Wild Steelheaders United and Trout Unlimited, the State Land Board recently voted unanimously to keep the Elliott State Forest in public hands. This means continued public access and better protection for the Elliott's 150 miles of fish bearing streams. How the forest will be managed going forward is still unclear but one thing is now certain: thanks in large measure to the advocacy of sportsmen, public access to the Elliott will be preserved.
Elliott State Forest Steelhead fishing
Why should steelheaders care about national monuments, and how they are established? Because a lot of prime steelhead habitat, and angling opportunity, is protected in such designated areas along the West Coast and in Alaska. National monuments designations are usually made by the president using authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which has been used by virtually every president since its passage to protect the nation's outstanding historic and cultural resources as well as places and landscapes of "scientific interest." Vital wild steelhead fisheries are now within or adjacent to national monuments. Yet the Trump administration has ordered a "review" of dozens of monuments established over the past 20 years to determine if they should be downsized or even abolished. Read more here about this issue and join us to ensure these remarkable public lands resources -- and their wild steelhead values -- remain protected.
Fishing in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
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