River Steward Handbook

RIVER STEWARD HANDBOOKVERSION 3.0

Table of ContentsRiver Steward Handbook

Background on Key Issues

Questions to Guide Your Understanding of Fish Health

& Management in Your Homewaters

Advocacy Toolbox

River Steward Activities

Glossary of Key Terms for Wild & Hatchery Fish

Relevant Acronyms

River Steward Contact Information

Note Page

River Steward Code of Conduct

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(COVER)Fall Gathering 2014Campfire Session Duncan Berry

(ABOVE)Rosy CheeksMarty Sheppard

RIVER STEWARD

HANDBOOKVERSION 3.0

edited by Jake CrawfordConrad GowellMark Sherwood

Guided by the best-available science, Native Fish Society advocates for the protection and recovery of wild, native fish and the stewardship of

the habitats that sustain them.

River Steward HandbookWhat is the purpose of the River Steward Program?

The River Steward Program is an integral part of the Native Fish Society’s mission: to protect and recover wild, native fish and steward the habitats that sustain them. The program puts knowledgeable, committed volunteers on the ground in key watersheds across the Northwest to monitor and advocate for the needs of wild fish. The River Stewards are the eyes and ears of the Native Fish Society.

The River Steward concept is not new. The earliest stewards, or riverkeepers, served their communities as far back as the Middle Ages. They patrolled village streams and rivers to protect them for the benefit of all inhabitants. The first full-time U.S. riverkeeper was a former commercial fisherman turned activist hired in 1983 by the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association to identify polluters who were breaking environmental laws. During the past 25 years, riverkeeper programs have emerged in large urban rivers such as the Willamette River in Oregon andclassic angling rivers like California’s Russian River. Native Fish Society’s ambition is to support a region wide network of informed, empowered and effective River Steward on every watershed with wild fish in the Northwest.

Today, 85 River Stewards safeguard 4,000 stream miles and 100,000 square miles of watersheds in the Washington, Oregon, Western Idaho and Northern California.

River Stewards advocate on behalf of the wild, native fish in their watershed and provide a watchdog presence for state, tribal and federal agencies with management authority. The purpose of the River Stewards and the Native Fish Society itself is to make sure that fish-related governmental policies are adopted and implemented on behalf of native fish. River Stewards work on proposed policies with key officials from legislators to agency leaders. Once such policies are approved, the River Stewards and the NFS closely monitor the implementation of policies and regulations to make sure wild, native fish benefit.

Policy development and implementation for the protection and restoration of native wild fish entails the four H’s: Hydropower, Habitat, Hatcheries and Harvest. Each of these four issues needs to be addressed in every watershed to maintain healthy wild, native fish populations. Traditionally, emphasis has focused on improving Hydropower dam operations – or removing dams altogether – in order that salmon and steelhead can migrate upstream to spawning grounds and downstream to the ocean. While the problems with the dams have not been eliminated, there have been substantial improvements. For example, today many Columbia River dams allow water to go over the spillways rather than through the turbines in order to help move juvenile salmon more safely through the river to the saltwater.

The second H, Habitat, is being addressed by a large number of governmental and non-governmental groups. Today, millions of dollars are funded annually to improve salmon habitat from estuaries to headwaters. In some rivers, dikes and channelization in their estuaries have been removed, reconnecting floodplains and restoring ecosystem function, which has improved rearing habitats for juvenile salmon. Hundreds of miles of fencing has been built and maintained in order to keep livestock out of spawning areas and protect riparian vegetation.

But the toughest nuts to crack have been the remaining two H’s: Hatcheries and Harvest. A number of rivers are dam free and have excellent habitat, yet the fish are threatened by hatchery operations (genetic and ecological impacts) and improper harvest regulations. By in large, hatcheries harm, rather than help wild, native fish and serve only to support unsustainable harvest interests in a fishery.

Many rivers are inundated with thousands of hatchery-reared salmon, trout and steelhead that, in turn, imperil wild fish through disease, competition and inter-breeding.

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Moreover, commercial and recreational fishermen often harvest too many wild fish due to indiscriminate (mixed stock) fisheries. (See sections 3 and 4 in the “Background on Key Issue” chapter of this handbook on the specific types of challenges harvest and hatcheries present for recovering wild, native fish populations.)

Hatchery and harvest issues are the top priority for Native Fish Society River Stewards. Native Fish Society is one of the few independent, fact-based, groups that directly confronts our current hatchery and harvest problems. If you’re fortunate enough however, to steward a watershed that doesn’t face challenges from hatcheries or harvest, then River Stewards should prioritize habitat protection, monitoring and hydropower as focus areas.

Who should be a River Steward?

River Stewards come from all walks of life, from mechanics to lawyers to teachers to software engineers. You don’t have to be a fish biologist to be a River Steward. But you do have to be committed to a particular watershed and its wild, native fish.

To be an effective River Steward you need to be willing to learn about your favorite river, the challenges and opportunities facing its wild, native fish and have an ability to interact with the key people and groups in the watershed. As a River Steward you will identify opportunities for change, prioritize advocacy activities, and use personal knowledge, experience, relationships and the best-available science to motivate stakeholders and agencies to improve conditions for wild, native fish.

A River Steward needs to be not only committed and knowledgeable, but also respectful and savvy in order to be effective. Being right is not enough – a River Steward needs to understand how people and groups interact. The River Steward needs to be able to motivate other people, groups and institutions.

While it is unlikely that you will always agree with local stakeholders on every issue, remember the old adage: you can disagree without being disagreeable. As River Steward you should be able to communicate about the issues involved. You don’t have to be a great public speaker or professional writer, but you must be able to express your thoughts and arguments on a variety of problems and solutions.

Finally, the “job” of a River Steward should be fun and rewarding. You will get to know a number of like-minded wild fish advocates. You will feel a sense of accomplishment that you have helped wild fish, the environment that sustains them, and the communities that form around them.

What a River Steward Does:

A River Steward learns to be a knowledgeable resource about their particular watershed. A River Steward studies past and current issues related to the river and its fish. They become knowledgeable by spending time on the water and by spending time in your home office, too. River Stewards learn from other River Stewards, Regional Coordinators and staff. If you get stumped reach out – odds are someone in the River Steward community has worked on a similar issue and their experience can prove invaluable. Eventually, a River Steward may become the go-to expert on their particular watershed and its fish.

A River Steward is a good listener. They ask questions, read both technical and non-technical fish-related publications, absorbs information on their river and fish and learn to organize and synthesize this information.

A River Steward communicates. A River Steward not only becomes knowledgeable on their river’s issues, but also has to communicate this information in both oral and written forms.

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Without communication there can be no effective advocacy. Communication includes talking to others on the telephone and in person, plus writing letters and e-mail messages to government agencies, legislators, non-profit organizations and the media.

A River Steward advocates. Once a River Steward knows about the issues at hand, they must act. In close cooperation with Native Fish Society staff, the River Steward advocates for solutions to challenges and seeks out opportunities to benefit wild, native fish. This may include lobbying for changes to angling regulations, reforming or eliminating hatchery operations, protecting habitat through state and federal designations (like Wild and Scenic River status), improving fish passage through barrier removal and aligning fisheries management with the best available science through the development of Conservation and/or Recovery Plans.

Accomplishments to date on the part of the River Stewards include:• Working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to create a science-based spring

and fall Chinook conservation plans for the Rogue River.• Protecting habitat by stopping destination resorts proposed for the Metolius Basin.• Protecting wild spawners by ending the harvest of wild winter steelhead on the North

Umpqua River.• Unifiying local stakeholders by forming the Molalla River Alliance, which brings public and

private groups; local, state and federal agencies; and land owners together to protect and restore the Molalla River ecosystem.

• Protecting wild steelhead in 1,000 sq. miles of Washington watersheds from the negative impacts of hatcheries through our work with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish Wild Steelhead Gene Banks on the Sol Duc, Wind, East Fork Lewis, North Fork Toutle/Green, Grays and Chinook rivers.

• Protecting and creating habitat for wild, native fish by facilitating the purchase of land on the Oregon Coast that was designated as a state park.

• Protecting threatened wild steelhead by working with biologists from the National Marine Fisheries Service to improve low flow closures on the Mendocino and Sonoma Coast.

• Conducting watershed restoration and salmonid recovery educational presentations to more than 500 people annually on Central Oregon Coast watersheds.

• Building local coalitions of support to secure State Scenic Waterway designation for the Molalla & Chetco rivers, protecting 28 river miles from damming, water diversions and mining.

The Responsibilities of a River Steward:

Effective River Steward become intimately familiar with their watershed, its wild, native fish and develop a positive working relationship with the state, federal and tribal authorities located in your area. River Stewards must learn about the life history of the native fish species, where their habitats are located in the watershed, the challenges that prevent them from being healthy (limiting factors), and their unique characteristics. River Stewards understand the measurable benchmarks for each wild, native fish population in their watershed and track the recovery process to make sure it stays on target. You can find these measurable recovery targets and benchmarks in the Conservation and/or Recovery Plans developed for each species in your watershed. Ask your local fish biologist for an update.

River Stewards are resident experts on native fish conservation, working with management agencies to apply scientific criteria for conservation of each wild, native fish population in their home watershed. They cooperate with other groups to help fund habitat improvement projects. River Stewards also represent the Native Fish Society at the local level in public meetings, with news media, and before government decision makers. They communicate with the NFS’s River Steward Program Director prior to providing public statements and provide them with any written statements of press accounts. (See the Advocacy Toolbox Chapter for more info on how to provide written or public testimony.)


River Stewards also work with program staff to seek external funding to support their work in each watershed. Encouraging your friends and neighbors in the watershed to join the Native Fish Society as members and volunteer their time and funds toward your initiatives is always a good place to start.

How to Get Started:

First, get acquainted with your river by exploring its watershed and its fish. Put on your hiking boots, your snorkel and mask, or your waders and really get to know the river, its fish, the riparian zone and its uplands as well. A river is not just a conduit of water racing downhill, but a part of the entire landscape. A healthy landscape is a healthy river. Part of understanding your landscape is getting a map of the watershed that includes land ownership. Seek out your county planning office, regional Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management offices for such a map.

Second, sit down at your computer and desk. The underpinning of the Native Fish Society’s advocacy is based on sound science, so you should seek out science-based information. Don’t be afraid to ask “dumb” questions. Ask your local state fish and wildlife biologist about what they believe are the top challenges facing wild, native fish in your river. The Native Fish Society mentors River Stewards through scientific education, annual gatherings, and policy issue discussions that will help you work with agencies and other concerned citizens. Make sure to take advantage of these opportunities.

In addition to research, you should meet with the key people and groups in the watershed, including state and federal fisheries agencies, regional watershed councils, fishing groups, conservation groups and private companies that impact the river, such as wood products firms and ranchers. Get to know those key people at meetings, lunches or on the river.

Help inform our members, supporters and the public about your watershed, its native fish and the conservation opportunities and challenges you’re facing by managing your watershed’s webpage on the Native Fish Society website. Every single watershed with a River Steward gets a webpage designated for your stream and conservation efforts. Utilize this page to share information, videos, articles, and post the progress you’re making toward your conservation goals. For questions on how to utilize your page contact River Steward Program staff.

Stewards should develop an annual report of their work. Send it electronically or via hard copy to River Steward Program staff. In this way NFS can be fully informed of the stewards’ efforts. Moreover, stewards are also encouraged to write articles for the biannual NFS newsletter, Strong Runs, our monthly e-newsletter, Redd It, and for items on the NFS website.

How to Navigate Controversy:

River Stewards will inevitably have to deal with controversial issues. Resource management takes place in socially polarized communities and often deals with complex problems. Controversy can invigorate and enhance interest from the broader public, or it can deteriorate into personal attacks and adversarial relationships. Remember, just because you disagree with someone on one issues doesn’t mean that you disagree with them on all issues. For example, don’t let your differences related to a harvest issue detract from working with them as a partner on a habitat restoration issue.

When you encounter controversy the most important step to take is to clearly establish the facts that you base your position on. Make clear what the problem is, provide a solution, and show how it is feasible. Focus on positive talking points (i.e. conserving fish, not preventing extinction) and, when appropriate, agree to disagree.


Background on Key Issues1. The Native Fish Conservation PolicyThe Native Fish Society and its River Stewards provide a grassroots presence with state, tribal and federal agencies that have management authority over wild fish and their habitat, including NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state fish and wildlife departments. In addition, in the Columbia River basin, NFS also pays close attention to the Bonneville Power Administration and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, as these groups fund millions of dollars for native fish recovery and the construction, operations, monitoring and evaluation of hatcheries. Specifically, the purpose of NFS is to make sure the government adopts and implments policies that protect and restore native fish. The word “policy” is a critical one because a policy determines what an agency does.

Once a policy is adopted, the agency then issues rules that, in turn, control fish management operations. Once established, policies and rules can be difficult to change. Consequently, it is vital that NFS be involved in policy development and implementation. This is the core mission of the Native Fish Society. NFS works with key officials from legislators to agency leaders on proposed policies that are consistent with the needs of wild fish.

Once the policy is approved, NFS works with the appropriate agency on the detailed rules that implement the policy. After that, NFS staff -- and River Stewards -- closely monitor the outcomes and make adaptive changes as necessary.

2. Policy Implementation and the Four H’sPolicy development and implementation for the protection and restoration of native wild fish entails the four H’s: hydro, habitat, hatcheries and harvest. The first H is hydro and a number of governmental, tribal and private entities have improved hydro dam operations, such as increased flows. Some dams have been removed altogether in order to help fish passage. Native Fish Society advocates for dam removal when possible and for volitional fish passage when it’s not. Volitional fish passage is when fish are able to swim past the barrier under their own power at the time of their choosing. This is critical for supporting the recovery of “self-sustaining” populations of wild, native fish as required under the Endangered Species Act.

The second H is habitat, and likewise many groups (such as local watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, Federal Agencies such as Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service, and state programs such as fish and wildlife commissions) have helped to improve habitat, such as fencing riparian zones on salmon streams and cleaning up water pollution.

Yes, a number of Western rivers are, in fact, clean, free flowing and have intact habitat, yet their native salmon and steelhead populations remain threatened.

Why? The culprits are the other two H’s – hatcheries and harvest. In many rivers, wild salmon and steelhead populations have not improved despite efforts over the years, and in some cases those runs are declining, often due to improper hatchery operations and inadequate harvest regulations.

Few groups -- other than the Native Fish Society -- have zeroed in on hatchery operations and harvest regulations in relation to the needs of wild fish. Some other groups ignore these issues because stands on such matters are often unpopular or controversial. But the very name of our organization – the Native Fish Society – means what it says. Our purpose is to protect and restore native fish and the habitat that sustains them.

Many governmental agencies are not focused on native fish and biological diversity. Instead, their collective mission is to secure funding for hatchery operations in order to maintain harvest in commercial and recreational fisheries.


In the past native wild salmon, trout and steelhead have largely been ignored, and it was not until NFS and other conservation groups litigated in federal court under the Endangered Species Act that the government agencies were forced to pay attention. Today these agencies are beginning to restructure their missions, but they are still reluctant to build a scientifically sound conservation program for the needs of native fish.

It is up to NFS to hold the various agencies accountable to the needs of native fish. Just because a court ruling or legislative directive demands that wild fish should be a top priority doesn’t mean that the agencies implement the ruling or the directive. The NFS has to constantly encourage the agencies to do the right thing. And River Stewards can help a play a local role in this effort.

For example, a Wild Fish Policy was adopted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1978. It was never fully implemented, and in 2003 the commission adopted a similar directive called the Native Fish Conservation Policy. Since then, NFS has said that the standards and criteria of the conservation plans in that program should be followed for each native fish species in each watershed. As a result, NFS has, and will continue to, champion the goals of the ODFW’s Native Fish Conservation Policy. The Native Fish Society oversees the implementation of the state’s native fish policies.

All four of these “H’s” need to be managed properly in order maintain healthy and productive native fish. Even a single “H” can be enough of a stressor to jeopardize the health of a wild, native fish population.

3: Hatchery ProgramsOn the surface it would appear that hatcheries are a good thing; hatchery reared salmon, for example, would supplement wild fish and there would be more fish all the way around. Historically hatcheries were thought to be suitable replacements for habitat such as when dams were constructed without passage for fish.

But after 150 years of hatchery operations we have fewer salmon than ever before. In fact, 60% of wild salmon populations native to the Northwest are either extinct or threatened with extinction. Why?

Hatchery programs have not been able to stem the tide of habitat loss as once thought. Salmon raised in captivity quickly adapt to their hatchery surroundings and lose their ability to survive in the wild. At the same time, they contribute to the decline of wild populations by increasing competition for food and cover, weakening genetic adaptations by spawning with wild fish, and serving as vectors for disease. The Native Fish Society has an online reference library featuring the latest research corroborating the harm that hatchery programs have had on wild fish populations.

With more and more scientific evidence demonstrating that hatcheries hurt wild fish why do we as a society continue to maintain hatcheries?

First, the goal of the commercial and recreational fisheries is to catch fish, and hatcheries are able to produce salmon without addressing the more difficult, root causes of the decline of wild fish. Many state, tribal and federal fish managers favor hatcheries because their constituents are commercial and recreational fishermen, and most of them want to catch fish, regardless of whether or not the fish are wild or hatchery.

Second, most hatcheries are financed through federal tax dollars because many federal dams have blocked salmon migrations and the government has mitigated this loss by building and operating hatcheries. As a result, those federal mitigation funds funnel a great deal of money into the fish agencies.

Last, hatcheries are politically expedient even though they are an economic disaster. The construction and operations of most hatcheries far outweigh the benefit of harvesting fish. Unfortunately, taxpayers have been unaware of the true cost benefit analysis of hatcheries. The solution?


We need hatchery reform. The Native Fish Society believes hatcheries have a place in the Northwest, but not at the expense of native fish.

After years of Endangered Species Act litigation even the federal government has agreed that wild, native fish come first. According to a 2009 guidance letter from NOAA Fisheries, the protection and recovery of an ESA-listed fish population should be targeted at the population’s native fish. That letter was sent to the state and tribal fish managers on how they should operate hatcheries in places where ESA-listed fish. The NFS believes that this guidance letter is scientifically sound and its recommnedations should be carried out by those managing hatchery programs and harvest regulations.

All the same, the Native Fish Society is closely monitoring how the fish managers are implementing this guidance policy. This is where the role of River Stewards is crucial. Talk to your local fish managers in your watershed and ask them whether or not the agency has complied with the relevant native fish conservation policies affecting your river.

4: HarvestHarvest is one of the four “Hs” that impact the health of salmon and steelhead.

In the last two decades, the Native Fish Society and other conservation groups have forced the federal and state agencies to improve the first two “Hs.” For example, once the operators at the Columbia River dam system paid attention only to hydroelectric generation, flood control, irrigation and navigation. The needs of the fish were virtually ignored.

Nowadays, federal judges have told the agencies to pay much more attention to the needs of threatened salmon and steelhead. For instance, the federal dam operators on the Columbia River system now periodically spill water over the dams in order to speed up the juvenile salmon to the sea. Releasing water over the spillways, rather than putting the water through the turbines, cost millions of dollars of foregone hydroelectricity, but NFS, and the courts, believe that it is the right thing to do, according to the Endangered Species Act.

Likewise, the habitat of hundreds of miles of salmon streams and rivers has been substantially improved due to millions of dollars funded from the government and utilities. However, major hatchery and harvest problems remain today. This is where River Stewards roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Harvest refers to commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries that are based along the rim of the North Pacific to the Continental Divide. The catch of the salmon and steelhead fisheries accounts for millions of dollars annually. State and federal agencies regulate these fisheries, and most of them primarily look after their constituencies and their consumptive desires.

What is the problem?

When wild populations commingle with hatchery fish the wild fish are often overharvested.

For example, in many cases there may be thousands of adult hatchery reared salmon in a particular run but only a few hundred wild native fish in the same run. If a large number of fish are harvested in a fishery in that run, then the impact on the native fish can be quite harmful.

What sort of harvest changes do we need to help the wild fish?

Harvest must support – not harm – the reproductive capacity of wild salmon and steelhead runs in each river.



This means that a number of life history attributes of each population needs to be determined and maintained, such as abundance (# of fish), spatial distribution (where they are located), diversity (how many different life histories exist per species) and productivity (how successful the fish are at reproducing). If improperly managed, harvest impacts each one of these factors, undermining recovery.

Unfortunately, in the past, (and in some instances today) harvest focused on maximization. The Native Fish Society is not against harvest. But we advocate harvest practices that are sustainable. In other words, we seek healthy, productive, and diverse populations of wild fish that can be harvested in perpetuity. In doing so, harvest would be regulated to maintain spawner abundance and diversity.

To address a harvest challenge, a River Steward needs to know the harvest levels in its watershed for each fish population. Second, the steward – and the NFS staff – should determine if a particular harvest regulation should be changed. If so, the steward should collect the scientific, social and economic information needed to build a persuasive case in order to change the harvest rule. For example, a harvest change that has been successful in many places is the requirement to use barbless hooks to limit catch and release mortality. But remember, the harvest proposals and changes should be based on the needs of the fish, and not on a particular fishery—recreational, tribal or commercial.

Generally, River Stewards should not advocate a particular fishery – such as commercial or recreational -- or advocate a particular type of terminal tackle, such as flies or lures or bait. Harvest rules and regulations should be based on the needs of fish, not fishermen.

Questions to Guide Your Understanding of Fish Health & Management in Your Homewaters

1. Are the salmonid species in your watershed healthy? To determine this, collect information on each species’ productivity, diversity, abundance and spatial distribution.

2. What is the carrying capacity of your watershed? How many fish can the habitat in your watershed support? Contact your state district biologist to learn what the carrying capacity is for each species native to your watershed.

3. Once you know the carrying capacity of your watershed we need to ensure that all of the habitat is being used by wild fish -- does your watershed have a spawner abundance objective? How many adult spawners are needed to keep the run healthy? Contact your state biologist to learn about spawner abundance objective.

4. Related to spawner abundance objectives, does current harvest management impede wild fish in your watershed? For example, do recreational anglers hook more wild fish than fin-clipped hatchery fish during a particular run? If the run is composed primarily of hatchery reared fish, then there might be a problem for wild fish.

5. How many hatchery fish are spawning with wild fish in your watershed (pHOS: percent hatchery origin spawners)? NOAA Fisheries recommends that no more than 5 percent of the spawning population be hatchery-reared fish. The natural stray rate for wild fish is less than one percent per brood.


6. Hatchery-reared fish that naturally spawn in a watershed negatively impact the reproduction of wild fish, even if a hatchery uses native broodstock fish. Does your watershed provide some type of separation between the two types of fish? If not, why? One of Native Fish Society’s primary goals is to make sure that fish management policy and actions deliver wild spawners and exclude hatchery-reared spawners.

7. What is the nutrient enrichment goal for your watershed? Decomposing salmon provide nutrients vital for ecosystem function (they feed hundreds of plants and animals). For coho salmon, the estimate is 200 spawners per mile. A natural nutrient enrichment goal per watershed (wild salmon spawning and dying) is more important than relying on the human-powered distribution of hatchery fish carcasses.

8. How does the habitat impact the productivity of wild, native fish? Habitat is organized like links in a chain that support the life history requirements of the fish. If a link is broken the fish cannot complete their life cycle; if a link is damaged the population’s reproductive capacity is reduced. Habitat investments provide a greater benefit when they address the limiting factors of the habitat for each species affected.

9. With this information develop conservation goals for each species with targets for productivity, diversity, abundance, spatial distribution, spawner escapement, pHOS, mechanisms for separating wild and hatchery fish, nutrient enrichment, and habitat protection. Keep track of your progress toward these goals.

Advocacy Toolbox

The Native Fish Society has developed a multitude of tools to enhance the effectiveness of the River Steward Program. Some of these tools include regional contact lists, up to date science libraries, information on organizing and attending field trips, trainings, action alerts and media outreach, access to a network of experienced stewards, regional coordinators to organize larger efforts among stewards, a website to showcase and communicate your work to the public on, and full time staff members to assist your efforts. Below are a few tips and guidelines to take full advantages of these tools:

How to Develop Key Contacts:

Protecting and enhancing wild fish includes a host of governmental and non-governmental organizations. Virtually all of these groups have websites, which may be helpful. Search engines, such as Google can be a tremendous aid when you are in search of specific scientific or contact information. Utilize, and build upon, regionally curated contact lists held by regional coordinators. In the back of this handbook you will find a roster of River Steward contact information, we also encourage you to add key contacts in the notes section of this handbook. Keeping a well organized local contact list and to-do list are key to staying active and organized as a River Steward.

Additionally, look for other advocates from the following partner organizations that might be involved in your area:

• American Whitewater• American Rivers• Trout Unlimited• Pacific Rivers• Wild Steelhead Coalition• Audubon

How to Increase your Understanding Through Research:

The first place to go for research on wild fish is Native Fish Society’s Science Library, where peer- reviewed scientific literature is available. Found on our website at nativefishsociety. org the Science Library contains a wealth of information and it is constantly updated. In addition, look to your local library, the Bonneville Power Administration’s library and other websites on the various state and federal agencies. Much of this information is not available on a spoon-fed basis, so you may have to dig for it, but that can be challenging and fun. Reach out to program staff or regional coordinators if you are looking for something specific.

How to Attend and/or Organize a Field Trip

One of the easiest ways to get involved is to attend and/or organize a field trip. Getting on the ground can illuminate successful solutions, or emphasize the ongoing problems to native fish decline. Either way, having direct experience will strengthen your ability to advocate. Sign up on partner websites, such as local watershed councils, for updates and opportunities, and relay those opportunities to staff so others can also become notified. If you want to lead a field trip, reach out to staff so they can help put together a press release, including information on who, when, where, what, and why.

How to Reach the Media:

Reach out to traditional and non-traditional media so that you can broaden your message. Sometimes you may want to initiate a press release on the part of a particular proposed action. Other times, the media may come to you asking for answers on a particular issue.

Either way, be straightforward and honest with the media representative. Don’t try to spin the issue. In many cases, the reporters will have had little experience on the issue and you should help them with background if they are interested. Talk to the Native Fish Society River Steward Program Director and Communications Director about media relations, too. You should provide an additional contact at NFS.

If you want to write a press release, see the suggestions above on how to write comments on government proposed actions. In addition, write a first sentence on who, what, where, when and how. Keep the release to less than 300 words.

Blogging and Social Media:

Blogging and social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can be an effective way to advocate for wild fish and spread your message to other passionate anglers and fish conservationists. A number of River Stewards have active blogs. Blogs, such as “the Osprey” can be ready by thousands of people per month and is a good example of how effective this form of communication can be.

The easiest blogging platform is Blogger (blogger.com). Setting up a blog at Blogger is free and easy. If you do setup a blog, contact NFS to have us list it on our Steward’s blogging page. Twitter and Facebook are also useful platforms for advocacy, and both are free as well.



How to Write Comments on Proposed Governmental Actions:

Below are some key points for creating a written comment to a governmental agency on a proposed policy relating to wild fish in your watershed.

• First, discuss the issue and comment opportunity with River Steward Program staff.• Clearly address the individual, agency and present the exact proposed action.• The first paragraph should be a summary of your argument. Following the summary

paragraph you can elaborate on your message, but don’t be long-winded. Keep it to two or three pages.

• Base your argument on facts, not opinion. Facts include scientific, legal or economic analyses.• Provide alternatives to the proposed action. Advance your proposal by asking questions.• Don’t be overly technical in your writing. Your writing should convey that you are

knowledgeable but not a know-it-all. Avoid jargon and acronyms. • Be yourself. Write in your own words, not someone elses. • Your comments should not appear to be a mass mailing.• Make it clear that you are familiar with the location and the issue. Mention if you live on or

near the watershed• Conclude with a summary of your critique of the proposed action.• Review your comments with River Steward Program staff. • Send your comments to the agency both electronically and hard copy.

Testifying:

The first time that you testify before a governmental hearing, you may be nervous, so organize and rehearse your comments in advance. Here are a few things to consider on how to testify:

• First, discuss your testimony with the River Steward Program Director• Always, always be polite and be yourself.• Learn to summarize your message. You may know volumes about the particular issue,

but the hearing officer or chairman doesn’t have an hour to listen to you. Hone your key arguments. Practice at home on how to articulate your position in two minutes. Then elaborate it and say it in five minutes.

• If you want, you can elaborate your testimony in written form and give the clerk a copy to him or her for the record.

• Remember who your audience is and tailor your message. In some cases, the audience may be fish biologists and so they will be the experts and not you. At other times, the audience may know very little about fish, so you may be the expert.

• Make it clear who you are and that you are a Native Fish Society River Steward. Make it clear that you live and work in the watershed and that you are familiar with it and the people in the area. If you have lived in the area for years, include that.

• Sometimes humor can be effective, but don’t try to be a comedian.• If a panel member asks you a question and you don’t know the answer – don’t make it

up! Tell the person that you will get back to him or her.• Be constructive. If you are providing comments in opposition, suggest an alternate

solution• Stick to the facts, not opinions.


River Steward Activities

Public CommentsIn-person at public meetingsWritten submitted electronically or by mailAngling regulation changes

Compliance MonitoringEndangered Species ActNative Fish Conservation PolicyWild fish escapementpHOS

Data Collection Spawning surveys, redd countsSnorkel surveys, presence /absence Water temperature and water quality monitoringWater Typing

Boots on the GroundRiver CleanupsMonofilament Recycling Tube PlacementLead Watershed TourPrevent Habitat DegradationSupport Habitat Restoration

Community EventsHost Film ShowingsConservation Themed GatheringsKids Education, In Class and On the WaterSalmon WatchOutreach and Education

Service RolesServing on Advisory BoardsStakeholder Working GroupsStakeholder on Conservation and Recovery PlanningCollaborate with other groups as fish/area representative

Here are a few ideas about specific activities you can seek out as River Stewards. Our staff and River Steward community have experience with all of these activities and can provide training and information.

Common Threats to Look for in Your Watershed

• Overharvest: Catch and release mortality, by-catch, mixed stock fisheries

• Hatchery Interactions: Genetic introgression, ecological competition, high stray rates

• Resource Extraction: Logging, mining, gravel extraction

• Infrastructure Development: Dam building, road building, water withdrawal, wastewater discharges

• Invasive Species, Parasites/Disease


Glossary of Key Terms for Wild & Hatchery Fish1. Abundance. A measure, or relative index, of the number of fish that represent the size of a salmonid population or of a component of the population expressed as numbers of fish. For anadromous populations, this number is normally expressed in terms of adult spawners and is compiled by monitoring and evaluation of fish populations over time.

2. Adfluvial. Fish that spawn in tributary streams where young rear from 1 to 4 years before migrating to another lake or river system, where they grow to maturity.

3. Anadromous. A fish that is born in freshwater, spends its life at sea and then returns to freshwater in order to spawn.

4. Asynchronous. The populations of salmonids are not having peaks and declines in abundance at the same time.

5. Biological Diversity. The variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part; including genetic and ecological diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.

6. Broken links. The interruption of habitat connections across the full range of a species’ life history. When one of section of the watershed is impaired (from headwater tributaries to the estuary and ocean) the productivity of the species will be impacted and reduce its success.

7. Carrying Capacity. An estimate of salmon productivity based on available habitat.

8. Conservation Hatchery Program: The use of artificial propagation to conserve genetic resources of a fish population at extremely low population abundance, and potential for extinction, using methods such as captive propagation and cryopreservation.

9. Conservation Limit. River specific spawner abundance objective (Atlantic salmon mgt. – Canada).

10. Density Dependent Mortality. Competition among rearing juvenile salmonids causing lower smolt yield.

11. Depressed. Means below an established goal, such as fish production or escapement, shown in a management plan or below the level of production or escapement that the Commission determines to be an optimal level.

12. Distribution. Distribution refers to identifying the spawning, rearing and migration areas, as well as an understanding of the life cycle of wild fish and when they occupy these areas.

13. Domestication. The genetic and behavioral adaptation of salmonids when they are spawned and reared in an artificial environment. Hatchery fish perform better in the hatchery environment than wild fish, but have poor performance in the natural environment compared to wild fish. Hybrids between hatchery and wild fish have an intermediate performance in both environments. Domestication selection in a fish hatchery can cause a 20% reduction in fitness in the first generation. Those that survive best in a hatchery environment are the ones that can deal, for whatever reason, with hatchery conditions. But the same traits that help them in the hatchery backfire when they return to a wild river, where their ability to produce surviving offspring is much reduced.

14. Equilibrium Abundance. Average maximum number of spawners a population can sustain given the habitat capacity and natural mortality.

15. Escapement. A numerical threshold for the portion of a stock or group of stocks that is protected from harvest and allowed to spawn to meet management objectives and perpetuate the stock.

16. Fitness. The relative reproductive success of a fish, equal to the average contribution to the gene pool of the next generation.

17. Genotype. The combination of genes possessed by an individual.

18. Hatchery-origin. Fish that have been incubated, hatched or reared in a hatchery or other artificial production facility regardless of parentage.

19. Home Stream Theory. Dr. Willis Rich in the 1930s based on tagging individual salmon. At the time it was believed that salmon returned to streams to spawn randomly, but Rich’s work shows that they return to their home stream to spawn and said that management on that basis is necessary to avoid depletion of salmonids.

20. Inbreeding Depression. Reduced biological fitness in a given population as a result of inbreeding, or breeding of related individuals. Population biological fitness refers to its ability to survive and reproduce itself. In general, the higher the genetic variation or gene pool within a breeding population, the less likely it is to suffer from inbreeding depression.

21. Integrated Hatchery Program. A hatchery program in which a high proportion of wild individuals are incorporated in the hatchery broodstock each generation, maintaining genetic similarity of wild and hatchery stocks, but potentially resulting in greater reproductive interactions between the two and impacts on reproductive success.

22. Integrated Hatchery Strategy. A broodstock management strategy where the intent is for returning adults of wild- and hatchery-origin to be reproductively integrated to form a single, composite stock. This requires wild-origin adults in the hatchery broodstock, and hatchery-origin adults may spawn naturally with wild salmonids. Evaluation of this hypothesis indicates that the wild population is harmed reducing reproductive success by 20 – 40% and by removing wild spawners to support the hatchery program.

Challenges: It has been conclusively shown in recent research programs that both segregated and integrated hatcheries have productivity, genetic, ecological and mixed stock fishery impacts that are harmful to wild stocks in a one-year program, and this prevents their use for recovery.

23. Iteroparous. The ability of a fish to spawn multiple times. (Ex: steelhead)

24. Lamba. Increase in population growth.

25. Life history. In addition to the life cycle of each wild fish species, life history refers to their strategies for survival.



26. Limiting Factors. In biology, limiting factors are resources or environmental conditions that limit the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or population of organisms. Examples of biological and physical limiting factors for wild fish include, but are not limited to, water temperature or availability, habitat degradation, predation, harvest, competition, and access to spawning grounds.

27. Local Adaptation. Because salmonids return to their natal streams to reproduce and where their progeny rear, the fish become adapted to the ecological conditions of their natal habitat and their fitness is high. Transplanting populations, i.e. hatchery fish, and strays are not adapted to the stream and survival rates are lower than native, wild populations.

28. Natural-Origin. Fish that are produced by spawning and rearing in the natural habitat, regardless of parentage.

29. Natural-origin Broodstock. These are natural-origin fish that are used in a controlled environment for hatchery production.

30. Optimum. Means the desired fish production level as stated in management plans or set by specific Commission action.

31. Out of basin stock. These are a stock of fish that are not indigenous to the watershed they are being released, and are often used to provide harvest-oriented fisheries in segregated hatchery programs. Also called Stock Transfer, a management program that moves fish among watersheds for harvest fisheries. Scientific evaluation recommends a stock transfer policy be adopted by fishery agencies, but it has not been adopted because it impedes management flexibility to provide fisheries even though it increases risks to native wild fish populations that are locally adapting to their home watersheds.

32. Outbreeding Depression. Occurs when offspring from crosses between individuals from different populations have lower fitness than progeny from crosses between individuals from the same population.

33. Phenotype. Any characteristic of an organism that is determined by the organism’s genes, genotype and the environment.

34. Philopatry. The tendency of an organism to stay in, or return to, its home area. The causes of philopatry are numerous, but natal philopatry, where animals return to their birthplace to breed, is probably the most common form. The term “philopatry” derives from the Greek ‘home-loving’, and migratory species that demonstrate site fidelity: reusing stopovers, staging points, and wintering grounds.

35. Production. The number or pounds of fish raised in a hatchery or resulting from natural spawning and rearing in freshwater, estuarine, or ocean habitats; also used in reference to harvest.

36. Productivity. Productivity refers to the maximum survival rate, and relates to the birth, growth and death rates of a population of fish. Productivity in fish is often measured through biological indices such as fish density or biomass, and is used to measure habitat quality and capacity.

37. Population. A group of fish originating and reproducing in a particular area at a particular time, which do not interbreed to any substantial degree with any other group reproducing in a different area or in the same area at a different time.

38. Recruitment. A representation of the number of new juvenile fish reaching a size or age that meets a reproductive stage or can be targeted for exploitation. In fisheries specifically, recruitment typically refers to the age a fish can become a viable target for the commercial, subsistence, or sport fishery for a given species.

39. Reproductive success. The number of juvenile offspring (less than a year old) produced by a reintroduced adult. Relative reproductive success is typically used to compare hatchery-origin fish relative to wild-origin fish when both groups are allowed to spawn in the wild.

40. Residualism. The failure of some hatchery-reared salmonid juveniles to out-migrate as smolts with the rest of their cohort. Residualized steelhead may adversely affect natural fish populations through predation, predator attraction and competition. Since the purpose of hatcheries is to produce adult fish for harvest, Residualism reduces the adults available for harvest, increases the cost per adult harvested, and contributes to genetic and ecological impacts on wild, native fish. To combat residual impacts on wild fish the fishery agencies promote sport harvest of hatchery residuals, which also has an impact on wild, native fish from angling mortality.

41. River Specific Management. Management adult spawner abundance designed for each river with egg deposition objectives.

42. Segregated Hatchery Program. A hatchery program in which only hatchery individuals are used in hatchery broodstocks and greater domestication selection may occur (including intentional selection to alter spawn timing of hatchery stocks to reduce expense of hatchery production by producing smolts in a year or less). It is assumed that earlier spawning timing of hatchery fish will minimize reproductive interactions between hatchery and wild steelhead. However, evaluation shows that this goal fails to reduce genetic and ecological impacts to wild steelhead.

43. Segregated Hatchery Strategy. A broodstock management strategy where the intent is for the hatchery stock to have no reproductive interactions with wild stocks. Also referred to as an Isolated Hatchery Strategy.

Challenges: It has been conclusively shown in recent research programs that both segregated and integrated hatcheries have productivity, genetic, ecological and mixed stock fishery impacts that are harmful to wild stocks in a one-year program, and this prevents their use for recovery.

44. Smolt-to-adult Returns (SAR). Refers to the number of returning adults as a percentage of smolts released, and is an indicator of relative reproductive success for a given population.

45. Stock. A group of fish within a species substantially reproductively isolated from other groups of the same species.



46. Stray Rate. Straying is natural for anadromous salmonids and is important for colonizing habitats such as rivers where dams have been removed. It is also important to the genetic health of locally adapting populations. Natural stray rates are <1% to <3%. For hatchery fish stray rate refers to the proportion of straying adults into the natal habitats of native fish, resulting in a negative impact. Measuring the percentage of Hatchery Origin Spawners (pHOS) is a tool for determining the stray rate of a hatchery population and the potential genetic and ecological impact on native wild salmonids.

47. Straying. This is the tendency of salmon and steelhead to utilize waterways they are not natal to for spawning or rearing. It is natural, and low numbers of strays per generation may be important genetically. Natural stray rates are less than 1 to 3 %, but stray rates of more than that have no scientific justification. However, in order to justify hatchery operations, the fishery agencies have adopted stray rates of 10% or more. Hatchery steelhead and other salmonid adults that stray to other locations rather than return to their release site may spawn with natural fish, and thereby reduce the fitness of the natural population through genetic and ecological impacts such as competition for food and space. Stray hatchery fish in non-natal streams and releases of hatchery fish to watersheds through stock transfers and off site releases contributes to the loss of natal species’ reproductive success. In addition, on the Columbia River transporting juveniles by barge or trucks downstream of dams increases stray rates, especially for steelhead.

48. Supplementation. The release of hatchery fish to augment the numbers of naturally returning fish. Often, the goal of supplementation programs is to increase the abundance of a wild population rather than only producing fish for harvest. Evaluation points out that supplementation with hatchery fish contributes to genetic and ecological impacts to the native population and wild population rebuilding is not proven.

“Supplementation is the use of artificial propagation in an attempt to maintain or increase natural production, while maintaining the long-term fitness of the target population and keeping the ecological and genetic impacts on non-target populations within specified biological limits” (Regional Assessment of Supplementation Project)

49. Viable Population. Do not consider any population with fewer than 500 individuals to be viable, regardless of its intrinsic productivity. A self-sustaining population of fish with fewer than 500 individuals are at a high risk for inbreeding depression and a variety of other genetic concerns.

50. Watershed. A watershed is the land that water flows through on its way to a stream, river, lake or ocean. No matter where you stand on land, you are in a watershed.

Relevant Acronyms

BACI Before and after control impactBY Brood YearCWA Clean Water ActCWT Coded-wire tagESA Endangered Species ActDPS Distinct Population Segment (refers to steelhead populations)EMAP Environmental monitoring assessment programESU Evolutionarily Significant Unit HE Heterozygosity – the total genetic variabilityHGMP Hatchery Genetic Management Plan HSRG Hatchery Scientific Review GroupMVP Minimum Viable Population NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service Ne Effective breeding population (the number of successful spawners)Nb Successful breeding individuals by brood yearpHOB The percentage of hatchery-origin fish used as hatchery broodstockpHORs The percentage of hatchery-origin recruits. The number of HORs equals the sum of HOS + HOB + hatchery-origin fish intercepted in fisheries.pHOS The percentage of hatchery-origin fish spawning naturally. PNI The proportion of natural influence in a breeding population. pNOB The percentage of natural origin fish used as hatchery broodstock. pNOS The percentage of natural origin fish spawning naturally. PVA Population viability analysisR/S Adult recruits per spawnerRRS Relative Reproductive SuccessQET Quasi extinction threshold represents abundance of adults that funcationally indicates extinction. This is set at 50 adult spawners per year and based on concerns about loss of genetic diversity and demographic stochasticity. SAR Smolt to adult ratioSAS Smolt to adult survivalVSP Viable Salmonid Population


2016 River Steward Program

Contact Information

RIVER

STEWA

RD

SLast

FirstW

atershedC

ityStateZip

PhoneEm

ailLacey

Dave

Hunter C

reekG

old Beach

OR

97444541-373-0487

davejlacey2010@gm

ail.comLem

keJena

Salm

onberryC

orneliusO

R97113

971-533-5861jenalem

ke@gm

ail.comLent

Steve

Washougal

Beaverton

OR

97007503-750-7633

stevenlent@m

ac.comLevin

Bryce

Snohom

ishE

verettW

A98201

425-870-9020brycealevin@

gmail.com

LightS

teveLow

er Deschutes

The Dalles

OR

97058541-506-9115

steve.flyandfield@gm

ail.comLund

Matt

Siletz

Berrien S

pringsM

I49103

503-930-6140m

atthew.lund0@

gmail.com

MacIntosh

Kent

Nestucca

Woods

OR

97112503-965-3672

Kentm

[email protected]

Margulis

Bob

Mid Yakim

aS

eattleO

R98102

206-276-3705bobm

argulis@gm

ail.comM

athisM

ichaelS

nake River Low

er Hell's C

anyonVerdale

WA

99037509-999-9474

michaelm

jmathis@

comcast.net

McC

onnaugheyJohn

Washougal

Washougal

WA

98671503-580-2465

johnmcc316@

gmail.com

McC

oyD

aveS

noqualamie

Seattle

WA

98116206-601-0132

dave@em

eraldwatersanglers.com

McM

ahonC

rystalS

ycanK

lamath Falls

OR

97603541-226-8685

crymcm

@gm

ail.comM

cQueen

Matt

Klickitat

Hood R

iverO

R97031

925-451-42994m

cqueen@gm

ail.comM

egillE

dS

kagitD

eming

WA

98244360-510-0483

[email protected]

Menaul

Chris

Green/D

uwam

ishS

eattleW

A98136

206-399-1143m

enaulc@gm

ail.comM

ilesS

pencerN

estucca, Tillamook B

ay Rivers

Portland

OR

97202971-400-3444

spencer@spencerm

iles.orgM

illsB

artJohnson C

reekP

ortlandO

R97236

503-901-4186bartonltd@

yahoo.comM

irandaE

dW

ood, William

son, 7 Mile

Klam

ath FallsO

R97601

541-892-0900C

ALLS

ON

LYM

oserM

arshallW

illiamson

Chiloquin

OR

97624541-880-4629

MarshalM

oser@gm

ail.comP

eirceD

anielH

oodP

arkdaleO

R97041

541-399-3677dbpeirce@

me.com

Petersen

Dave

Lower D

eschutesB

endO

R97702

541-647-4960dave@

merrill-osullivan.com

Petrow

skiS

tanleyS

outh Um

pquaTiller

OR

97484541-825-3070

[email protected]

Revel

Dustin

Lower E

elB

endO

R97703

530-921-1563dr.riverdrifter@

gmail.com

Ricketts

Russ

Wenachee

Leavenworth

WA

98826509-881-7799

riversnorkel@gm

ail.comR

obinsonJake

Coos B

ayC

oos Bay

OR

97420541-941-1822

yankeecreekforestry@gm

ail.comR

ossB

rentM

cKenzie

Eugene

OR

97402541-953-5968

brentross@gm

ail.comS

chmidt

Mark

Molalla

Molalla

OR

97038503-759-3374

markschm

[email protected]

Sheppard

Mia

John Day

Maupin

OR

97037541-419-2105

[email protected]

Sheppard

Marty

Sandy

Maupin

OR

97037503-819-4035

[email protected]

Sherm

anJoyce

Salm

onberryLincoln C

ityO

R97367

541-614-1252rivergraphics@

spiritone.comS

hoemaker

Eric

Necanicum

Portland

OR

97201503-866-0181

[email protected]

Sm

ithJam

esH

unter Creek

Gold B

eachO

R97444

801-979-0881kettleballing@

gmail.com

Sohl

Bryan

Rogue

Ashland

OR

541-890-3848S

tangelandM

arkN

orth Um

pquaG

rants Pass

OR

97526541-738-1867

riverflyguide@gm

ail.comS

teinbergS

alVan D

uzenC

arlottaC

A95528

707-768-3189steinberg.sal@

gmail.com

Stonebraker

Keith

Clearw

aterC

larkstonW

A99403

509-758-5529kstonebraker@

stonebrakermcquary.com

ThurberJam

esS

outh Coast, Low

er Um

pquaR

eedsportO

R97467

541-271-4260C

ALLS

ON

LYTronquet

Peter

Rogue, U

mpqua, Illinois

South B

eachO

R97366

541-261-5041pjtronquet@

aol.comW

eberW

altLow

er Colum

bia TributariesC

hinookW

A98614

360-777-8295w

weberg@

centurytel.netW

illisonS

cottS

tilliguamish

Bellingham

WA

98229360-224-4043

[email protected]

YoungD

erekYakim

aS

noqualamie

WA

98065425-373-6417

derek@em

ergingrivers.com

2016 River Steward Program

Contact Information

STAFF &

REG

ION

AL C

OO

RD

INATO

RS

Last First

Watershed

City

StateZip

PhoneEm

ailB

akkeB

illC

olumbia

Portland

OR

97221503-246-5890

bmbakke@

gmail.com

Craw

fordJake

Southern D

istrict Manager

Ashland

OR

97520720-253-8485

[email protected]

Derry

TomM

olallaM

olallaO

R97038

503-829-6208tom

@m

olalla.netD

onahower

Peter

Mid-C

olumbia R

egional Coordinator

TualatinO

R97062

503-314-9217peter.donahow

er@gm

ail.comE

ngelmeyer

Paul

Mid-O

regon Coast R

egional Coordinator

YachatsO

R97498

541-547-4097pengelm

[email protected]

Gow

ellC

onradR

iver Stew

ard Program

Director

Portland

OR

97212971-237-6544

[email protected]

Sherw

oodM

arkC

omm

unications Director

Brookings

OR

97415303-898-8988

mark@

nativefishsociety.orgS

mall

JasonP

uget Sound R

egional Coordinator

Olym

piaW

A98502

253-380-2583southsoundriverstew

ard@gm

ail.comR

IVER STEW

AR

DS

Last First

Watershed

City

StateZip

PhoneEm

ailA

delsbergerC

hristieS

prague, LostK

lamath Falls

OR

97601541-363-6833

christie.adelsberger@gm

ail.comA

llredR

yanK

lamath

Medford

OR

97504541-951-4892

ryallred@gm

ail.comA

ndrasR

achelB

ear Creek Tributaries

TalentO

R97540

530.227.4837andrasoutfitters@

me.com

Appleton

JohnG

rand Ronde

La Grande

OR

97850541-663-6094

[email protected]

Atlas

William

North P

uget Sound

VancouverB

CV

6J 2E7778-938-6883

wiatlas@

gmail.com

Baker

Row

anTillam

ook, Forest & M

arine Policy

Portland

OR

97202503-960-8288

watershedfishbio@

yahoo.comB

arrowE

thanTrask

Banks

OR

97106503-707-4588

CA

LLS O

NLY

Barrow

Wendy

TraskB

anksO

R97106

503-705-9464C

ALLS

ON

LYB

aumer

Scott

15 Mile

Lake Osw

egoO

R97035

503-680-1260scott.baum

er@gm

ail.comB

erryD

uncanS

almon

Otis

OR

97368206-697-0204

[email protected]

Bobbit

Bradley

South P

uget Sound

Olym

piaW

A98501

612-220-0625bbobbitt01@

gmail.com

Bourdon

Sunny

Chetco, S

mith

Brookings

OR

97415970-219-8662

sunny.bourdon@gm

ail.comB

ronsteinA

damM

etoliusS

istersO

R97759

541-410-1309springcreekw

oodworking@

gmail.com

Call

Ed

North P

uget Sound

Kingston

WA

98346360-981-2948

Eacall@

comcast.net

Carpenter

Dave

North S

antiamLyons

OR

97358503-798-8340

[email protected]

Crayne

Brice

SF Toutle

LongviewW

A98664

360-430-2201brice.crayne@

gmail.com

Daughters

Chris

McK

enzieE

ugeneO

R97401

541-342-7005caddiseug@

yahoo.comD

ayD

erekS

outh Puget S

oundO

lympia

WA

98506206-914-1599

derekday@gm

ail.comD

eRoy

Doug

Navarro, G

ualala, Garcia

Portland

OR

97202310-893-4689

dougderoy@gm

ail.comD

owning

Dane

MF &

NF E

el, Black B

utteC

oveloC

A95428

707-227-6208dow

[email protected]

Dunham

Pat

John Day

Pendleton

OR

97801541-276-1469

pdunham@

wtechlink.us

Evens

Scotty

Salm

onN

eotsuO

R97364

971-221-6913scotty@

westw

ind.orgFergusson

IanS

almonberry

Portland

OR

97212503-957-8875

ian.fergusson@com

cast.netG

eeD

avidH

oodH

ood River

OR

97031503-701-4112

dave@oregongrow

ers.comG

ehrC

harlesR

ogueA

shlandO

R97520

541-621-3650cdgehr@

yahoo.comG

oodman-C

ampbell

Gena

Upper D

eschutesB

endO

R97702

541-330-2638gena@

onda.orgH

ickman

JeffC

lackamas

Portland

OR

97214971-275-2269

hickman.steelhead@

gmail.com

Hollow

ayTy

Um

pquaS

pringfieldO

R97477

541-729-0692hollow

ay.ty88@gm

ail.comH

omeyer

Mark

Snohom

ish/Skykom

ishIssaquah

WA

98029206-240-3542

m.hom

eyer@com

cast.netIgou

Kellen

Winchuck

Sm

ith River

CA

95567541-944-6135

kjigou@gm

ail.comJohnson

Chris

Nooksack

Bellingham

WA

98225360-734-2527

chrisjhnsn8@gm

ail.comJohnson

Ken

Skagit

Bellingham

WA

98228360-319-7806

kjsteelhead@gm

ail.comK

annaryS

amantha

Upper Van D

uzenH

ydesvilleC

A95547

707-497-9165skannry@

gmail.com

Knapp

JonathanS

tilliguamish

WA

360-848-6900jonathan@

edcoonline.comL'H

omm

edieuA

lanS

andyB

rightwood

OR

97011503-622-4289

alan.lhomm

edieu@gm

ail.com


Notes


Notes

Notes

(BACK COVER)Night Snorkeling

Mark Caffee

River Steward Code of ConductAs a River Steward you are a representative of the Native Fish Society and wild, native fish. As such, it is your duty to act professionally and respectfully. The role of a River Steward includes being a researcher, monitor, communicator and advocate. Success for wild fish involves winning the trust and support of people from all walks of life. It is not just what you say that matters, but how you say it.

Always remember to speak with the River Steward Program Director about any major policy changes or proposals. As the River Steward Program continues to grow, it is critical that River Stewards work collaboratively to be successful.

If disputes arise among River Stewards, we encourage you to be charitable and peacemaking for the sake of our shared value of wild fish. Conflicts that cannot be resolved between stewards should be brought before the River Steward Program staff whose responsibility it is to mediate the dispute and help seek resolution.

Congratulations & Welcome AboardBy reviewing the River Steward Handbook and serving as a River Steward you are connecting with a regional network of knowledgeable advocates dedicated to improving conditions for wild, native fish. In doing so, you join the long tradition of Americans working to forge positive environmental change in our diverse watersheds. Communities look to leaders like you to tackle complex issues with compassion, ensure science guides decision-making, and to mentor the next generation of River Stewards. We hope the tools and information contained in this Handbook help you share ideas, collaborate with partners, and form lasting relationships that ultimately sustain native fish long into the future.

And one last thing…Conservation happens for a place, enjoy the watersheds you advocate for. At the Native Fish Society we are incredibly proud of you for being involved.

“Here is your country.

Cherish these natural

wonders, cherish the natural

resources, cherish the

history and romance as a

sacred heritage, for your

children and your children’s

children. Do not let selfish

men or greedy interests skin

your country of its beauty, its

riches or its romance.”

T. Roosevelt

River Steward Handbook

Documents