Wild steelhead diversity is key to long-term survival

By Eric Crawford If only it was as simple as an adipose fin.   The presence of an adipose fin is universally recognized as the mark. An individual with an adipose fin is, with a few exceptions, considered a wild steelhead. On the other hand, those marked, clipped, or ad-intact fish, they are the hatchery ones. Although it is…

For the love of the Animas

By Ty Churchwell No one in Durango nor Silverton, Colo., will ever forget Aug. 5, 2015 — the day of the Gold King mine spill that sent 3 million gallons of ugly, toxic mine water down the Animas River in southwest part of the state. To say the accident was highly visible is an understatement. In today’s digital world, photos of the orange…

Five takeaways on Snake River salmon and steelhead

After decades of lawsuits, recovering Snake River salmon and steelhead is inching closer to reality. This week a series of meetings kick off in Washington to gather public input on the impacts of dam removal on the Lower Snake. In preparation, Rob Masonis, vice president for Western Conservation at Trout Unlimited, and Helen Neville, senior…

The decade of recovery

I often think of my life in decade intervals. The first ten years was the goofball phase; 11-20 years old involved anything with a ball; 21-30 was consumed by conservation—you get the idea. If we are lucky, we will get eight or nine of these opportunities to think about the new decade in front of…

Brown Bag: Bringing Back salmon and steelhead on the lower Snake River

Join us January 6 for a brown bag discussion about bringing back fishable and resilient populations of salmon and steelhead to the lower Snake River.  Presenters:  Rob Masonis, vice president western conservation, Trout Unlimited  Helen Neville, senior scientist, Trout Unlimited  When: Jan. 6, 12 pm PST Register in advance: Email sstephenson@tu.org for call in info For…