Western Rivers Conservancy will convey properties to Yakama Nation The historic Wagner Ranch on East Chewuch Road and the smaller Stafford Ranch on Highway 20 near Mazama have been purchased by the Western Rivers Conservancy to be preserved and managed for fish habitat restoration efforts in the Methow Valley. The Western Rivers Conservancy is a […]
Fish
State grants will benefit projects in, near Methow Valley
The Washington Wildlife & Recreation Program (WWRP) received $80 million with the recent passage of the state’s $4.3 billion capital budget. Included in the funding are two projects in or near the Methow Valley that are funded under WWRP’s land-restoration and enhancement category.
Coho comeback
Over the past month and a half, 941 adult coho salmon have been weighed and measured, had their fins clipped for genetic testing, and had their eggs fertilized in buckets to produce 1 million smolts for the next generation.
It took five all-day sessions for a dozen biologists and staff with the Yakama Nation Fisheries …
State agencies on alert for Atlantic salmon heading to Columbia River
Although the thousands of Atlantic salmon released when commercial nets ruptured are a long way from the mouth of the Columbia River — the portal to headwaters in the Methow Valley — state agencies responding to the crisis are proceeding as if it’s a real possibility that some fish could enter the Columbia.
Rivers and lakes still open for trout; steelhead outlook grim
With cooler temperatures, much of the Methow River remains open for catch-and-release trout fishing, and anglers can still fish for summer Chinook in the Columbia River near Brewster.
“This is the first time in years that the state has opened a season for …
‘State of Salmon’ report outlines recovery challenges
A state report tallying the achievements of almost 20 years of salmon recovery gives this region high marks for habitat and land protection, but paints a gloomier picture for endangered fish, with spring Chinook “getting worse” and steelhead “not making progress.”
The 2016 “State of Salmon in Watersheds” update, released by the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office, concludes that …
Twisp River fish habitat restoration project will be completed next year
A fish habitat restoration project about 10 miles up the Twisp River will continue next summer after crews ran out of time to complete work in the river last month.
The Newby Narrows Fish Habitat Enhancement Project was expected to be completed this summer, but crews were unable to finish work during the short time frame that construction work is allowed to take place in …
Projects restore fish habitat on Twisp, Methow rivers
Three projects on the Twisp and Methow rivers to restore habitat for threatened and endangered fish — steelhead, spring Chinook and bull trout — get underway this summer.
Two projects on the Twisp River will be conducted by the Yakama Nation through its Upper Columbia Habitat Restoration program. One is at the Twisp Ponds just outside of Twisp, and the other is about 10 miles up the river.
Cleanup underway after diesel spills into Similkameen River
More than 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel has spilled into the Similkameen River in British Columbia, about 90 river miles north of the border, according to Okanogan County Emergency Manager Maurice Goodall.
The Similkameen River flows from …
Lamprey release seeks to re-establish the ancient fish in the Methow River
Pacific lamprey are hardy creatures — they have been found in fossil records more than 400 million years old — but in recent years their numbers in the Methow River watershed have dropped by 90 percent. Hoping the fish will spawn here in the spring and begin to reestablish the population, biologists with Yakama Nation …
