McKenzie River updates

Victory or Illusion: the Case of the Upper Willamette Coho

There has been one remarkably bright spot for anadromous salmonids in the upper Willamette River (UWR) this year–a record return of Coho. But is this an example of wild abundance or yet another...

McKenzie Chapter Update: ODFW Presentation in April & Future Meetings

On April 26, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) researcher Kara Anlauf-Dunn presented an excellent summary of her work studying temperature on native fish to the McKenzie Chapter at...

Re-Wilding Oregon Conference

Twenty conservation organizations and local businesses have come together to organize the 2023 Re-Wilding Oregon Conference at Lake Creek Lodge on May 13, in Camp Sherman, Oregon. This is a first...

What's Happening on the Willamette

Looking out across a barren landscape of thick mud dotted by boulders and tree stumps, you might perceive a scene of destruction, but to Native Fish Society Conservation Director Jennifer...

Willamette Dams Litigation - Legal Rulings and Implementation Reports

On September 1, 2021, U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez issued a final opinion and order directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to...

Win on the Willamette! ​Judge Issues Injunction to Save Willamette River Chinook Salmon and Winter Steelhead

On September 1, 2021, U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez issued a final opinion and order directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to...

Win on the Willamette!

Court finds Army Corps’ dam operations harm salmon and violate the Endangered Species Act We are excited to share a big win for Oregon's Willamette Basin and its wild fish! Today, Chief Judge...

ReWild the Willamette LIVE!

This week, Native Fish Society Conservation Director Jennifer Fairbrother sat down with our partners at WildEarth Guardians to discuss our ongoing collaboration in Oregon's Willamette River...

Success worth celebrating: the next chapter in our efforts to Let Leaburg Go!

A friend and colleague once opined that conservation professionals do a poor job of celebrating the successes of our failures. We work hard and passionately to advance our campaigns towards the end...

Reimagining the Willamette

What do you imagine when you dream of the future of Oregon's Willamette basin? Do you see clear waters roiling from thousands of fish jockeying for space on spawning gravel high in the Cascade...

Willamette Coalition Makes It Official at Public Kickoff Event

The Willamette Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Coalition has officially gone public! Last month, Native Fish Society and founding coalition members hosted the Rewild the Willamette event. Willamette...

River Steward Program Newsletter Winter 2018

We are starting to see rains show up earlier in southern Oregon than I can remember in the past couple of years, and I hope that this is the beginning to a long wet winter here in the Northwest. ...

​​NFS, conservation partners request preliminary injunction seeking immediate changes at Willamette dams.

As a result of the dire state of threatened Upper Willamette River wild spring Chinook salmon and winter steelhead caused by dams in Oregon’s Willamette River basin, a coalition of conservation...

For Willamette Fish, the Work is Far From Done

This week, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife was granted a five year federal authorization to lethally remove sea lions at Willamette Falls. While much attention has been given to the...

A Stream Transformed - Deer Creek Restoration Project

Before and after Deer Creek Restoration- US Forest Service Photo Beginning at Clear Lake as a series of springs and seeps, the upper McKenzie River tumbles its way down the west side of the...

In Memoriam: Wayne Somes

Wayne Somes, an individual dedicated to the Willamette River, and the recovery of its iconic fish, passed away, Saturday, May 5th, 2018 at the age of 71, after a long battle with Parkinson’s...

Willamette Hatchery Plans Fall Short

This spring, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for hatchery operations in the Willamette basin. These Hatchery Genetic Management...

NFS and conservation partners file lawsuit to save Willamette River Chinook salmon and steelhead

After nearly a decade’s worth of missed deadlines, postponed actions, and poor communications from Federal Agencies, a coalition of conservation groups filed suit on March 13 against the U.S. Army...