TRI STATE STEELHEADERS
PO BOX 1375, WALLA WALLA, WA 99362 tristatesteelheaders.com

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TRI-STATE STEELHEADERS' MISSION IS TO RESTORE SUSTAINABLE POPULATIONS OF NATIVE SALMONIDS BY ENHANCING HABITAT, PROVIDING PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND PROMOTING RECREATIONAL ANGLING.

OVERVIEW TRI-STATE STEELHEADERS IS A COMMUNITY-BASED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN SALMONID HABITAT RESTORATION SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN THE MID-1960S. THE GROUP WAS GRANTED 501(C) 3 STATUS BY WASHINGTON STATE IN 1989 AND WAS DESIGNATED A REGIONAL FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT GROUP IN 2000. PROJECTS ARE FUNDED BY GRANTS FROM STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, AND CORPORATE SPONSORS. OUR ORGANIZATION RECEIVES VALUABLE SUPPORT FROM THE WALLA WALLA COMMUNITY AS WELL AND THANKS TO GENEROUS DONATIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES, THE STEELHEADERS' 2019 CRAB FEED FUNDRAISER NETTED 13,200 FOR EDUCATION AND YOUTH EVENTS. IN 2019, VOLUNTEERS DONATED OVER 655 HOURS TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION. RESTORATION MILL CREEK FISH PASSAGE - PARK TO OTIS FLOOD CONTROL MEASURES ON MILL CREEK INCLUDE A TWO-MILE LONG SECTION OF CONCRETE-LINED CHANNEL. THIS CONCRETE CHANNEL IS A PASSAGE BARRIER TO MIGRATING SALMON, STEELHEAD, AND BULL TROUT. RETROFITTING OF THE CONCRETE WILL CREATE DEPTHS AND VELOCITIES THAT MIGRATING FISH CAN SUCCESSFULLY PASS. CONSTRUCTION FUNDING WAS SECURED IN 2018 TO IMPROVE FISH PASSAGE FOR 930 FEET OF THE FLOOD CONTROL CHANNEL BETWEEN PARK ST AND OTIS ST. PROJECT CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN JUNE 2019 AND WAS COMPLETED IN OCTOBER 2019. THE WALLA WALLA FIREFIGHTERS UNION MADE THE PROJECT POSSIBLE BY ALLOWING SITE ACCESS THROUGH THEIR PROPERTY. OTHER ESSENTIAL PARTNERS WERE WALLA WALLA COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, WALLA WALLA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, SALMON RECOVERY FUNDING BOARD, CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE UMATILLA INDIAN RESERVATION, BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION, WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE, AND THE REGIONAL FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT GROUP PROGRAM. WITH THE COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT, ABOUT 25% OF THE TWO-MILE CONCRETE CHANNEL IS PASSABLE TO FISH. MILL CREEK FISH PASSAGE - DIVISION TO ROOSEVELT FUNDING WAS SECURED FROM THE BRIAN ABBOTT FISH BARRIER REMOVAL BOARD FOR CONSTRUCTION OF PASSAGE IMPROVEMENTS TO 2,000 FEET OF THE CONCRETE CHANNEL. CONSTRUCTION IS SCHEDULED FOR 2021. MILL CREEK FISH PASSAGE - 6TH AVE EXTENSION THIS DESIGN PROJECT WILL RESULT IN CONSTRUCTION READY PLANS FOR THE SECTION OF THE MILL CREEK FLOOD CHANNEL BETWEEN 6TH AVENUE AND 3RD AVENUE. THE PROJECT SITE IS CONTINUOUS UPSTREAM OF THE 9TH AVE EXTENSION PROJECT, COMPLETED IN 2016. FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE SALMON RECOVERY FUNDING BOARD AND THE REGIONAL FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT GROUP PROGRAM. MILL CREEK FISH PASSAGE - SPOKANE TO PARK THIS DESIGN PROJECT WILL RESULT IN CONSTRUCTION READY PLANS FOR THE SECTION OF MILL CREEK FLOOD CHANNEL BETWEEN SPOKANE STREET AND PARK STREET. THIS SEGMENT WILL CONNECT PROJECTS COMPLETED IN 2013 AND 2019. FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE BRIAN ABBOTT FISH BARRIER REMOVAL BOARD AND THE REGIONAL FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT GROUP PROGRAM. BRIDGE TO BRIDGE RESTORATION - PHASES 2 & 3 THE BRIDGE TO BRIDGE PROJECT IS INTENDED TO IMPROVE INSTREAM HABITAT, RIPARIAN HABITAT, AND FLOODPLAIN FUNCTION ON ABOUT TWO MILES OF THE LOWER WALLA WALLA RIVER. AS WE PREPARED TO BID THE CONSTRUCTION OF PHASE 2 IN 2019, HIGH SPRING FLOWS CAUSED A MAJOR REALIGNMENT OF THE RIVER CHANNEL. THE RESULTING SITE CONDITIONS DIFFERED GREATLY FROM THE CONSTRUCTION PLAN. IN LATE SPRING, WE EVALUATED SITE CONDITIONS AND REVISED THE CONSTRUCTION PLANS. A CONSTRUCTION BID PROCESS WAS CONDUCTED IN THE SUMMER, WITH THE RESULT BEING BIDS THAT EXCEEDED THE PROJECT BUDGET. THE PROJECT WILL BE RE-BID IN SPRING 2020. PHASE 3, ADJACENT DOWNSTREAM TO PHASE 2, WAS AWARDED DESIGN FUNDING BY THE SALMON RECOVERY FUNDING BOARD. BID-READY PLANS ARE EXPECTED BY THE END OF 2020. BREWER WETLAND THIS 23-ACRE SITE HAS BEEN IMPROVED WITH MITIGATION FUNDING FOR IMPACTS TO REGIONAL WETLANDS. THREE NEW PONDS CREATED 1.25 ACRES OF NEW OPEN WATER. AFTER GRADING IN LATE 2015, FIVE ACRES AT THE NORTH END OF THE SITE WERE ENCLOSED WITH DEER FENCING, SEEDED WITH A NATIVE GRASS MIX, AND PLANTED WITH OVER 5,000 TREES AND SHRUBS IN THE SPRING OF 2016. IN 2017, AMERICORPS VOLUNTEERS PLANTED ADDITIONAL TREES TO REPLACE INITIAL PLANTINGS THAT DID NOT SURVIVE. IN 2019, THE PRIMARY PROJECT ACTIVITY WAS WEED CONTROL, AS THE SITE CONTINUES TO PERFORM WELL.

EDUCATION SALMON IN SCHOOL THE SALMON IN SCHOOL PROGRAM ALLOWS STUDENTS THE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE OF RAISING AND RELEASING SALMON. THIS YEAR, THE PROGRAM GREW TO 15 TANKS IN AREA SCHOOLS, WITH NEW TANKS IN WALLA WALLA AND STARBUCK. SPRING CHINOOK EGGS ARRIVED IN OCTOBER. STUDENTS WATCHED THEM HATCH INTO THE ALEVIN STAGE AND THEN ABSORB THEIR YOLK SACS TO BECOME FRY. DURING THE MONTHS THAT THE FISH WERE GROWING, OUR STAFF PROVIDED IN-CLASS LESSONS ON FISH ANATOMY, SALMON LIFECYCLE, WATERSHED HEALTH, AND FISH ART. IN APRIL AND MAY, STUDENTS RELEASED 1,000 CHINOOK FRY INTO MILL CREEK, THE TOUCHET RIVER, AND THE TUCANNON RIVER. FISH EGGS AND FOOD WERE PROVIDED BY THE UMATILLA FISH HATCHERY.

RECREATION SUPPORT OF JUMBO TROUT PROGRAM TRI-STATE STEELHEADERS CONTINUED TO SUPPORT THE WDFW JUMBO TROUT PROGRAM BY PURCHASING FOOD USED TO RAISE ABOUT 4,000 RAINBOW TROUT. "JUMBOS" ARE ABOUT 1.5 - 2 POUNDS, AND ARE RELEASED INTO APPROXIMATELY 20 SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON LAKES, INCLUDING BENNINGTON LAKE IN WALLA WALLA. KIDS FISHING DAYS ON THE FREE FISHING WEEKEND IN JUNE, TRI-STATE STEELHEADERS AND THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CO-SPONSORED THE ANNUAL KIDS FISHING DAY AT BENNINGTON LAKE. WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH THE FOREST SERVICE TO HOLD A KIDS FISHING DAY AT JUBILEE LAKE IN JULY. IN ALL, 160 KIDS REGISTERED FOR THE EVENTS. RODS AND REELS WERE AVAILABLE TO LOAN TO KIDS WHO DID NOT HAVE GEAR OF THEIR OWN. NEW FISHING POLES AND OTHER PRIZES WERE GIVEN OUT IN A RAFFLE AND TO WINNERS OF THE CASTING CONTEST AND BIGGEST FISH CONTEST. PARTICIPANTS ALSO ENJOYED FREE HOT DOGS AND SODA. THE EVENTS WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR PARTNERING AGENCIES AND BY MANY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS AND BUSINESSES.

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