Tri-State Steelheaders

RESTORATION:The Mill Creek passage projects are a multi-year, multi-phase approach to improving fish passage in the six-mile flood control channel that runs through Walla Walla. Two miles of the flood control channel is a concrete lined section, which presents especially poor conditions for returning adult steelhead, Chinook salmon, and bull trout. With the completion of 2023's projects, about 70% of the concrete channel has been treated to improve passage. MILL CREEK FISH PASSAGE DIVISION TO ROOSEVELTFunding was secured in 2019 from the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board for construction of passage improvements to 2,000 feet of the concrete channel. Due to escalation in the cost of project materials, only 1,200 feet of the planned project was completed in 2022. With additional funding from the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board and from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the remainder was completed in 2023. MILL CREEK FISH PASSAGE DESIGN Spokane to Park This project improved fish passage for 1,300 feet of the concrete channel, and connected work completed in previous phases, resulting in over a mile of barrier-free channel. The project was funded by the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Bonneville Power Administration. Mill Creek Fish Passage - 6th Ave Extension and 5th Ave Bridge RemovalThe 6th Ave Extension project will improve passage for 1,200 feet of the concrete channel. As construction was being planned for 2024, the removal of the 5th Ave bridge was added to the project scope. Removal of the failing bridge is critical to the successful implementation of the fish passage project. Engineering and design for the bridge removal was completed this year, and permit applications were submitted. MILL CREEK FISH PASSAGE DESIGN Gose St Conceptual DesignIn 2020, the flood of record on Mill Creek created a new fish passage barrier at the downstream end of the Mill Creek flood control channel. The stream bed scoured down about five feet, creating a barrier to adult salmon, steelhead, and bull trout trying to enter a fishway at the site. This design project started in 2022, engaging private, public, and government stakeholders to identify alternatives, and select a preferred alternative. In 2023, the preferred alternative was selected and developed to a conceptual design level. The conceptual design will be used to apply for additional funding to complete a final design. The project was funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. BRIDGE TO BRIDGE RESTORATION PHASE 3The Bridge-to-Bridge project is intended to improve in-stream habitat, riparian habitat, and floodplain function on about two miles of the lower Walla Walla River. Phase 3 design work was completed in 2023. The design includes log structures to create resting pools, cover from predators, complex habitat, and other conditions favorable to fish. The plans were necessary to apply for funding for 2025 construction. BREWER WETLANDThis 23-acre site has been improved with mitigation funding for impacts to regional wetlands. Starting in 2010, three new ponds created 1.25 acres of open water. In late 2015 and early 2016, 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 2017, AmeriCorps volunteers planted additional trees to replace initial plantings that did not survive. In 2023, site maintenance was conducted, and the site continues to perform well.

RECREATION:SUPPORT OF JUMBO TROUT PROGRAMTri-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. This program is popular with anglers, and would be discontinued by WDFW without the financial support of the Steelheaders. KIDS FISHING DAYSTri-State Steelheaders and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers co-sponsor the annual Kids Fishing Day at Bennington Lake on the Free Fishing Weekend in June. We also partner with the Forest Service to hold a Kids Fishing Day at Jubilee Lake in July. This year, 117 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.

EDUCATION:SALMON IN SCHOOL The Salmon in School program allows students a hands-on STEM learning experience through raising and releasing salmon. For the 2022-2023 school year, the program provided 21 aquariums in area schools in Walla Walla, Columbia, and Garfield counties. Chinook salmon eggs were delivered to the classroom tanks 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 life cycle, watershed health, and fish art. In the spring, students released their fry into Mill Creek, the Touchet River, and the Tucannon River. For the 2023-2024 school year, the program grew to 28 sites serving 1,700 students.Stem Professional DevelopmentThis four-day professional development workshop was geared toward non-STEM teachers who need recertification. The workshop's theme is habitat restoration design. In field sessions, participants measured the kind of data that restoration scientists measure, then interpreted the data to decide appropriate restoration activities for the study site.