WSC 2020 Annual Report
Between wildfires, the pandemic, and historic economic, political, and social disruptions, 2020 was one of the most challenging years that the Wild Salmon Center has ever experienced. And yet, 2020 also proved to be a year of breakthroughs. See our latest annual report for these and other ways WSC and partners delivered major wins for clean water, healthy forests, and wild salmon and steelhead in stronghold rivers.
In Alaska, political leaders joined federal scientists in speaking up for Bristol Bay, and the U.S. Army Corps denied Pebble Mine’s key federal permit.
On the Oregon Coast, WSC is leading a conservation team into historic negotiations to protect salmon and other species on 11 million acres of private forestland. On the the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, a 70-year plan moves forward, with protections possible for priority rivers like the Nehalem, Salmonberry, and Kilchis. And thirty Coast Coho Partnership projects are underway on the Oregon coast, with nearly $3 million channeled into the restoration of six coastal watersheds in the last three years.
In British Columbia, WSC scientists and partners are mapping the DNA of hundreds of wild Pacific salmon and steelhead runs in order to ensure that future harvest preserves salmonid genetic diversity — the species’ best tool for adapting to climate change.
On the Washington Coast, WSC is working with the state to include productivity, distribution, and population diversity in wild steelhead management. On the Chehalis River, Governor Inslee interceded to ask for serious alternatives to the proposed 24-story Chehalis Dam in one of the state’s best remaining salmon and steelhead watersheds. And the Cold Water Connection campaign continues to make progress, with 11 culvert projects reconnecting 16 river miles.
In the Russian Far East, a full 70 percent of Kamchatka salmon fisheries by volume are now either certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or actively in pre-certification.
Our science and policy team is tackling some of the big systemic issues facing salmon in the 21st century. We are making strides to give spring Chinook a fighting chance on rivers like the Klamath and Snake. At a time of escalating drought, our new Oregon Water Initiative aims to make sure strongholds have enough water. And we are mapping the overlap between salmon strongholds and important lands for carbon sequestration, to drive climate investments into those places.
Thank you, friends, partners, and supporters, for working with us to protect these beautiful rivers and all the species they support, especially in this year of extraordinary challenges. Join us, to support more conservation breakthroughs in 2021 and beyond.
