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North Fork John Day, Oregon

North Fork John Day, Oregon

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The North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership accelerates protection and restoration in our healthiest rivers and core centers of wild salmon abundance and diversity.

North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership

The North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership unites public and private resources in a voluntary, incentive-based approach to protect the healthiest remaining salmon ecosystems in North America. The Partnership includes local communities, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, tribes, business interests and private landowners who are working collaboratively on salmon conservation and restoration activities across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Alaska and British Columbia.

Focusing on Salmon Strongholds

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The North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership complements salmon recovery activities by supporting proactive, collaborative conservation projects, and focusing resources on a network of our most abundant, productive and diverse salmon river ecosystems--America's wild salmon strongholds.

While recovery of threatened and endangered wild Pacific salmon populations is vital, this approach needs to be supplemented with a strategy to conserve the strongest populations of wild salmon to keep them healthy and prevent them from declining. The Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act introduced in April 2009 will create a new, proactive U.S. policy to focus federal support and resources on the protection and restoration of salmon strongholds, as a complement to recovery.

By working with communities to conserve these key salmon ecosystems, we will ensure these rivers continue to provide sustainable environmental and economic services for generations to come. These services include fresh water, timber, and the fish and wildlife that generate long-term revenue and sustainable recreational and commercial fisheries.

Community-Driven

Local community involvement is essential to long-term salmon conservation and river restoration efforts. In each stronghold basin, the partners determine which populations of salmon and steelhead are strongest, prioritize the actions necessary to keep these populations healthy, and support completion of these conservation actions.

The Stronghold Partnership provides resources and expertise to facilitate high-value conservation action at the basin level and coordinates with multiple agencies and land managers to accelerate complex conservation actions across federal, state, tribal and private lands that would be difficult to handle at the local level. The Stronghold Partnership leverages public and private funding sources, and taps into the expertise of numerous state and federal land agency experts and scientists to create a sustainable, locally-driven, incentive-based approach to salmon conservation.

Stronghold Demonstration Sites

Following a rigorous two-year, science-based process, a team of scientist organized by the Wild Salmon Center developed a database to identify strong populations of Pacific salmon.  The Steering Committee formally identified nine river basins as eligible Stronghold Demonstration Sites, reflecting both the biological values of the salmon present and the diversity of stakeholder support for the Stronghold approach. See Multi-Species Salmon Population map.

Stronghold Demonstration Sites:

  • John Day, OR
  • Sandy, OR
  • Siletz, OR
  • Elk, OR
  • Rogue-Illinois, OR
  • Smith, CA
  • Wenatchee, WA
  • Queets/Quinault, WA
  • Lemhi, ID

Collectively, these nine basins represent a biologically diverse, geographically dispersed portfolio that offers science, policy and conservation opportunities to advance regional understanding and strategic investments to protect the strongest remaining salmon and steelhead populations across Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho. In February, 2010 the Harrison River in BC was identified as the first Salmon Stronghold Demonstration Site in Canada.

Partnership Steering Committee

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Bonneville Power Administration
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • US Forest Service
  • Columbia Intertribal Fish Commission
  • Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game
  • Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
  • Washington Salmon Recovery Office
  • Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
  • Oregon Governor's Office
  • Idaho Office of Species Conservation
  • California Dept. of Fish and Game
  • Northwest Power and Conservation Council
  • Trout Unlimited
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Wild Salmon Center
  • Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council-Ex Officio

Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act

The Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act (S. 817; H.R. 2055) will establish a new, proactive U.S. policy recognizing the need for conservation of salmon strongholds as a complement to recovery of federally-listed salmon populations. It will also create a grants program to support cooperative conservation efforts that implement locally-led, high value conservation actions in healthy wild salmon ecosystems across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Alaska.

In April 2009, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and the entire West Coast Senate delegation introduced federal legislation to protect and restore the healthiest remaining wild Pacific salmon ecosystems in North America—"Salmon Strongholds." A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. House on April 22nd by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA 1st) and Mike Simpson (R-ID 2nd), with co-sponsorship from members in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California.

In June 2009, the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans, and Wildlife held a favorable hearing on the Act. Three of our partners, Sara LaBorde (North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership; WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife), Jack Williams (Trout Unlimited), and Tom Weseloh (California Trout), testified in support of the legislation. The National Marine Fisheries Service's Acting Assistant Administrator and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Director of Fisheries and Habitat Conservation also testified in favor of the salmon stronghold strategy, signaling support from the Obama Administration.

The Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard in the Senate Commerce Committee heard testimony on the legislation on April 15, 2010. Guido Rahr, Wild Salmon Center's President & Chief Executive, testified on behalf of the legislation, along with Dr. Gordon Reeves (U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station), Sara LaBorde (WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife), and Joe Childress (United Fisherman of Alaska).

Next Step: On June 9, 2010, the Senate Commerce Committee passed the legislation by unanimous consent, with no amendments offered.

Bill Status: For the latest Bill Status, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/ and enter the Bill Number:
S. 817 or H.R. 2055.

Take Action: To learn more about what you can do to support this legislation, contact Laurele Fulkerson at lfulkerson@wildsalmoncenter.org.

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