Puget Sound Anglers Help Repair Flood-Damaged Lilliwaup Hatchery

When members of the recreational fisher’s association Puget Sound Anglers learned of extensive flood damage that had occurred at LLTK’s Lilliwaup Hatchery in December, they volunteered to help. The hatchery is the centerpiece of steelhead rearing for the Hood Canal Steelhead Project, and also maintains summer chum and Chinook recovery programs.

On January 17, members of the South Sound Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers and LLTK staff worked side-by-side to repair extensive water and sedimentation damage in and around the hatchery building, which is located on private property at the mouth of Lilliwaup Creek.

View Photos From the Event…

Read the full report…

Father’s Day at the Steelhead Diner

Bring your family to the Steelhead Diner for brunch this Father’s Day (Saturday, June 15) and you will be supporting Long Live the Kings! Steelhead Diner owners Kevin and Terresa Davis will donate 25% of all proceeds from the day to LLTK. Members of the Washington Fly-Fishers Association will be on hand to demonstrate fly-tying techniques and share secrets about some of the best places to go fishing in the Northwest.

Steelhead Diner Chef Kevin Davis was recently nominated for a prestigious James Beard Award for “Best Northwest Chef,” so make your reservation soon to find out what all the buzz is about. Celebrate Dad, steelhead, and LLTK this Father’s Day with brunch at the Steelhead Diner. For reservations, call 206-625-0129.

Fly-Fishing Gear Raffle!

Visit the LLTK website today and purchase a raffle ticket for your chance to win a bevy of fly-fishing gear from Cabelas! The winner will be chosen at random from all entrants during LLTK’s Father’s Day event at the Steelhead Diner on June 15 (see above). The prize includes a tackle bag, gear vest, beginner’s fly-tying kit, vise and tools, as well as an LLTK fleece jacket, t-shirt, and cap!

Enter for yourself or for Dad and enter as many times as you like. Tickets are $10—so buy a bunch—all proceeds benefit LLTK’s work to recover salmon and steelhead.

To view the prizes and purchase your raffle tickets securely online, click here.

Photo Contest: Submit Your Photos of LLTK Gear on the Road!

Submit photos of yourself or a family member decked out in LLTK attire while traveling, playing golf, fishing, beachcombing, or whatever it is you do in your LLTK gear. We’ll post your photos on our website where visitors can vote on their favorites. The submission with the most votes on November 1, 2008 will win (what else?)… a complete set of LLTK gear! The winner will be announced in our December E-News.

Pictured above is LLTK Board member Gary Smith, in an LLTK cap, while fishing in Turks and Caicos.

Email your photos to ndworkin@lltk.org

In each issue of the LLTK E-News, we introduce you to a remarkable staff or Board member, project partner, or donor.

The 21st Century Salmon and Steelhead Project, a partnership between LLTK and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to create a new framework for internal decision-making about salmonids, will culminate in 2008. The project, which began in 2005, owes its success to the commitment, enthusiasm, and hard work of members of WDFW’s Salmon and Steelhead Planning Team.

The project’s interdisciplinary team includes expertise in co-management, habitat, harvest, hatcheries, science, legislative and public affairs, and enforcement. The 21st Century Salmon and Steelhead Project afforded the planning team members an opportunity to engage in strategic and imaginative conversations across discipline and hierarchy. The planning team has now begun the process of broadening the conversation so that an increased cross-section of staff can participate.

The new management framework that the planning team completed in December 2007 will help prioritize staff time and resources to enable WDFW to work effectively with co-managers and meet the twin goals of recovery and sustainability. Next steps include incorporating the framework’s benchmarks into individual work plans, and then reaching out to co-managers and key stakeholders to align activities toward reaching shared goals.

The planning team, appointed by Director Jeff Koenings, will remain in place to provide leadership and ensure the comprehensive implementation of All-H management practices within the Department.

Planning team members include: Phil Anderson (Deputy Director), Sara LaBorde (Special Assistant, Salmon Recovery), Heather Bartlett (Salmon and Steelhead Division Manager), Craig Burley (Inland and Marine Resources Division Manager), Pat Frazier (Region 5 Fish Program Manager), Bridget Moran (Environmental Policy Lead), Pat Pattillo (Salmon Policy Coordinator), David Price (Habitat Coordinator), Jim Scott (Chief Scientist), Lisa Veneroso (Intergovernmental Resource Management), Ron Warren (Acting Hatchery Division Manager). LLTK staff represented on the planning team include: Barbara Cairns and Bill Masters, and contractors Betsy Daniels (Triangle Associates) and Gary Smith (Gary Smith Company).

To read more about the 21st Century Salmon and Steelhead Project, click here.