Tri-State Steelheaders

Programs

1. 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…

   $4,764,228 spent
   98% of program spending

2. 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.

   $75,359 spent$2,200 earned by the program
   2% of program spending

3. 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.

   $6,867 spent
   0% of program spending

The 3 programs described on its FY2023 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $4,846,454.