SALEM, Ore. – Members of the public interested in the future of mid-Columbia River steelhead populations can find out more about plans for their recovery during a public meeting hosted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday, Dec. 11 in Portland.

Representatives from ODFW, the Governor’s Office and NOAA fisheries will present details on the recently released plan for the conservation and recovery of Oregon’s native steelhead populations in the mid-Columbia river.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 at the Metro Regional Government Council Chambers, 600 Grand Avenue.

The Oregon Mid-Columbia River Steelhead Conservation and Recovery Plan serves as a roadmap for the recovery of steelhead populations in the Fifteenmile, Deschutes, John Day, Umatilla and Walla Walla subbasins. Mid-Columbia River steelhead are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. The meeting is designed to present the plan to interested citizens and organizations prior to the close of the federal public comment period on Dec. 23, 2008.

The meeting in Portland is the last of five public meetings held in Oregon on the conservation plan.

The Oregon conservation and recovery plan was released at the same time as, and is part of, NOAA Fisheries Service's bi-state plan for recovery of mid-Columbia River steelhead populations in both Oregon and Washington.  Each meeting will begin with a presentation of the state’s plan, followed by a summary of the NOAA bi-state plan. There also will be an opportunity for questions and comments from the public.

Both ODFW and NOAA fisheries are currently accepting written comments on the recovery plans.

The proposed Oregon Mid-Columbia River Steelhead Conservation and Recovery Plan is available at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/esa/mid-columbia/.  The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission considered the Plan at its Nov. 14, 2008 meeting in Salem. Public comment on the Oregon portion of the plan may still be submitted to odfw.commission@state.or.us until Dec. 23, 2008.

The bi-state recovery plan can be viewed at www.nwr.noaa.gov, which also details how to submit comments to NOAA during its public comment period which ends Dec. 23, 2008.

###