ODFW presents Willamette salmon and steelhead plan at Eugene, Salem meetings

SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will co-host meetings in Eugene and Salem next week to present the state and federal plan for restoring spring chinook and winter steelhead populations in the upper Willamette River Basin.

At the meetings, ODFW will present an overview of the newly-released Upper Willamette Salmon and Steelhead Conservation and Recovery Plan and describe how the public can participate in the review process. The meetings will be held at:

Eugene, Nov. 8, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Eugene Water and Electric Board, 500 E 4th Ave.

Salem, Nov. 9, 6 – 8:30 p.m. Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. SE

In 1999, several populations of spring chinook and winter steelhead in the Upper Willamette Basin were listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

According to Dave Jepsen, ODFW recovery planning specialist, the first goal of the Plan is to recover populations enough that they can be removed from the threatened and endangered list under the ESA.

Beyond that, Jepsen added, the plan lists actions to help build salmon and steelhead populations to the point where they are safe from extinction and can contribute to the economic vitality of the Basin.

The meetings will be co-hosted by ODFW, the State of Oregon’s Governors Natural Resource Office and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Fisheries Service.

An Executive Summary of the Plan, as well as the entire Plan, is available for review or download at the ODFW website at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/CRP/upper_willamette_river_plan.asp. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider the Plan at its Dec. 3 meeting and written comments can be submitted to odfw.commision@state.or.us.

Comments on the plan can also be sent to NOAA through its website at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/Recovery-Domains/Willamette-Lower-Columbia/Will/Will-Plan.cfm. The NOAA deadline for comments in Dec. 21, 2010.