White Salmon Project

This 2025 film, shot and edited by Liam O. Gallagher, showcases the amazing efforts made by our volunteers, community scientists, and partners. Please enjoy and join us in thanking the Clark-Skamania Fly Club, pFriem Family Brewers, Washington Depart of Fish and Wildlife, Wild Steelheaders United, Grundéns, and the Friends of the White Salmon as well as every person who donated their time, spotting skills, and enthusiasm in making this project an on-going success!

Contact J. Michelle

Interested in learning how you can contribute, sign up for training, or getting more information? Click on the “Contact J. Michelle” button to get in touch with our project director!

Project Overview

Since the removal of the Condit Dam, wild Steelhead and Coho have been returning to spawn after over 100 years of zero fish passage. The White Salmon is not a current WDFW Steelhead gene bank but was one of the 14 originally considered by WDFW and partners. The project was created to expand to the Little Wind (a tributary to the Wind River, which is a Steelhead gene bank) and invited to significantly expand on two tributaries of the White Salmon, both by private landowners, just prior to the project's abrupt halt on November 2nd, 2023; the creator of the project, J. Michelle Swope, and the Washington Council of Trout Unlimited have revived the project and are seeking volunteers.

Project Goals

Re-engage Klickitat/White Salmon/Bingen area in place-based volunteer activities to revitalize local TU chapter(s)
Continue the data gathering on wild Coho and Steelhead spawning critical to further re-wilding the White Salmon and other waters with ESA-listed species, including wild Coho and wild Steelhead.

Training Information

Sign up for Training

We currently do not have any trainings scheduled, but keep an eye on this page for updates! We will announce upcoming trainings on our social media pages as well, and look forward to having you join us!

What to expect

These surveys involve walking the identified section of the stream, observing wild fish spawning, and recording data such as the species, redds, temperature, visibility, water height, and other factors.
Surveys follow WDFW protocol and use equipment on loan from WDFW
Volunteers enter data in iPads provided by WDFW and also use flagging methods to track the physical locations of spawning fish
Currently, spawning surveys are conducted for Coho and Steelhead
The Coho rotation runs from October through January 31st and is conducted every 10 days
The Steelhead rotation runs from February 1st through June 30th and is conducted every 14 days
There are 3 tributaries where these surveys are currently conducted (Spring, Mill, and Buck Creek). A 4th tributary (Rattlesnake) is potentially available if J. Michelle and others continue to work with the landowners.
At the end of the survey season, we host volunteer feedback and appreciation events