Access Denied

   Access to our fishing waters and public lands is something The Northwest Steelheaders take seriously.  So seriously in fact that we have a River Rights director, Art Israelson.  Art has traveled from Wallowa County to Lane County at his own expense to protect anglers access rights and to educate public officials, anglers and land owners on Oregon access laws.  As a Steelheader if you are ever in a dispute or confrontation over fishing access, please, do not escalate the situation, just gather the facts and give Art a call.  He will then advise you of your rights and the best course of action.  His service is free to all Steelheaders as part of your membership, but I am sure if you offer him a fishing trip he will not turn you down.

   While we been successful in helping anglers with fishing access, there is a disturbing tend to our fishing access we all need to be aware of. This trend is the large, powerful corporations and billionaires buying up large parcels of land, and then locking them up to any public access. In Idaho this year a pair of Texas billionaires purchased a very large parcel of land that had previously been open to the public for hunting and fishing. Their first action was to immediately close the property to any public activity. Several hunters who had prize elk and deer tags were suddenly left out in the cold, and all the state of Idaho could do was issue them general season tags.

   Here in Oregon we are now facing a familiar situation where anglers will lose 12½ miles of some of best summer and winter steelhead water in the state. Recently Weyerhaeuser corporation purchased the timber property above Moonshine Park on the Siletz River. They are planning to remove open access for the public to the area we know as the Siletz Gorge. Already they have installed new gates and in 2017 will limit access to the lower 3½ miles. The Siletz Gorge will be closed to the public above the 3½-mile bridge. In other  Weyerhaeuser holdings, they have chosen to limit access to those willing to pay an access fee. According to their website, it is between $400 and $500 for motorized access.

   The Steelheaders have a long history with the Siletz River. Not many people know this, but back in 1980 it was Steelheaders who represented sport anglers when we negotiated a treaty for fishing rights on the Siletz with the new recognized Siletz tribe.  Steelheaders have also completed several STEP projects in the Siletz Gorge, and we were involved in the removal of the Valsetz Dam, which opened up two miles of spawning water for coho and steelhead.

   Now the question becomes what can we do to keep this area  open to fishing. First, there is a petition being circulated that we can sign: 

https://www.change.org/p/oregon-state-house-stop-excessive-weyerhaeuser-recreational-fees-in-oregon

   Secondly, we have to let our public officials know that fishing access is an important issue not just for us, but for future generations.  If we want access to private property like the Siletz Gorge we have to let corporations like Weyerhaeuser know that we are good stewards of the land and respect property rights. 

   We are hoping for a face to face meeting with Weyerhaeuser officials in the near future where we can explain why Sport Angler access is important and why open access is beneficial for everyone. Look here for further updates.