Celebrating Our 2023 Wins

Advocacy

Aquatic Life Rulemaking Process

The DRA was active in the process and engaged the public in DEQ’s recent Aquatic Life Rulemaking process. All of our voices were heard and DEQ will not be relaxing the pH standard on the Crooked River and Trout Creek. More information and next steps will be shared soon.

Stakeholder Process

Portland General Electric’s recent stakeholder process accomplished one thing: it confirmed that the Deschutes River Alliance is the only NGO fighting for the lower Deschutes River and changes in Selective Water Withdrawal Tower operations. DRA was the lone voice in the room asking PGE to give the river immediate relief by releasing colder water year-round from the bottom of the reservoir behind Round Butte Dam. The Deschutes River Alliance will continue to fight for changes that will actually result in significant benefits to the lower Deschutes River.

2023 Frank Moore Conservation Award

Our organization was proud to be honored by Fly Fishers International Oregon Council for “an extraordinary contribution to the conservation of our fisheries.” The award was presented at the Northwest Fly Tyer and Fishing Expo in March 2023. Frank Moore was a celebrated WWII veteran, fly fishing legend, and conservationist who, together with his wife, worked and lived on the North Umpqua River until his passing in January 2022. Today the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary now protects approximately 100,000 acres of public lands in the North Umpqua watershed.

Outreach

DRA staff and board participated in partner events throughout the state—from river clean-ups to fly fishing expos—communicating our issues and goals, and expanding our audience.

Science

Water Quality Monitoring

This spring the DRA successfully installed new monitoring equipment at our location near Warm Springs and established a new station in Maupin. Both stations have the capability to transmit water quality data as it is collected to our website every ten minutes. Visit our website to see the current river conditions.

State of the lower Deschutes Webinar

In April, the DRA science team presented an overview of the current condition of the lower Deschutes. This is the most comprehensive overview of the lower Deschutes River’s water quality and aquatic life. It is available on our DRA YouTube channel to view.

Published our 9th Annual science report

This past spring, the DRA science team released the ninth Lower Deschutes River Water Quality Report. Findings were consistent with past years—the science showed again that the current operations of the SWW Tower intentionally warms the lower Deschutes River during critical spawning and incubation periods for resident trout and steelhead. High pH levels continued to exceed Oregon water quality standards throughout the monitoring period in 2022 but showed an immediate improvement with increased bottom-draw.

We hosted a second Trout Whisperers expert panel at Patagonia Bend in November 2023

Community

2023 Auction

Inclement weather did not stop our supporters from demonstrating their passion for protecting the lower Deschutes River at our February 25th Auction in Portland. We packed the house with a record crowd of 230 and continued the tradition of raising our paddles—and our glasses—to ensure cooler, cleaner water in the lower Deschutes River.

first annual troutfest

Lovers of the Deschutes from around the region descended on Maupin Saturday, June 3rd for an eventful, informative, and congenial day of all things trout. The all-day festival offered introductory fly fishing lessons and kid’s casting courses, demos from legendary figures in the fly fishing industry, and a thrilling casting competition. We concluded with a concert and barbeque. This proved a great opportunity to reconnect with long-time supporters and welcome many new faces to participate in our advocacy work.

Trout Whisperers—sold-out in portland & bend

In April, we launched our Trout Whisperers series to bring anglers closer to the treasured resource they love and communicate the avenues available to protect it. Standing-room-only crowds packed venues in Portland and Bend to hear from a handful of the most respected “Trout Whisperers” in the Pacific Northwest. Scott Richmond reminded us: “Be an observer […], and enjoy your surroundings. It is not just about catching fish. Enjoy everything about it. We live in an absolutely stunning natural world. The more you know about it, the more you are going to enjoy it…” and, we might add, want to protect it.