Oregon Department of and Wildlife VOLUNTEER

2020 Annual Report

By the Numbers

January 1—December 31, 2020

NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS NUMBER OF HOURS VALUE OF HOURS 6,727 148,009 $3,686,052.18

While this year has been filled with unprecedented challenges, it has also served as a powerful reminder of the essential work that ODFW carries out each and every day. Because of our dedicated staff and volun- teers ODFW was able to continue to deliver critical services that kept our facilities operating during the COVID –19 pandemic and the extraordinary wildfires. Volunteerism plays an important role in the ability of ODFW to protect and enhance Oregon’s fish and wildlife and their habitats for present and future genera- tions. None of this work would be possible without the commitment of our volunteers. Thank you for your continued support of ODFW

Habitat Project Salmon Trout Enhancement Program Egg Delivery Volunteers Board of Commissioners Number of Volunteers: 6 Number of Hours: 921.5 Value of Hours: $38,401.30

Volunteer activities/roles: The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission consists of seven members ap- pointed by the governor. Commissioners formulate general state programs and policies concerning manage- ment and conservation of fish and wildlife resources and establishes seasons, methods and bag limits for recre- ational and commercial take. Commissioners provide input on issues such as Beaver Trapping on Public Lands, Commercial Dungeness crab season opening, Falconry Licenses, Permits and Requirements, Bans on camping on all Department owned, managed, or controlled areas due to COVID 19, Wildlife Control Operator rules.

Commission Zoom Meeting 2020

ODFW COMMISSION MEMBERS Becky Hatfield-Hyde Gregory J Wolley Jill E Zarnowitz

Mary Wahl Robert Spelbrink Mark Labhart RV Host Number of Volunteers: 97 Number of Hours: 43,679 Value of Hours: $1,819,230.35

ODFW Volunteer hosts have been a valuable and committed resource for more than 29 years. Volunteer hosts help protect and manage native fish and wildlife and their habitats.

Volunteer activities/roles: Landscaping, gardening, grounds maintenance, fish culture activities such as spawning, feeding, releasing fish, carpentry, painting, maintenance projects, clerical work, computer data entry, filing, answering phones, farming to benefit wildlife, assisting at check stations, public outreach, greet- ing visitors, leading tours, placing nest boxes, banding ducks and gees, assisting disabled anglers, helping with educational and public events.

Volunteer Hosts @ Camp Adair Office

Umatilla Fish Hatchery Photo courtesy of Kathy Munsel

ODFW Clackamas Office Salmon Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) Number of Volunteers: 2198 Number of Hours: 37,192 * Value of Hours: $1,206,880.40 Note: * indicates volunteer hours are reflective of reporting period other than 2020 calendar year

Recognizing that volunteers could play an important role in the restoration of native stocks of salmon and trout, the Oregon Legislature created the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Salmon and Trout En- hancement Program (STEP) in 1981. Since that time, thousands of volunteers have assisted Oregon’s fisheries through their involvement in STEP Volunteer activities/roles: Astoria & Warrenton High School Aquaculture Program: Rear coho, chi- nook, and in hands-on propagation facility. Tillamook & Nestucca Anglers Program: Rear spring and fall chinook smolts. Trask River Hatchery Project: Set up new hatchery building, installation of plumbing and jump screens. Eastern Oregon University Fish Health Intern: Fish culture activities. Eggs to Fry Project: Deliver trout eggs to participating schools. Mountain Whitefish Copepod Collection Pro- ject: Research project looking at infection of copepods. Marion Lakes Sampling Project: Setting/ pulling nets and data collection. McKenzie River Lamprey Passage Study Project: Use radio tracking equip- ment on floats above and below dam.

McKenzie River Lamprey Passage Study 2019 Spawning at a STEP Hatchery

2019 Fry Release NW Steelheaders TV Chapter. Volunteer setting traps Photo courtesy of Morgan Parks Fish Division Number of Volunteers: 126 Number of Hours: 2,398 Value of Hours: $77,815.10

ODFWs Fish Division is charged by statue (ORS 506.036) to protect and propagate fish in the state. This in- cludes direct responsibility for regulating harvest of fish, protection of fish, enhancement of fish populations through habitat improvement, and the rearing and release of fish into public waters. ODFW maintains hatcher- ies throughout the state to provide fish for program needs.

Volunteer activities/roles: Mt. Hood Community College Fisheries Technology Class & Oregon Coast Community College Projects: Sorting, sexing and spawning cutthroat trout, daily upkeep of the hatch- ery and daily hatchery operations. Marine/EACOR Estuarine Habitat Mapping Project: Estuary habitat map- ping. Life History Investigations of Juvenile Redband Trout: Data collection. Bonneville Dam Acoustic Tag- ging Project: Rigging and deploying acoustic receivers and data entry. Food Bank Donation Project: sort food bank and adult fish.

Kokanee Surveys

High lake stocking by horse

Acclimation Pond Education Division Number of Volunteers: 867 Number of Hours: 9,415 Value of Hours: $378,327.38

ODFW’s Education Services Division educates new outdoor recreationists on the legal, ethical and safe- ty requirements related to fishing and hunting; promotes knowledge of, and involvement in, fishing and hunting the ODFW Outdoors program, coordinates the work of more than 1,000 volunteer instructors, including training and certification, developing course curricula, and monitoring performance. Volunteer activities/roles: Angler Education Instructors: Introduce aquatic ecology and sport angling with an emphasis on youth-oriented programs. Family Fishing Events Program: Offers fishing opportunities at stocked ponds throughout the state. Hunter Education Instructors: Introduce hunter education through basic and advanced classes, youth clinics and other hunting and trapping related activities. Bow hunter Education Instructors: Teach bow hunters the fundamentals of safe and responsible archery hunting. Archery Education Programs: Introduce youth and family to archery through the National Archery in the Schools Program and the community-based S3DA Program. Outdoor Skills Education Instructors: Offers a variety of hands-on workshops throughout the state that teach people how to fish, hunt, view wildlife and en- joy outdoor-related recreational activities.

Pre-COVID Angler Education Instructor teaching Pre-COVID target practice the basics of casting

Pre-COVID Archery Education Pre-COVID Fly Tying lessons Wildlife Division Number of Volunteers: 247 Number of Hours: 5,097 Value of Hours: $165,397.65

The Wildlife Division has direct responsibility for monitoring the numbers and health of wildlife species, setting population conservation and management objectives, overseeing wildlife habitat restoration and maintenance, and regulating harvest of game .

Volunteer activities/roles: Sierra Red Fox Project: Checking and baiting fox traps, checking baiting traps, assisting in telemetry, checking trails cameras. Coastal Marten Project: Set up trapping sites in- cluding remote cameras. Philips W Schneider Wildlife Area Habitat Project: Meadow restoration, Juniper tree removal to improve habitat for bighorn sheep. Meadow Restoration on the South Coast: Removal of en- croaching coniferous trees. Gail Achterman Wildlife Area Data Collection Project: Photopoint surveys and weed mapping. Bridge Creek Wildlife Area Fence Project: Laydown 19 miles of fencing prior to elk using the winter range which reduces the risk of elk/fence entanglement and makes it easier for elk to move across

Photo Courtesy of Kathy Munsel. American Kestrel @ Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area Birdathon

Photo Courtesy of Brehen Furfey. Rocking Mountain bighorn sheep monitoring project.

Blue Rock Meadow Restoration project with Sierra Nevada Red Fox Delineation project. OHA, BHA and Medford Water Commission Dave Liscia Volunteer Award Winner—Caleb Yann

Dave Liscia was an Oregon Department o Fish and Wildlife Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program Biologist who worked for the Department of 25 years. Dave worked most of his professional efforts on working with volunteers and the enhancement of salmonids. Dave was killed in a car accident in 2002. This award honors Dave’s memory and recognizes an outstanding volunteer or volunteer group that works with fish or wildlife programs.

Caleb is reliable, personable, bright and trustworthy. He em- bodies everything it means to be an exemplary volunteer, a Caleb Yann setting seining net on Marion Lake generous mentor, and a decent human being. It’s remarka- ble for a youth to have already accumulated so many volun- teer hours. There is a lot of diversity in the volunteer work that Caleb does; high lakes backpack stocking, Outdoor School lessons, habitat work, and dedicating most of his free time to volunteer work across the Willamette Valley and coast range. Caleb conducts fish dissection and assists with the fishing day for an outreach program; he was so popular after the first year of the program, the children have asked for him every year since. Caleb strengthens ODFW Programs with his strong work eth- ic and endless passion for our agency goals. Caleb shines a light on what the future of conservation looks like!

Get Involved

For more information about Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s volunteer opportunities, contact ODFW Volunteer Coordinator @ 503-947-6413 or by email [email protected] Visit our website at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/volunteer/ Connect with us on social media

Www.facebook.com/groups/ODFWVolunteer/