Program of Events
Wednesday, Sept. 27
7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Registration
7:00 am – 8:00 am PDT
Anglers Breakfast in the Audubon Room
A light continental breakfast and coffee provided for all those that have registered for the Wednesday fishing day and the fishing hosts. Anglers will pick up boxed-lunches for the day at the breakfast.
Separate registration for the Wednesday fishing day required.
8:00 am – 5:00 pm PDT
Pre-registered hosted fishing with local TU volunteers
- Spokane River (Float Fishing)
- North Fork of the Coeur D’Alene (Wade Fishing)
- St. Joe River (Wade Fishing)
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm PDT
Supper on your own
Meet up with fellow anglers and conservationists who will be meeting up at our partner, No Li Brewery at six for a no-host supper.
Thursday, Sept. 28
| 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm | 10pm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | |||
| Breakfast Buffet | x | end-45 | ||||||||||||||
| Load Buses | end-30 | |||||||||||||||
| Hosted Fishing | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | |||||||
| Conservation Tour | start-30 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | end-30 | |||||||
| Partners & Posters | start-30 | x | x | x | end-30 | |||||||||||
| Welcome Reception | x | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| Brewery Tour / Dinner | start-30 | x | ||||||||||||||
| Hospitality Suite | x | x |
7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Registration – Centennial Hotel | Pre-function
7:00 am – 8:45 am PDT
Conservation Tour Breakfast Buffet – Centennial Hotel | Riverfront B & C
All registered guests are welcome to sit-down for a hearty breakfast and coffee anytime between 7 and 8:45 am.
For those headed out fishing, boxed lunches will be provided at the breakfast. For those headed out on the
conservation tour to the Snake River Dams, lunch will be packed in the busses for you.
8:00 am – 5:00 pm PDT
Pre-registered hosted fishing with local TU volunteers
- Spokane River (Float Fishing)
- North Fork of the Coeur D’Alene (Wade Fishing)
- St. Joe River (Wade Fishing)
8:30 am – 4:30 pm PDT
Lower Granite Dam / Snake River Conservation Tour
The Snake River Basin represents the coldest, most undisturbed habitat in the Lower 48 for salmon and steelhead.
The time is now for the Snake. Removing the four lower Snake River dams would return 140 miles of habitat to a
free-flowing river and recover wild salmon and steelhead in the basin.
Unless we take bold action to change the current trajectory, these fish will continue to decline – and eventually go extinct.
During your visit to Spokane for CX3, join Trout Unlimited staff on a trip to Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River to learn about the impacts of the dams in-person. The trip will include a guided tour of the dam from the Army Corp of Engineers, with stops at the fish ladder, fish counting station, smolt bypass system, and the earthen portion of the dam. Trout Unlimited staff will provide insight into how each of these components impact returns of salmon and steelhead and dive into the details of dam removal.
Before we return to Spokane, we’ll also visit the McCoy Rail Terminal to learn about rail as a transportation alternative for shipping of grain throughout the region.
To learn more about the lower Snake before your tour, visit https://www.tu.org/lowersnake/.
Included in “all inclusive” registration or $40 if selecting only this option.
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm PDT
Welcome reception – Centennial Hotel | Pre-function
Welcome reception – Centennial Hotel | Pre-function
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and music with TU supporters and visit tables/ booths set-up in the room by our partners. Included in the “all-inclusive” registration.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm PDT
Brewery Tour/ No-Host Dinner – Spokane Ale Trail
It’s no secret that the craft beer scene is hopping in Spokane, with some of the best beer in the Inland Northwest!
Many Spokane breweries source local ingredients to create their concoctions and share their love of craft beer with both locals and visitors alike. The famous Spokane Ale Trail is a great way to discover all the unique breweries found in the city. Many of the breweries are located west of downtown and most don’t require reservations. Leave from the pre-function area together to walk or take an Uber and start anywhere along this handy Spokane Brewery Tour list and map!
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm PDT
Cocktails and Conservation – Hospitality Suite, Centennial Hotel | Skyline Ballroom
Talk late into the night with anglers and conservationists who share your passion for cold, clean rivers and streams at our nightly hospitality suite open to all registered guests. Enjoy Washington beer and wine and browse posters and other showcasing from local chapters, the Washington council and our partners. Event open only to participants 21 years of age or older.
Friday, Sept. 29
| 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm | 10pm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||||
| 5K Run/Walk | x | |||||||||||||||
| Welcome Breakfast | x | x | ||||||||||||||
| Costal Cutthroat | start-15 | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| The Mayfly Project | start-15 | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| Communications | start-15 | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| Grassroots | start-15 | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| Land Conservancy | start-15 | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| Climate Change | x | end-15 | ||||||||||||||
| Restoring Urban Watersheds | x | end-15 | ||||||||||||||
| Diversity & Inclusion | x | end-15 | ||||||||||||||
| New Initiatives | x | end-15 | ||||||||||||||
| Speaker Luncheon Featuring Dr. Rene Henry | start-15 | end-45 | ||||||||||||||
| Project Healing Waters | start-45 | x | ||||||||||||||
| Council Chair Roundtable | start-45 | x | ||||||||||||||
| Responsible Mining | start-45 | x | ||||||||||||||
| Youth Education | start-45 | x | ||||||||||||||
| Great Lakes | start-45 | x | ||||||||||||||
| The Salmon Way | start-45 | x | ||||||||||||||
| NLC Annual Meeting | start-30 | end-45 | ||||||||||||||
| Leadership Council | start-30 | x | ||||||||||||||
| Cocktail Reception | x | |||||||||||||||
| Annual Awards Banquet | x | x | x | |||||||||||||
| Hospitality Suite | x | x |
7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Registration
7:00 am – 8:00 am PDT
5K: Run (or Walk) The Riverfront Park Loop
The Riverfront Loop takes you on a scenic tour of Spokane’s central attraction and is easily accessed from downtown hotels. The loop extends for 2.7 miles around the park, crossing the Centennial Trail onto the grounds of Gonzaga University, then heading back west on the north bank of the river to reach the park’s pedestrian bridges. For added distance, continue on the Centennial Trail or loop in the paths around Gonzaga.
Interested runners or walkers are encouraged to meet in the pre-function area at 7 am to run or walk together. We will ensure that folks are back and at breakfast in time to listen to our welcome blessing from the Spokane Tribal representative, Danny Kieffer at 8:15 a.m.
7:00 am – 9:00 am PDT
CX3 Welcoming Breakfast with Spokane Tribal Councilman, Danny Kieffer
Spokane Tribal Councilman, Danny Kieffer, will welcome Cx3 participants, and students from the Salish School of Spokane will treat us to a short musical performance.
9:15 am – 10:30 am PDT
A Coastal Cutthroat Trout Case Study in Native Trout Conservation with Kitty Griswold
Native Trout populations are important ecologically, socially, and economically. The streams and rivers they occupy are important sources of clean water, recreation, and provide habitat for myriad animals. To thrive and fully express their life histories, trout need connected habitats and cold, clean water. In this workshop we will use Coastal Cutthroat Trout, a native trout with a geographic range from Northern California to Southeast Alaska, as a case study to explore these issues and, when possible, draw parallels with other Trout and Char subspecies in North America. We will explore the key role partnerships can play in these efforts.
Kitty Griswold is a Fisheries Scientist with a keen interest in conserving Native Trout and their habitats. She grew up in the Great Basin region of the Western United States and was fortunate enough to explore the streams and rivers that shape those arid landscapes. She attended Oregon State University for her MS and PhD degrees and learned about the richness of marine systems through the study of migratory trout and salmon. She is currently allied faculty at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho in the Biological Sciences Department. Aware of the increasing challenges that cold-water fish populations face, her current work (and much of her personal time) focuses on creating opportunities for research and partnerships to help us better understand and address these challenges.
This session is brought to you by the NLC Native Trout Workgroup.
9:15 am – 10:30 am PDT
The Healing Sport of Fly Fishing: Serving Children in Foster Care with The Mayfly Project
Join this inspiring session with Kayla Lockhart and Kaitlin Barnhart as they cover all of the benefits of the sport of fly fishing for foster children, discuss what the Mayfly Project does, and talk about the bonuses of being a mentor to the next generation of anglers.
Read the Fly Fisherman article to learn more about Kayla’s story. From Foster Care to Fly Fishing: Kayla Lockhart’s Journey to Find Peace
9:15 am – 10:30 am PDT
Communications Workgroup
The Communications Workgroup seeks to:
- Clarify and communicate the role and function of the National Leadership Council to all parts of TU
- Facilitate communications within the NLC and its workgroups
- Encourage and foster communications to and from the NLC to chapters, councils, members, trustees and staff
This session is open to all event attendees.
9:15 am – 10:30 am PDT
Grassroots Workgroup
The mission of the Grassroots workgroup of the National Leadership Council is to continuously assess and assist effectiveness of our chapters and councils and to develop tools and resources for improvement. The workgroup helps develop new charter models to meet TU needs.
This session is open to all event attendees.
9:15 am – 10:30 am PDT
Land Conservancy Workgroup
The Land Conservancy of the NLC works to develop TU’s Land Conservancy Fund, akin to TU’s Embrace A Stream program, to assist land trusts and other conservancy groups in acquiring land and easements to protect coldwater resources and access to them.
This session is open to all event attendees.
10:30 am – 11:00 pm PDT
Break
Enjoy cold drinks, coffee, tea refreshments and snacks while networking and meeting many of our local chapters, volunteers, supporters and partners who will have informational tables and displays set throughout the pre-function space.
11:00 am – 12:15 pm PDT
Climate Change Workgroup
What effects will a changing climate have on the coldwater resources we all respect and enjoy? Climate change, and the extent to which it is human-caused, is a divisive issue; the Climate Change Workgroup respects that. Our goal is to develop an education and awareness program based upon the scientific background provided by TU staff and others. With adequate scientific understanding, we all should be concerned about the impacts to our coldwater fishery resources. How much risk should we accept? Can we afford to risk the future of trout and salmon?
This session is open to all event attendees.
11:00 am – 12:15 pm PDT
Restoring Urban Watersheds and Fostering Tomorrow’s Conservationists
In the most densely populated and diverse area of Washington, TU is working to connect urban dwellers with nature, inspire stewardship of our shared watersheds, and improve habitat and water quality for native fish – in particular, Lake Sammamish Kokanee Salmon. At the heart of King County, the Lake Washington Basin is made up of Lake Washington, Lake Sammamish, Cedar River, and Sammamish River. With Seattle just a few miles away and major population centers lining the lake shores and river fronts, the basin faces the significant challenges AND opportunities associated with urban growth: a changing ecology, diversifying population, commercial and residential development, increased recreation, and the amplified effects of climate change.
Spearheading TU’s restoration and science activities in the basin, David Kyle is working to improve habitat, restore connectivity, and advance research on aquatic weeds, predators, and disease. Bringing together non-profit, city, county, federal, and community partners, Alix Lee-Tigner is leading TU’s efforts to expand community engagement by stewarding the Lake Sammamish Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership (UWRP). The UWRP’s mission is to work together to connect diverse local communities in the Seattle Metro area to nature and inspire people to care for the lake Sammamish watershed.
During this session, David and Alix will share about their work building relationships among partners and community members, highlight on the ground projects, and how they are moving the dial on neglected and forgotten environmental causes that are critical to salmon recovery in the watershed.
11:00 am – 12:15 pm PDT
Diversity and Inclusion Workgroup
The Diversity and Inclusion Workgroup strives to create effective strategies and programs to recruit a more diverse membership profile in TU; encourage diversity within leadership at the chapter, state and national levels; and to ensure every chapter creates a welcoming environment for TU members of different genders, ethnicities, ages, and cultures to achieve the TU conservation mission.
This session is open to all event attendees.
11:00 am – 12:15 pm PDT
New Initiatives Workgroup
The New Initiatives Workgroup receives and evaluates proposals for changes to the National Conservation Agenda; evaluates major issues facing TU and explores potential solutions to those issues; solicits, evaluates and nominates new grassroots members of the Board of Trustees (for election by TU members); and nominates NLC officers and Embrace A Stream committee members (for election by NLC representatives).
This session is open to all event attendees; though, voting will be limited to committee members, as proscribed by TU’s bylaws.
12:15 pm – 1:45 pm PDT
Speaker Luncheon
Speaker yet to be announced. Details coming soon!
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm PDT
Snake River Ambassador Panel
The New Initiatives Workgroup receives and evaluates proposals for changes to the National Conservation Agenda; evaluates major issues facing TU and explores potential solutions to those issues; solicits, evaluates and nominates new grassroots members of the Board of Trustees (for election by TU members); and nominates NLC officers and Embrace A Stream committee members (for election by NLC representatives).
This session is open to all event attendees; though, voting will be limited to committee members, as proscribed by TU’s bylaws.
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm PDT
Responsible Mining and Energy Workgroup
The Responsible Mining and Energy Workgroup focuses on efforts to protect coldwater fisheries from the various modes of energy production: coal and hard rock mining, oil and gas drilling, wind, solar and nuclear. The goals of this workgroup are:
- Provide a set of useful tools former chapters and councils that find themselves confronted by an extraction or energy project that could have a negative impact on cold water resources.
- Work with all stakeholders and interested parties to ensure that all reasonable efforts are made to avoid or mitigate the impacts that extraction and energy project may have on Goldwater resources.
- Act as a conduit between TU staff and grassroots membership to provide information and guidance on local and national extraction and every developments.
This session is open to all event attendees.
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm PDT
Youth Education Workgroup
The Youth Education NLC Workgroup engages young people in activities that will foster in them the values to carry on the mission of TU and to secure for future generations TU’s vision.
This session is open to all event attendees.
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm PDT
Great Lakes Workgroup
The Great Lakes NLC Workgroup (GLWG) is bringing to light the many complex issues affecting the Great Lakes Region. In doing so, the GLWG is seeking to provide scientific input and leadership into the resolution of the many problems in front of the Great Lakes Region. It is paramount that recognition and attention is given to the single largest source of coldwater in the United States.
This session is open to all event attendees.
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm PDT
Council Chair Roundtable
Listen in as the leaders of our state councils gather to discuss issues of common concern, opportunities for cross-border collaboration and resources that will help them drive conservation forward in their home state. These annual business meetings offer a unique perspective on the strength of our organization as a community of volunteers working to care for and recover cold, clean rivers and streams.
This session is open to all event attendees.
3:30 pm – 4:45 pm PDT
The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind with Amy Gulick & Nelli Williams
The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind
Co-presenters: Amy Gulick & Nelli Williams
Intrigued that there is still a place in the world where the lives of people and salmon are linked, photographer and author Amy Gulick traveled throughout Alaska to explore the web of human relationships that revolve around these extraordinary fish. Commercial fishermen took her on as crew; Alaska Native families taught her the art of preserving fish and culture; and sport fishing guides showed her where to cast her line as well as her mind. Alaskans everywhere shared their salmon riches with her in their kitchens, cabins, and fish camps—it’s the salmon way. Gulick’s book, The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind, is the winner of an Independent Publisher Book Award, a Nautilus Book Award, an INDIES Book of the Year Award, and has been named a Best Indie Book by Kirkus Reviews.
Gulick will share stories and images from her book, together with the lessons we can all learn from Alaska’s salmon people. She’ll be joined by Nelli Williams, the Alaska Director of Trout Unlimited, who will discuss the conservation a chievements and ongoing work to protect salmon habitat in the waters of Alaska, including Bristol Bay, the Tongass National Forest, and the transboundary rivers of Alaska and British Columbia.
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm PDT
National Leadership Council Business Meeting
The annual business meeting of our National Leadership Council brings together some of the most active and dedicated volunteers in TU to make decisions about the direction of our organization. From discussing and voting on the National Conservation Agenda to nominating new grassroots members to the TU national Board of Trustees, this business meeting showcases the volunteer-led decisions that make a big impact on our mission and work.
This session is open to all event attendees.
5:00 pm -6:00 pm PDT
Cocktails – Riverfront Park Pavilion
TBD…
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm PDT
Conservation Awards
Join us for a fun-filled evening on the banks of the Spokane River as TU bestows to celebrate the volunteers and partners who make TU tick. You’ll be inspired by the passion and dedication of these amazing volunteers and conservation professionals and see the magic behind the mission as they share their stories of how volunteering with TU has impacted their life.
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm PDT
Cocktails and Conservation – Hospitality Suite
Talk late into the night with anglers and conservationists who share your passion for cold, clean rivers and streams at our nightly hospitality suite open to all registered guests. Enjoy Washington beer and wine and browse posters and other showcasing from local chapters, the Washington council and our partners. Event open only to participants 21 years of age or older.
Saturday, Sept. 30
| 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm | 10pm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast Buffet | x | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| State of TU & Annual Meeting | start-45 | x | end-45 | |||||||||||||
| STREAM Girls | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||||||||||
| Film Showing & Panel | x | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| Luncheon | start-30 | end-30 | ||||||||||||||
| Women’s Fly Casting | start-15 | x | end-15 | |||||||||||||
| Regional TU Films | start-45 | x | x | end-45 | ||||||||||||
| Naturalist Tour | x | x | ||||||||||||||
| Hilary Hutchinson & Heather Hodson | start-30 | end-45 | ||||||||||||||
| Nez Perce Chairman Wheeler Banquet Dinner | x | x | x | |||||||||||||
| Hospitality Suite | x | x |
7:00 am – 8:30 am PDT
Breakfast Buffet in the Centennial Hotel’s Riverfront B&C Rooms
All registered guests are welcome to sit-down for a hearty breakfast and coffee anytime between 7 and 8:30 am.
Busses to the Bing Crosby Theater will load beginning at 8:30 a.m.
8:45 am – 10:45 am PDT
State of TU: Celebrating Community & Conservation with Chris Wood, TU President and CEO
Join Chris Wood, TU’s President & CEO, for an inspiring and powerful look at the incredible work you made possible through your tireless dedication and commitment to TU. From projects opening hundreds and thousands of miles of river to spawning trout, steelhead and salmon to local level work restoring degraded streams or engaging kids in outdoor education, the scope and scale of our shared efforts will leave you in awe and arm you with ideas for making a bigger impact. The State of TU and the State of the Grassroots are not-to-miss events and are free and open to all meeting attendees and the general public.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm PDT
STREAM Kids
A range of fun, family-friendly activities from face painting to fly tying, fly casting, environmental arts and crafts and more.
- Fly casting for all ages
- Trout coloring pages
- Gyotaku fish printing for kids
- Face painting for kids
- Scavenger Hunt
11:00 am – 12:30 pm PDT
Covenant of the Salmon People Film Showing and Film Maker/ Producer Panel
Covenant of the Salmon People expands on the creation story of the Nimiipuu, where before humans were created animals could speak. The salmon was the first to give of themselves to provide nourishment for the people, in return the people would always protect and speak on their behalf. Today, the Tribe is at a pivotal point in their fight to protect and restore several species of salmon that are near extinction.
“Genetically salmon has imprinted on our DNA,” said Nakia Williamson, Nez Perce Tribe Cultural Resources Director. “Now we are only left with a handful of places that have the numbers of salmon that we can actually fish and continue that way of life.”
The homelands of the Nimiipuu span across modern day Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana. This includes major waterways and tributaries, including the Snake River, where four dams threaten the future of salmon and the tribe. From the beginning, the Nimiipuu contested the construction of the dams, yet despite their cries of concern the dams were built. Today, mere single digit percentages of salmon return to their natural spawning grounds, after having to pass through eight dams including the four dams on the Lower Snake River.
Today, the Tribe continues to speak and fight for salmon by leading the effort to breach the four Lower Snake River Dams. The Tribe is prepared to do the work that needs to be done to make this a reality; putting the salmon first and making all affected parties whole by doing things differently and working toward a stronger Northwest.
“This film will cover the perspectives of all our people, not just us as policy makers and staff, but also our tribal elders, men, women and children. After all, this is a fight for the Nez Perce Tribe and each individual tribal member who is at risk of losing a part of their culture, and a part of their identity,” said Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman, Samuel Penney. “Our method of fighting to protect the salmon has evolved over the years, but the work has never stopped, and never will, until we can ensure the protection of these species and the return of their historical numbers.”
Covenant of the Salmon People will share perspectives and stories from the Nimiipuu and expand into the modern-day “wars” that continue in order to uphold their covenant.
“I have to say, when is enough, enough? We have turned as many dials for salmon recovery as we are capable of doing,” said Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman, Shannon Wheeler. “Our back is against the wall. We need to turn some of the larger dials, and some of the larger dials include dam breaching. Now, more than ever our voice needs to be amplified for salmon and for the rest of the environment,” continued Chairman Wheeler. “We will never forget our covenant with the salmon.”
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm PDT
Bing Crosby Theater Luncheon
Lunch will be catered for all registered guests at the Bing! Food will be served in the Theater lobby and guests can enjoy spreading out across the historic theater and into the upstairs bar and loft.
1:45 pm – 4:45 pm PDT
Regional TU Films
Join us at the Bing Theatre for an afternoon screening of new and recent films celebrating the work and advocacy of TU’s grassroots and staff in the region, including the inspiring new film “School of Fish” on Alaska’s Bristol Bay Guide Academy and a recent video highlighting a unique restoration partnership on Northeast Oregon’s Wallowa River. We will debut a brand-new film documenting the amazing TU volunteers of the Washington Council’s Barrier Assessment Team.
We’ll also watch films celebrating the resurgence of summer steelhead on the Elwha River following dam removal, a favorite film from the Grande Ronde River pointing to the urgent need to breach the four dams on the Lower Snake River, and a hilarious film about a ground-breaking citizen science effort led by TU’s North Sound Chapter – featuring the hunt for Sasquatch – along the beautiful headwaters of the Nooksack River in Washington’s Cascade Mountains.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm PDT
Women’s Fly Casting Practice
Spokane Women on the Fly and TU will teach walk-up beginners the fly casting fundamentals and basic fly casts needed in most fishing situations. Equipment available to borrow.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm PDT
Naturalist tour of the Spokane River
Local naturalist extraordinaire, Jack Nisbet, will lead a hike/walk from People’s Park for two to three miles round-trip. The hike is along gravel trails but there is some uneven footing. Transportation to People’s Park will be available from the Centennial.
Spokane-based writer Jack Nisbet is the author of several collections of essays that explore the human and natural history of the Columbia Plateau. He has also written award-winning biographies of fur agent David Thompson (Sources of the River) and naturalist David Douglas (The Collector). These two early visitors to the region provided original information about the variety and tribal management of fish populations in the Columbia and Snake River drainages. For more information visit www.jacknisbet.com
3:30 pm – 4:45 pm PDT
Becoming a Conservation and Community Leader with Hilary Hutchinson and Heather Hodson Neufeld
Our Saturday luncheon will feature two incredible leaders in our space – Hilary Hutchinson and Heather Hodson Neufeld – who will both share their journey to becoming leaders in conservation and community.
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm PDT
From the Snake to the Sea: An Evening Celebrating Our Shared Work and Supporting Washington TU Featuring Keynote Speaker Nez Pierce Chairman Shannon Wheeler
Connect with hundreds of dedicated conservationists and partners at the Washington TU banquet and fundraiser. We’ll start the night off with a cocktail reception, appetizers, networking and prize perusal, followed by dinner featuring our keynote speaker, Nez Perce Chairman Shannon Wheeler.
Wheeler, an affable and extremely capable leader, is the seventh of 11 children raised to hard-working parents in Lapwai, Idaho. After a successful entrepreneurial and business career spanning everything from owning multiple convenience stores in the region, to graphic design and screen printing, at 56, Wheeler has risen as the voice for salmon and for his people.
Wheeler’s perspective is an angler’s perspective. He grew up on the rivers and streams, fishing with his family. The Selway, the South Fork Salmon River, Big Creek, the Seesch, Rapid River.
Today he is one of the leading advocates for the opportunity that Representative Mike Simpson’s “Northwest in Transition” proposal presents for his tribe, as well as the other tribes of the Columbia Basin. But he also believes that great opportunity lies ahead for the agricultural community, transporters and river communities in the Snake River Basin. But the fish need to come back and they can only come back if the dams come down. All four of the Lower Snake Dams.
Later in the evening the volunteer Embrace A Stream Committee will share the results of their annual grant awards meeting that day and celebrate the dozens of local chapter conservation projects receiving funding.
A hybrid in-person and online auction and sweepstakes will help raise funds for important TU work done by volunteers from the Washington Council, local Washington TU chapters and the Northwest Youth Conservation Fly Fishing Academy.
This event requires “all inclusive” registration, Saturday registration or separate meal purchase.
Keynote Speaker Nez Pierce Chairman Shannon Wheeler
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm PDT
Cocktails and Conservation – Hospitality Suite
Talk late into the night with anglers and conservationists who share your passion for cold, clean rivers and streams at our nightly hospitality suite open to all registered guests. Enjoy Washington beer and wine and browse posters and other showcasing from local chapters, the Washington council and our partners. Event open only to participants 21 years of age or older.
Sunday, Sept. 30
7:30 am – 9:30 am PDT
Coffee & Pastries for Anglers – in the Audubon Room
10:00 am – 11:30 am PDT
Stream Clean-Up with the Spokane Riverkeeper
Help cleanup up the Spokane River! On Sunday morning we will be gathering for cleanup with the Spokane Riverkeeper.
They will provide gloves, pickers, bags and disposal. Just show up with good walking shoes, ready to clean up the river.
Prizes and free swag for all volunteers.
Meet at on the river side of the Centennial Hotel at King Cole Way.