Guardians of Wild Fish

What many people don't realize is that by and large, America's most significant conservation victories start with a small group of concerned locals determined to make a difference. That's why Native Fish Society's River Steward Program exists: to empower, inspire and grow a region-wide network of local grassroots advocates dedicated to science-based solutions for their Northwest homewaters and wild, native fish.

Native Fish Society believes that no effort for wild fish protection and recovery is stronger or more effective than those based on science and initiated and sustained by local communities. Our River Steward volunteers become the local voices for wild fish, connecting the dots between the best-available science, latest policy decisions and their own place-based knowledge. River Stewards engage in policy making, coalition building, watershed monitoring, community outreach, habitat protection, serve on their local watershed councils and lead entity groups to ensure state and federal funding for habitat restoration is invested in the projects that provide the best result for wild fish.