Groups Donate $20,000 in Equipment to WDFW Game Enforcement, Some of Which Will Be Deployed in Chehalis Basin
Dec. 27—A partnership between the Wild Steelhead Coalition and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife's game enforcement division has led to the donation of a drone, rafts, waders, boots and trail security cameras worth more than $20,000 from the nonprofit.
This large inventory of gear will benefit game enforcement efforts along many Washington state coastal rivers, including the Chehalis River Basin where cameras will be deployed.
The donation was made possible with help from the Wild Salmon Center, Wild Steelheaders United of Trout Unlimited, Simms, Outcast Boats and Sawyer Paddles and Oars.
"As fishery groups, we are particularly interested in this new equipment's ability to provide important, necessary protections for Washington's struggling populations of wild steelhead and salmon, but in the offseason it will all also assist WDFW law enforcement in their work to protect big and small game animals and non-game wildlife, prevent illegal timber harvest and discover and document unpermitted hydraulic projects that damage watershed and shoreline habitat," read a news release from the nonprofit Wild Steelhead Coalition.
In a statement, Captain Dan Chadwick with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police said enforcement will play a key role as the state and tribes take a more conservation-minded approach to protecting coastal steelhead runs.
"We appreciate their generous donations of equipment, which will allow our officers to monitor secluded areas with the use of cameras and to access these remote areas with rafts and personal wading gear," Chadwick said in a statement.
In addition to the Chehalis Basin, enforcement cameras will also be deployed on the Olympic Peninsula, Hood Canal as well as the Skagit and Sauk rivers, and may be further deployed in other watersheds as needed.
This donation stems from a similar gift from the Wild Steelhead Coalition to the state back in 2019. Back then, the nonprofit donated trail cameras, spotting scopes and new rafts that were quickly put to use.
The equipment quickly helped WDFW police greatly expand their reach and led to the increased enforcement against illegal fishing, hunting, logging, poaching and other wildlife violations.
"We are proud to be collaborating with conservation and industry partners to provide this new equipment to WDFW law enforcement," said Greg Topf, board chair of Wild Steelhead Coalition, in a statement. "Washington's game wardens are the first line of defense for the shared, public resources all of us value and want to see safeguarded for the future. We have immense respect for their work and know how much these boats, cameras and (a) drone will expand their reach and ability to protect wild steelhead and salmon when these key coastal fish populations need it most.
"Our earlier donation meant more poachers were caught and more fish were protected. We can't wait to see the impacts of this larger set of tools during the coming years," Topf continued.
Jess Helsely, program director with the Wild Salmon Center Washington, gave the following statement: "Identifying data gaps that impede management and enforcement actions in the watersheds where we work is a big priority for the Wild Salmon Center. If we're going to protect the Olympic Peninsula's prized wild salmon and steelhead runs, we must make sure that steward agencies like WDFW have the necessary tools to address those gaps. And that includes the ability to create a more comprehensive picture of poaching activities on the Washington coast."
