WSC Supports OP Enforcement

At our holiday party, the Wild Steelhead Coalition was honored to present a brand new raft, oars, trail cameras, and spotting scopes to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement Program on the Olympic Peninsula. Sergeant Kit Rosenberger was on hand to accept the new equipment on behalf of WDFW.

Anyone who has spent time on the Olympic Peninsula knows it is an expansive, wild place. The WDFW law enforcement officers are the first line of defense to protect our shared natural resources in that vast landscape. For fisheries alone, they have many river miles to watch over throughout the season.

Years of budget shortfalls have meant that WDFW has to cover all of the territory from southern Hood Canal to the Quinault River with limited resources and staff. We hope this donated equipment makes their challenging jobs more effective. Earlier this year, the WSC also provided a donation of Patagonia waders and boots to WDFW technicians to help them more comfortably and safely monitor steelhead returns on the Olympic Peninsula.

While we are honored to have the ability to support the invaluable work of the WDFW enforcement officers and field staff, the burden of providing essential gear to agency employees should not fall on the shoulders of generous, conservation-minded outdoor businesses and anglers. Therefore, we hope you will join us in calling for the Washington Legislature to fully fund the crucial work of the WDFW during the upcoming legislative session.

These donations were made possible by the generosity of Outcast Boats, Sawyer Oars, Patagonia, and WSC members, whose continued support of the organization funded a substantial number of these purchases.

Thanks to all of our partner businesses and members for making our support of WDFW law enforcement on the OP possible!