Take a boatride with Trinity River guide Leslie Ajari and her father Bruce as Trout Unlimited‘s Wild Steelheaders United offshoot, Lost Coast Wild Steelhead Initiative, takes shape with aims to protect the northwestern corner of California, despite drastically reduced populations of wild steelhead, there are many strongholds of good habitat. Through a coalition of passionate sportsmen, conservationists, and community leaders, a movement of protection and restoration is taking root.

From TU: “The steelhead and salmon runs of northern California are legendary. However, these runs are now a fraction of their former numbers. Drought, development, dams, and water diversions have all contributed to reducing populations and angling opportunities, especially in coastal streams north of San Francisco — a region often referred to as the Lost Coast. Yet good fish habitat remains here, and some rivers continue to offer premier angling opportunities for wild steelhead. A coalition of sportsmen groups, conservation organizations, business and property owners, fisheries scientists, tribes, and community members along the Lost Coast has come together around a landmark proposal: to protect and restore the last, best wild steelhead and salmon habitat on public lands in Trinity, Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino counties. The clean, cold water that flows from these lands and the sporting assets they provide are a key part of California’s unique outdoor heritage. Join us in this movement today, to protect and improve the best of what’s left for Lost Coast steelhead and salmon.”

To learn more and help out please visit: http://www.wildsteelheaders.org/lost-coast/