And while there are occasions where what the overall conservation community wants and what sportsmen want might differ, the core issues are shared: supporting clean water for people and for wildlife, protecting habitat for all species, and, most pressing in these crazed times, protecting public lands. All of us want places for people, wildlife and the full range of outdoor recreation activities that are a high priority for so many Americans.

Hunters and anglers are pushing back against the current federal government assault on our public lands. Places lost to development and exploitation, clear cuts, and massive road networks are lost to sportsmen just as they’re lost to all of us. What unites traditional conservation groups, outdoor recreation enthusiasts, and sportsmen is so much stronger than what might divide us.

I’m not a hunter. I understand its conservation value and cultural tradition, particularly in the Gulf South, but I was raised in a family of fishermen. 

I believe that hunting for well-managed game species is an essential part of conservation and culture, particularly in a rural area like the one in which I live. But I love to catch fish. Well, I love to try to catch fish.

My grandfather was a fisherman. His diet was mostly based on things that swam. He could fish the smallest pond or along the Gulf, but he always caught what he ate. I don’t recall a meal we shared where fish was not on the menu. He taught my brother and me to fish, and I still have one of his old fly rods. 

He hunted in his youth while growing up in rural Ohio, but that was to feed a large family. Fishing was an art, a hobby, a pastime like watching boxing or baseball, that was engaged in with friends for enjoyment. And to catch and eat a mess of fish.

My dad was a fisherman as well. I have a lot of his gear, and it means the world to me. He grew up in the depths of the Great Depression, born to immigrant parents in New York City, where there wasn’t much time or space for fishing. After Pearl Harbor, he was called into the U.S. Army, and he began thirty years of travel and service, many of those years decorated for time in combat. To find solace and peace, he found places to fish with good friends and fellow soldiers across the world.

For the last fifteen years of her life, my mom and I regularly went fishing together. We traveled to Jekyll Island, Georgia, every summer. We loved catching Atlantic Croaker. We fished along Tampa Bay, the Nature Coast, and the Withlacoochee River. It was a hobby we shared until she passed.

I come from a family of fishermen. What strikes me is the incredibly diverse people who have been a part of that journey. Different races, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and ages, all sharing a love of the rod and reel. Some for sport, some for sustenance, and all at some level to connect with nature.

That, to me, is the power of working with and speaking to sportsmen. Many of the conservation issues we value have been falsely consumed by the culture wars and debates over ideology. Climate change can instantly divide people by political affiliation. That is, until you can connect it to the places we hunt and fish, and the future of those activities.

I fish because I love nature. I love the deep, profound connection to nature that fishing creates for me. When something takes my line and the magical pull begins, I am connected to the world below the water’s surface. 

My grandfather would gently laugh and chide me for my catch-and-release practices. So many good meals gone to waste! But I am in no danger of succumbing to hunger, and I try to think of the ecosystem, not just my stomach, these days. When I am out there on the river, I think of my grandfather. I think of my mom and dad. And I think of how amazing it is that we can share generational memories across the past and future through our connection to nature. Perhaps that is the true key to conservation. And as my grandfather would remind me…fish are tasty!

Joe Murphy is a former Wildlife Policy Specialist with the National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Program. He contributes these blog posts as a NWF alumnus and supporter. Joe is a native and lifelong Floridian who lives in Florida’s Nature Coast.

Erin Sexton, a senior scientist at the University of Montana, Flathead Lake Biological Station, was onboard the flight that departed from Montana. For the past 15 years, she has been studying aquatic ecology and mining impacts in the transboundary rivers shared between the U.S. and Canada.

She spoke to the National Wildlife Federation’s Mary Jo Brooks about what she observed and why the Teck Mines in British Columbia pose such a threat to U.S., Tribal and state waters, fish, and wildlife. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity).

Q: How did the landscape you saw this time compare to the last time you flew over the Elk River Valley?

Sexton: The last time I flew over the Elk Valley was in 2009. I haven’t done a comparison of aerial photos from those trips, but the sheer scale and footprint of the mines have increased significantly over the last decade. For example, in the Upper Elk and Fording Rivers,  the northernmost mines (Greenhills and Fording River) have expanded to become a mega-mine, where the individual mines have grown into one massive mining footprint. That location is also the site of Teck’s proposed Fording River Mine Expansion,  which in reality is an entirely new mining footprint, and would become the largest open-pit coal mine in Canada.

Q: Why are these mines problematic?

Sexton: There’s a legacy problem of historical mine contamination that has not been addressed, and yet new mines are still being proposed These mines have been growing on the landscape over many decades and because of the way the mines work, there’s continual leaching of contaminants from the mine infrastructure.

We’re just starting to realize the damage that has been taking place for many years in our watersheds. That historical piece is important because it bears on decisions as Teck moves forward with expansion.

Permitting and regulation of those mines is the purview of the Province of British Columbia and to some degree the Canadian federal government. Despite the fact that the mine contamination is transported into the US, Montana, Idaho, and Tribal territories, governments, and communities downstream are excluded from the decision-making process.

These mines are not even in compliance – meaning that they are not meeting the water quality objectives that the province has set for them. Currently, Montanans are outside the process of regulation and management of the mines even though these contaminants are impacting U.S. waters and lands, Tribal communities, our fish, and possibly our wildlife.

Q: What kind of impacts?

Sexton: The toxin that has received the most attention is selenium. It’s very prominent in the geology underlying the mines in BC. We don’t have selenium underlying our geology in Montana, and so the selenium contamination of the Kootenai watershed is entirely sourced from Teck’s Elk Valley mines.

Selenium is part of the coal-bearing rock in the Elk Valley and when they dynamite the rock, selenium is exposed to air and water. Selenium is a particularly challenging contaminant to deal with because it bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in the food web. After it goes into the water, it goes into the sediments and algae and then is taken up by insects. And then whatever eats those insects, like trout, the selenium goes into their tissue, as well. Because of this, the impacts of selenium can be magnified as it moves through the food web. 

It bioaccumulates at different rates in different species. Some species are more sensitive to selenium than others. It’s showing up in large amounts in tissue for several species of fish. The levels found in peamouth chub, redside shiner, and Weslip cutthroat trout have been exceeding the EPA threshold for toxicity. Selenium can cause deformities or mortality in those species.

Q: Has there been a decline of fish populations because of selenium? 

Sexton: Given the levels of selenium in fish tissue, especially in their reproductive tissue, it is one of our highest priorities to determine whether fish populations are declining due to mining impacts. In the Upper Fording River in the Elk Valley, there was a 95% decline in westslope cutthroat trout, downstream of the mines. In Koocanusa Reservoir and the Kootenai River, the Kootenai Tribe, states of MT and ID, and the federal entities are all focusing in on selenium impacts to fish. We already have selenium levels in fish we don’t want. While we can’t say that it is definitive, there are a lot of red flags.

Q: Teck mine is doing some mitigation for selenium in Montana. Is it working?

Sexton: It’s important to have verified data. So far we haven’t had access to the data about water treatment. Looking at the scale of the mines, Teck should be doing massive mitigation and that’s not happening. We have these huge volumes of contaminated rivers and it doesn’t match the scale of mitigation.

That’s why the new mining proposals are so troublesome. We really need to see the science that shows the current mitigation is having an impact. The company is supposed to stabilize and reverse contaminant trends, but there’s no evidence those trends have been stabilized or reversed. We don’t have any evidence that mitigation is working.

Q: What do you think is the root cause of this challenging situation?

Sexton: I’ve come to think that the Elk Valley is the poster child of the broken regulatory system of the province of British Columbia. The BC government hasn’t responded in a way that you would expect to see when the data shows such concerning trends, and they don’t seem to show much will to protect the environment from mining impacts.  There’s been a loss of diversity across the aquatic food web. And the mines are still allowed to proceed, and even to expand.   It is very unfortunate to be downstream of the regulatory system of British Columbia. And that’s a problem we Montanans share with Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.

This watershed is at a crossroads right now. Not only is Teck trying to expand the largest mine in the watershed – which would create the largest coal mining footprint in North America – but there are another five non-Teck mines that have been proposed in the Elk Valley.

So we’re at this decision point. Do we continue to mine for steel-making coal? Or do we turn our attention to addressing the damages we know to exist and do all we can to prevent more contaminants from entering that watershed and work toward restoring the legacy damages and stewarding healthy watersheds? 

Volunteers had arrived with the punctuality and anticipation of an angler to set up for the 2022 Hooked on Family Fishing Day event hosted by the Association of Northwest Steelheaders. They could not wait to teach the participant families about fishing and share their knowledge and passion for angling. When the gate finally opened everyone rushed to a parking spot eager to help wherever they could. As families began to arrive they were greeted by staff for check-in.

Fun morning rotations engaged families in casting, fly fishing, fishing 101, and knot tying. At the casting station, volunteers taught everyone the basics of casting in the field. “I caught so many grass fish!” one child said with excitement. On the bank of the Sandy River, participants were introduced to fly fishing. With fly rods in hand, they followed the expert direction of Alysia and Elke from the Littleleaf Guide Service. Some kids discovered an innate talent they never knew they had while others honed their skills under the expert eyes of the Littleleafs.

Back at the lodge, everyone got a crash course in water safety and fishing regulations in fishing 101. They watched as volunteers acted out what to do in an emergency situation. In another classroom, they harnessed all of their concentration on learning knots at the knot tying station. Volunteers passed on their expertise as they taught the next generation of anglers the knots they used to land prize catches.

After a jam-packed morning full of new experiences and skills, it was time for lunch. Families and volunteers gathered together in the lodge to eat and listen carefully for their numbers to be called in the afternoon raffle. Now and then a collective “aww” of disappointment would fill the lodge which would abruptly change to a shout of joy when someone’s numbers were finally called. Everyone left the prize table with full hands and happy smiles. No one noticed the pounding rain over all the excitement.

After lunch, families, and volunteers headed to their afternoon stations. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) STEP biologist, John Cox, dissected salmon carcasses in front of a captivated audience. Kids put on gloves and got their hands dirty as they assisted with the dissection. An endless stream of questions kept everyone busy and ensured they all left the station as salmon anatomy experts.

The second station of the afternoon, and favorite overall, took place at the pond that had been stocked with 160 rainbow trout. Everyone baited their hooks and cast their lines into the water. Almost instantly the fish began biting and soon people were reeling in fish — some small, some gigantic.

Volunteers ran around baiting hooks, netting fish, and taking pictures of prize catches. As the fishing continued, volunteers came up with clever strategies to help those who struggled to catch something. When they felt a tug they would let out a shout, “I think I am stuck in the bottom!” and ask the kids around them, “can you come and help me?”. The child would rush over and begin to reel with all their might. Soon they were posing for pictures with their catch.

As the afternoon continued the weather took a turn. No one had been bothered by the rain at lunch but the downpour at the pond got everyone’s attention. This marked the end of the day for some participants but others persevered. It was clear they had found their passion for fishing and were determined to keep going.

As families began to leave they were sent home with a tackle box, a bag of fishing resources, and rods for each child in the family. These supplies were generously donated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), the ODFW Angler Ed program, Coast Products, and the Oregon State Marine Board. Another successful family fishing event in the books for the Steelheaders.

With the help of our partners, Littleleaf Guide Service, the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians, NAYA, People of Color Outdoors, and the Get Hooked Foundation, the Association of Northwest Steelheaders were able to host 13 families with 22 volunteers helping to teach 35 participants all about the joys of fishing. Thank you to Camp Angelos for hosting, Brian Trout Ranch for stocking the pond, and Starbucks for donating the coffee.

That’s why so many Michigan hunters were shocked in 2018 when toxic chemicals flowing from the Wurtsmith Air Force Base – which by that time had been closed for 25 years – led to a “Do Not Eat” advisory for deer within a five-mile radius of Clark’s Marsh.

This serene, preserved wetland on the east side of the state, near the community of Oscoda, is just a mile north of the AuSable River, and just five miles west of Lake Huron. Clarks’ Marsh is a storied hunting, fishing, and birdwatching spot for local residents and visitors from near and far.

Those outdoor recreation stories have now been interrupted by a known culprit: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, which were used for many years in firefighting foams at Wurtsmith.

An alarming 547 parts per billion (ppb) of one of these compounds was found in the muscle of a deer specimen near Clark’s Marsh in 2018. Since that time, a consumption advisory for all aquatic and semi-aquatic wildlife has been put in place at Clark’s Marsh as well. It is the first of its kind in the Great Lakes region. While there are more than 160 sites with PFAS contamination in Michigan, the levels found in fish and wildlife in and around Clark’s Marsh are the highest in the state, testing at “world record levels of contamination.”  Any wild fish or game with over 300 ppb of any PFAS is considered unsafe for human consumption. 

PFASs, also known as “forever chemicals,” are created with a tight chemical bond between carbon and fluorine, so they do not degrade in the natural environment. For the same reason, products coated with PFASs can be waterproof, stain-proof, and flame resistant. As a result, these hazardous compounds were widely used in everyday cookware, clothing, food packaging, and many other products. And because they linger for so long, PFASs are now found nearly everywhere, even inside our bodies.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that 97% of Americans have detectable levels of PFASs in their bloodstreams. The compounds are linked to life-threatening diseases for people and wildlife, including cancer, liver and thyroid disease, immune system disorders, and low infant birth weights.

A special place with special problems 

The beautiful shore of Lake Huron is a special place for me and my family, spanning four generations. My The beautiful shore of Lake Huron is a special place for me and my family, spanning four generations. My grandparents began vacationing in East Tawas, about 20 miles south of Clark’s Marsh, in the 1950s, when my Dad was just a toddler. My Dad, in turn, brought me to the area’s beautiful beaches, forests, and rivers. That’s where we spent our time as a family out in the woods, planting trees, learning to love and revere the outdoors and wild places. With my husband (who also spent summers and holidays in the area as a child) I now bring our own children to East Tawas, where we love to kayak, fish, and go birding along the Au Sable River.

As it happens, the very first public meeting I ever attended about PFAS contamination, in 2019, took place in the very same Catholic church in Oscoda where my husband and I were married 12 years earlier. I’m saddened, of course, that a place so special to me has been spoiled by industry, and I am outraged that the community and this place have been neglected by a branch of our own government. I also know the situation puts the biggest burden on full-time residents of the area who live, work, and are raising their children here. 

Hunting and fishing aren’t the only traditions we’re proud of here in Michigan. We also have a powerful legacy of citizen activism, including labor, community, and environmental organizing. In 2017, Oscoda-area homeowners and businesses formed Need Our Water (NOW), a spirited and sophisticated advocacy group. Partnering with NOW, the NWF Great Lakes Regional Center is providing communications, policy, legal and scientific assistance to residents concerned about the safety of their water.

It’s a privilege to work with local advocates who have confronted not only health impacts to themselves and their family members, tainted fish and game, and also foam on their precious beaches and contamination in their daily drinking water.

The tenacity of NOW’s members helped shine a spotlight on the PFAS crisis in Michigan and across the nation, also spurring NWF’s work on this critical issue. In fact, at the National Wildlife Federation’s Annual Meeting in 2020, our governing body adopted a resolution on addressing PFAS contamination, particularly in fish and wildlife, as a national priority. The resolution was spearheaded by the Michigan affiliate, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, and supported by affiliate organizations from the Great Lakes region and across the country.

Eleven years and counting

Toxic residue from firefighting foams – mostly used in training exercises – was first discovered at the Wurtsmith site in Oscoda in 2010. You might think that eleven years later, an agency with the mighty resources of the U.S. military would have already completed a thorough clean-up.

Sadly, you would be mistaken. To tell the true story of the history of PFAS Contamination at the Former Wurtsmith Air Force base, Need Our Water and NWF have produced this report, which documents the facts about what the Air Force and the State of Michigan have, and have not, done to clean up PFAS contamination in Oscoda.

Here are some highlights:

• The Air Force spent nearly a decade studying the problem and has yet to release a plan for a comprehensive clean-up that must address contamination spread over eight square miles of groundwater. The dangerous PFAS plumes threaten not only Clark’s Marsh and nearby Van Etten Lake, but also the 138-mile long Au Sable River.  All three bodies of water empty into Lake Huron – a source of drinking water for Oscoda and other communities. 
• U.S. Rep Dan Kildee, who represents Oscoda and nearby communities in Congress, successfully advocated for a $13.5 million appropriation to jump start remediation efforts. In April of 2020, the Air Force said the funds would be used for… more studies. 
• In June 2020, responding to community outrage and pressure from Congress, the USAF reversed course. The Air Force announced it would spend about half of the $13.5 million on three interim remedial actions to address the community’s highest priorities, including additional systems to remove PFASs from Clark’s Marsh and Van Etten Lake.

After years of study, in March the Air Force did finally release a clean-up plan for Clark’s Marsh, just one small portion of the affected area. But Air Force officials announced they would not follow current Michigan law which mandates strict limits on PFASs as part of the project. Their clean-up efforts, military officials say, are grandfathered under earlier, looser restrictions. 

The unwillingness of the Air Force to follow Michigan’s laws, unfortunately, is characteristic of a process that has operated with a distinct lack of transparency and accountability to the local community.

In April, at a community meeting in Oscoda to discuss the PFAS problem, NOW co-leader Cathy Wusterbarth tried to read into the record a letter signed by more than 200 businesses, organizations, community members, and people across Michigan.

Cathy wanted to inform top decision-makers that local stakeholders want rapid, rigorous remediation of PFAS contamination in a way that follows – rather than ignores – state law.   But Air Force managers cut her off, telling her to speak at the end of the session – then gaveled the meeting to a close without allowing public comment from Wusterbarth or anyone else. 

Actions like this have to change – and the Air Force has the opportunity to set a different precedent moving forward – a precedent that respects and allows space for the community and the public to voice their concerns and ask their questions to those running the clean-up planning process.

The people of Oscoda have a right to understand and be an active part of the plan to remediate the toxic hazards that have spread far and wide in their community. And they have the invaluable local knowledge and sense of place that cannot be learned in a textbook – and must be incorporated into planning to ensure a clean-up that truly respects people, wildlife, and nature.

In the meantime, USAF just released another partial plan for remediation of PFAS contamination at Van Etten Lake.  Public comments are open until September 3, 2021; you can join a webinar being hosted by our partner Need Our Water to learn more about the proposed plan on Thursday, August 26^th at 7pm. And you can share your views with the Air Force here.

Communities across the country

There’s so much at stake here. The people of Oscoda and wild places like Clark’s Marsh, the Au Sable River, and Lake Huron are top of mind when I think about cleaning up PFAS contamination there.  Wurtsmith also serves as a bellwether for the 700 additional PFAS contaminated military sites across the United States. If you can believe it, the clean-up process at Wurtsmith is the farthest along of any PFAS military site in the country. If we don’t get it right here, the impact will be felt locally, and in communities and wild places across the country.

That’s why we have to get it right the first time and all of us here at the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center are committed to supporting our local partners to make sure that happens. One of my biggest goals as a parent is to instill the love of place and of nature into my children, just as it was instilled in me as a child. Along with that love of nature comes the belief that everyone counts and everyone’s voice deserves to be heard.

I’d be delighted if someday my children bring their children to this beautiful area, just like their parents and grandparents did. When that day comes, I hope they can swim in clean lakes, kayak on uncontaminated rivers – and eat, with no fear, whatever fish and game they are lucky enough to catch.

Please ask the U.S. Air Force to protect Michigan’s citizens, water, wetlands, and wildlife from toxic PFAS pollution today.

Although these signs may be discouraging, they serve a very important purpose—to protect people from contamination. States put them up to notify the public of fish consumption advisories (FCAs) that they have issued for particular water bodies. FCAs are warnings that there is such a dangerous amount of contamination in fish that humans should limit or avoid eating those fish until the contamination is remediated.

What Fish Consumption Advisories Do

An FCA is, as defined by the USEPA, a “recommendation to limit or avoid eating certain species of fish or shellfish caught from specific water bodies or types of water bodies (e.g., lakes, rivers or coastal waters) due to contamination.” These are nonbinding, voluntary consumption recommendations that are typically addressed to either the general public or to groups of people who may be more at risk from the particular contaminants present in fish. 

Vulnerable groups may include communities that eat a high volume of fish, pregnant women, or children. States and tribes can issue their own advisories and have broad discretion to choose which contaminants, fish species, human populations, and bodies of water to include. For states, the agency in charge varies, but usually, the relevant environmental and health agencies are involved.

FCAs serve multiple purposes. First, they can provide evidence that a water body is failing to achieve a state’s water quality standards—in other words, that the water body is impaired. Water quality standards include designated uses of a water body that states determine to be beneficial and worthy of protection, such as aquatic life and recreation. 

All states have established fish consumption as a designated use of their surface waters statewide. Depending on the state, if a state environmental agency determines that a water body is impaired due to elevated concentrations of a pollutant in fish tissue, it must list the water body as impaired pursuant to section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act. 

This triggers a requirement that the state calculate the maximum amount of that pollutant allowed to enter a water body in order to meet water quality standards. The goal of this process is to improve water quality by reducing levels of pollutants that are contributing to a water body’s impairment.

Second, FCAs communicate risks to the public so that people can make informed decisions regarding their consumption of fish. Ideally, advisories are both prominently displayed and widespread. There should be signage in multiple locations along affected water bodies, including by common entry spots. 

Moreover, FCAs should clearly and accurately explain the relevant risks and be translated into languages appropriate to the local community. Translated signage should provide individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English – also known as limited English proficient (LEP) individuals – with the same level of access to information communicated in FCAs. 

In practice, though, state agencies do not always effectively communicate to key audiences for one reason or another. For example, an EPA-funded study found that brochures, which are a common way states communicate FCAs, can be effective in theory, but are less so in practice because not every angler receives one. This could be due to a lack of internet access, or lack of a permanent address. Even those anglers who do get a brochure may not read it, especially if it is sent to them unsolicited.

Fish Consumption Advisories and PFAS

FCAs were first issued in the Great Lakes region in the 1970s for the toxic chemical mercury. These advisories have since expanded to include contaminants such as DDT, PCBs and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). FCAs for PFAS have only begun to crop up in the last decade or so, but are becoming increasingly common. This is largely for two reasons: first, while research on PFAS is still emerging, there is substantial evidence that PFAS are widespread in the environment and can have harmful effects on wildlife and humans. And second, agencies are sampling for PFAS more and more and finding them in many places.

The family of PFAS contains more than 4,000 compounds. PFAS are made up of linked carbon atoms, with fluorine atoms replacing some or all of the hydrogens that could otherwise be part of the compound. This chemical structure makes them useful in commercial and industrial applications because they are very stable and water- and oil-repellent. Despite some efforts to phase out or limit their use, PFAS remain ubiquitous. They can be found in hundreds of items such as water-repellent clothing, food-contact packaging, fire-fighting foams, and even some pesticide containers.

PFAS can enter the environment in a variety of ways. For example, industrial facilities manufacturing PFAS or products using them often discharge the chemicals into a nearby river or emit them into the air. The very properties that make PFAS so useful in products make them problematic in the environment. Their persistence means they can cycle through soils and water without breaking down, as well as build up in fish and other wildlife. Some PFAS can also biomagnify, or become more concentrated as they move up the food chain, leading to higher exposures to people and fish-eating wildlife.

PFAS have even been found at concerning levels in deer, which is unusual, given limited research on PFAS uptake by vegetation that deer eat. As a result, a consumption advisory was necessary for deer at Clark’s Marsh, a highly contaminated site in Oscoda, Michigan. While many effects of PFAS on human health are still unknown, research suggests that exposure to (relatively) high levels of certain PFAS may lead to problematic health outcomes including increased cholesterol levels, decreased vaccine response in children, and increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer.

PFAS FCAs are currently in place in Ontario and five of the Great Lakes states – Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. The most common PFAS compound that has led to advisories is perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) due to its high levels in the environment and its tendency to bioaccumulate and biomagnify. State agencies usually sample for PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and sometimes other PFAS compounds. 

Concentrations that prompt advisories vary from agency to agency, leading to different advice depending on where you live. For example, USEPA’s recommended safe daily exposure value, used by several Great Lakes states, is three times lower than Ontario’s. Many fish species are affected, including walleye, crappie, and sunfish.

Currently, most FCAs apply to inland water bodies (rivers, lakes) rather than the Great Lakes proper. That is not to say PFAS in the Great Lakes are not an issue—in fact, recent FCAs for rainbow smelt from Lake Superior issued by Michigan and Wisconsin suggest otherwise—there may need to be more monitoring and more protective protocols.

Why It Matters That We Are Seeing More Fish Consumption Advisories Based on PFAS

The increasing number of FCAs based on PFAS has major equity and justice implications. Although data concerning consumption patterns is often limited, subsistence angling communities – which often consist of people of color, low-income individuals, and Indigenous people – tend to catch and eat more locally caught fish. At the same time, these subpopulations are often less likely to be aware of the existence of FCAs or the risks of eating contaminated fish compared to the general population. 

This is sometimes due to poor communication on the part of agencies issuing FCAs. Moreover, even when people are aware of existing advisories, they may be reluctant or unable to follow them for cultural or economic reasons. All in all, this means that subsistence anglers may experience higher exposures to hazardous chemicals such as PFAS.

One need not look far to see how FCAs based on PFAS are affecting communities in the Great Lakes region. In Oscoda, Michigan – where the highly contaminated Wurtsmith Air Force Base is located – there are numerous FCAs in place due to extremely high levels of PFAS, including one advisory warning people not to eat any fish (or wildlife) taken from Clark’s Marsh.

But as a relatively low-income area abundant with wildlife, Oscoda is home to many people for whom living off the land is both a necessity and a way of life. This means that for many, such as longtime Oscoda resident Lowell Miller, it is simply not an option to give up subsistence fishing. Lowell has fished from local water bodies like Van Etten Lake, Cedar Lake, Clark’s Marsh, and the Au Sable River for his entire life – in his words, “all I do is fish.”

According to Lowell, there was initially a great deal of disbelief and confusion in the Oscoda community after the state of Michigan posted signs warning people about PFAS in fish. But for him, this new information hit home in a tragic way. Not long afterward, his mother was diagnosed with and later passed away from a rare form of cancer that may have been related to PFAS exposure from fish and wildlife consumption.

While his mother’s passing has made Lowell all too aware of the FCAs in the area and the risks of consumption of local fish, he largely continues to eat the fish he catches. “Locals who are up here full time have to do what they have to do to survive,” Lowell says. “People just don’t have the means to travel around to other fisheries that don’t have this problem.”

The Future of Fish Consumption Advisories

Going forward, it is essential that state agencies – in collaboration with other researchers and federal partners – fill in existing data and science gaps when it comes to PFAS and fish consumption. More monitoring data will help us better understand exactly how pervasive PFAS contamination is in the Great Lakes Basin. Moreover, we need more information relating to health concerns associated with less-studied PFAS compounds and the cumulative or interactive effects that exposure to multiple compounds may cause. In the meantime, all states should treat FCAs as presumptive evidence of the need for an impairment designation and hence a plan to address the underlying contamination problem.

Finally, it bears repeating that FCAs are only guidelines that cannot be enforced. Placing the burden on people to avoid potential risks of fish consumption is not an effective long-term strategy to protect public health and wildlife, as it does not address the contamination that prompts the need for advisories in the first place. 

FCAs should only be a temporary measure. The more equitable and permanent solution is to reduce contamination to levels where advisories are no longer needed so that people can enjoy the health and other benefits of fish consumption. At the same time, states should ensure that active FCAs effectively communicate risks of consumption to affected populations, particularly those that may be at greater risk.

After four months of planning, I sit down at the check-in table, take a deep breath, and reflect on the “what if” scenarios that have flashed through my head leading up to this day: “How many families would show up? What would the weather be like? Do we have all of our supplies?”. However, today was finally the day where everything would come together and it was time to welcome our 8 families and 25 participants. 

A New Angle

As a Confluence Environmental Center AmeriCorps Member—working for the National Wildlife Federation and their Oregon state affiliate, ANWS—I get to engage with Portland-Metro communities through our Fish Eggs to Fry and Garden for Wildlife programs. In a typical year, I would also organize the annual Family Fish Camp—an overnight 3-day event dedicated to angling education. Unfortunately this year, the COVID-19 pandemic made the annual event unrealistic. In a year filled with quarantine and virtual learning, it was especially important to me to provide a memorable outdoor experience for families. With the support of ANWS staff, Hooked on Family Fishing Day was born…

On the morning of Saturday, April 24th, 2021, families eagerly gathered into small rotational groups for morning activities. Like a bee buzzing to new flowers, I made my way through each station as well: Knot Tying, Fishing 101 (water safety), Fred the Fish, Fish Prints, and Casting. I watched as children learned to cast a rod in the water for the first time, enjoyed their excitement of creating a fish print that could be taken home, and admired the inquisitive minds learning how to tie that perfect knot. 

The day was flying by as we moved into the afternoon activities. In honor of Earth Week, families had the opportunity to fill their own pot with soil and plant a native wildflower from Bosky Dell Natives to take home. At other stations, families observed a fish dissection and created their very own tackle box. But, nothing compared to the excitement of the trout pond!

I stand back with camera in hand waiting in anticipation for a trout to bite. When I hear a participant shout, “I caught one, I caught one!” my heart races as I rush over to get the perfect picture.

At the end of a long fun-filled day, participants were finally ready to go home.

Each participant was able to leave the event with a trout, life jacket, fishing pole, native wildflower, pair of gardening gloves, loaded tackle box, water safety resources, and SO MUCH MORE! As families gathered their new gear and goods, I heard, “This was way more than I expected!”, “We are planning a fishing day with all of our new items!”, “We can’t wait to come back next year!”.

Filled with gratitude, I sent off extra food and beverages to the Troutdale Free Fridge and donated our extra native wildflowers to the Equitable Giving Circle. A fin-tastic finish to our first ever Hooked on Family Fishing Day. 

“It was great to finally see it all come together. After not having in person events for so long, this was the perfect one to start off the new year. You could see it in the families faces as well. I think everyone was happy to be outside and not have to think about anything else except catching fish.”

Chris Hager, Association of Northwest Steelheaders Executive Director

ANWS is the state affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation in Oregon and is one of the oldest and most cherished conservation and sport fishing advocacy organizations in the Pacific Northwest. They are anglers dedicated to enhancing and protecting fisheries and their habitats for today and tomorrow.

This event was made possible by our partners, The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, People of Color Outdoors, and Get Hooked Foundation who recruited our participating families and provided funding for our giveaway items. We also can’t forget our amazing volunteers including, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) staff, ANWS Volunteers, AmeriCorps Members, Friends and Family, and National Wildlife Federation staff.

EVENT PHOTOS

This event was sponsored by: Saling Foundation, Camps for Kids, National Wildlife Federation, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife: Salmon & Trout Enhancement Program, Starbucks,  Sportsman’s Warehouse, Gerber, Oregon State Marine Board, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Get Hooked Foundation, Littleleaf Guide Service, People of Color Outdoors, Confederated Tribes of Siletz, World Salmon Council, and Association of Northwest Steelheaders Chapters: Sandy River, Tualatin Valley, Tom McCall, and McLoughlin.

Watch for future events.

FAMILY FISHING EVENTS

Effects of Invasive Carp On Great Lakes Food Webs

The study, Potential Effects of Bigheaded Carps on Four Laurentian Great Lakes Food Webs, was conducted by Edward S. Rutherford, Hongyan Zhang, Yu‐Chun Kao, Doran M. Mason, Ali Shakoor, Keith Bouma‐Gregson, Jason T. Breck, David M. Lodge, and W. Lindsay Chadderton and funded in part by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research.

Using computer modeling, the study has predicted the impacts of bighead carp and silver carp on four Laurentian Great Lakes ecosystems — specifically the mesotrophic waters of Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay and the oligotrophic waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. (Mesotrophic waters have a moderate amount of plant nutrients and lower dissolved oxygen; oligotrophic waters have fewer plant nutrients and higher dissolved oxygen). 

According to the study, “The objective of this study was to project BHC (bighead and silver carp) population biomass and potential food web effects across Great Lakes habitats that differ in productivity and composition.”

The modeling predicts significant impacts on the food webs of Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, and similar mesotrophic waters of the Great Lakes by reducing planktivore populations and in turn some piscivore populations further up the food web, and little impact on the oligotrophic main basins of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. However, the researchers noted that they did not model the extent to which Lake Michigan and Lake Huron fish in the main basin spawn and would compete with invasive carp in nearshore areas, bays, and connected rivers. 

“Our model results may inform predictions of (invasive carp) effects in other Great Lakes. The results imply that productive nearshore areas will be most vulnerable, such as Lake St. Clair, Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario, drowned river mouth lakes of Lake Michigan, southern Green Bay, and the North Channel of Lake Huron. Food web effects will be greatest on macrozooplankton and planktivores and, to a lesser degree, on piscivores.”

Ali Shakoor, one of the scientists who contributed to the study, is also a tournament walleye angler and a charter fishing captain. He appeared in our 2020 film Against the Current to describe the potential impacts of invasive carp on the Great Lakes.

Status of Efforts to Stop Invasive Carp

How do we stop invasive carp from getting into the Great Lakes and altering the aquatic food as predicted, with all the adverse impacts on the fishing and water-based outdoor recreation industry and tourism economy that would follow? 

The best option is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to rebuild the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois to include a suite of smart technologies to block invasive carp from accessing Lake Michigan through the Chicago Area Waterway System, while still maintaining shipping access from the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes. 

The Brandon Road plan will replace the current lock and dam near Joliet, Ill. – a chokepoint between the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Area Waterway System – with an engineered channel fitted with an electric barrier, a bubble curtain, underwater acoustic deterrents, and a flushing lock to block invasive carp. The plan was submitted to Congress in 2017 and was included in the Water Resources Development Act that was approved by Congress in late 2020. 

However, because the Brandon Road Lock and Dam is in Illinois, the Corps also needed to reach an agreement with the State of Illinois to begin the preconstruction engineering and design phase of the plan. Additionally, Illinois, as the non-federal sponsor of the project, needed to come up with approximately $10 million for this phase of the project. In January 2021, the Corps, Illinois, and Michigan announced that they had reached an agreement with Michigan providing $8 million of the non-federal cost share. As a result, the Corps can now begin this phase of the project, which is expected to take two to three years. 

The preconstruction engineering and design phase of the project is likely to lower the $858 million estimated cost of the Brandon Road project. But even at that cost, it’s a worthwhile investment to protect the Great Lakes’ estimated $7 billion sport-fishery from adverse impacts like those modeled in the new study. 

However, the State of Illinois, as the non-federal sponsor, will still need to come up with 20% of the cost of the project.  Invasive carp are a national – and even international – problem. As such, one state shouldn’t have to shoulder the financial burden of protecting all the others from invasive carp. Invasive carp were originally brought to Arkansas in the 1960s and 1970s, and from there have spread throughout the Mississippi River system from Louisiana to the Dakotas, and threaten Great Lakes bordered also by Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada.

Given the national threat and problem invasive carp pose to the Great Lakes and other waters, the federal government should assume full responsibility in helping address this national problem.  Specifically, Congress should fully fund the Brandon Road project, as it did with some of the existing electric barriers which provide some – but not full – protection. (A silver carp in 2017 was found on the wrong side of those barriers, just nine miles from Lake Michigan). 

Once construction begins on Brandon Road, it will proceed in phases so that some of the protections are in place while others are still under construction. However, it may still be a decade before the project is completed. In the meantime, efforts to monitor and fish down invasive carp in the Illinois and Des Plaines River, combined with the existing electric barriers, are keeping invasive carp at bay  – for now. And while these efforts are underway to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes, we can’t lose sight of their current adverse impacts on waters they’ve already invaded in the Ohio and Mississippi River and its tributaries like the Tennessee and Cumberland. 

While the long-awaited Brandon Road project is finally underway with pre-engineering and design, we’re a long way from having a strong barrier at the Chicago Area Waterway System to block invasive carp from the Great Lakes and from recovering the waters of the Mississippi River basin that have already been invaded. 

Preventing the impacts modeled by the scientists in the American Fisheries Society study will require continued funding, advocacy, diligence, and urgency every step of the way.

This all-out assault on the Clean Water Act threatens to take us back to the days when rivers caught fire – risking our drinking water supply, water quality, and habitat for wildlife.

In order to ensure a strong state and tribal role in protecting local waters, the Clean Water Act gives states and tribes the authority to review federally licensed and permitted projects like dams, pipelines, and roads that will impact local water quality and certify that these projects comply with state water quality standards and state law. States can deny the certification – meaning the project cannot go forward without changes to protect waters.

States can also place protective conditions on projects to improve impacts to water quality, allow for fish passage, ensure adequate stream flow, preserve fish and recreational access, or other conditions to protect state waters. The law is clear that state conditions to protect waters must be a part of such permits or licenses and cannot be ignored.

For nearly 50 years, this critical tool has allowed states, tribes, and the federal government to cooperatively manage our nation’s water resources. It gives states and tribes a voice in federal project reviews and ensures developers take steps to prevent impacts on fisheries, water quality, and wildlife habitat. Often, this is the best and only way to helped improve projects that would damage water quality or fish and wildlife habitat across the nation, and has only occasionally stopped projects from moving forward.

New Rule Undermines Longstanding State and Tribal Authority to Protect Clean Water

The administration’s recently finalized rule would dramatically narrow the scope of issues states and tribes can review or include as conditions on a permit for dams or infrastructure projects, putting these protections at risk. It would also let the federal government ignore state and tribal voices by allowing federal agencies to override a state or tribal decision. Additionally, the rule limits the timeline that states and tribes have to complete review.

It also restricts the conditions that trigger this water quality protection process to only waters that the current administration considers to be a “water of the United States.” The Trump administration has dramatically reduced the scope of “waters of the United States,” meaning that the ability for states and tribes to protect non-federal waters would be greatly undercut, and could even result in not requiring a 401 certification for federally licensed activities that impact state or tribal waters that are not considered “waters of the United States.”

From salamanders to blue crabs, this new regulation threatens wildlife across the nation.

Salamanders

As proposed, the Constitution Pipeline would stretched nearly 100 miles through New York, cutting a 100-foot wide swath across hundreds of streams and creeks, including 85 trout streams, degrading wetlands and clearing out hundreds of acres of forest. New York State denied water quality certification for the pipeline, because the pipeline company failed to provide meaningful information demonstrating that the pipeline would comply with state water quality standards.

Salamanders are particularly vulnerable to poor water quality, because of their permeable skin, which allows them to breathe underwater. The Constitution Pipeline would have cut across areas where salamanders live, degrading water quality and habitat.

Salmon Runs

In 2017, Washington’s Department of Ecology denied a Clean Water Act certification for a proposed coal export facility in Longview, Washington, due to harmful impacts to the Columbia River’s water quality, fisheries, tribal resources, and wetland habitat.

The Columbia River Basin’s streams and rivers are critical to several types of trout and salmon, including Chinook, or king salmon, which swim thousands of miles from the ocean to freshwater spawning grounds in the Columbia River every year. Tiny salmon fry emerge from the gravel nests and begin their migration downstream to the estuary, where they adapt to the saltwater, before heading out into the open ocean. For generations, tribes have fished these salmon and steelhead runs, and also serve as a critical food source many wildlife species along the journey. Without Section 401, the construction of the proposed coal export terminal – which would have been the largest in North America – and subsequent pollution, would have harmed everyone that depends on strong salmon runs for a living.

Chesapeake Blue Crabs

For decades, the Conowingo Dam, which is a major hydroelectric dam in Maryland, trapped nutrient and sediment pollution on the Susquehanna River, preventing it from flowing downstream into Chesapeake Bay. However the reservoir behind the dam is now full and more pollution flows downstream than the Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan originally accounted for, harming water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife, including the Chesapeake Bay’s iconic blue crab.

As part of the process to get a new 50 year operating license for the dam, Exelon had to request a water quality certification from Maryland. In 2018, Maryland certified the renewal, but with the condition that Exelon must reduce sediment and nutrient pollution that flows from behind the dam into Chesapeake Bay. It also requires Exelon to improve conditions for aquatic life, including controlling freshwater flows from the dam into the delicate Chesapeake Bay estuary as well as improving fish migration to spawning areas upstream. Although Exelon has since challenged this certification, limiting Section 401 authority could significantly undermine Maryland’s ability to place protective conditions on projects like Conowingo Dam to protect downstream water quality.

Take Action

History has shown us that waters and wildlife benefit from strong state, tribal, and federal cooperation to ensure the needs of local communities, fish and wildlife, recreation, and traditions are met.

Tell the Trump Administration that you oppose this slew of attacks against clean water and support the Clean Water for All Act to restore protections for wildlife habitat and drinking water – from the smallest headwaters at the top of the watershed, to the mightiest rivers and largest lakes downstream.

Take Action!

A pond stocked with over 500 rainbow trout? Check.

Families giddy with excitement about learning the basics of fishing? Check.

On a fun-filled weekend in March, the 4^th annual Family Fish Camp along the Sandy River near Portland, Oregon brought 92 attendees, 30 families, and 40 volunteers together to enjoy the outdoors, learn basic fishing skills, and further a collective goal of conservation and stewardship. Family Fish Camp is the signature youth education event hosted by the Association of Northwest Steelheaders (ANWS), the state affiliate of National Wildlife Federation in Oregon. ANWS is a fishing advocacy organization comprised of anglers dedicated to enhancing and protecting fisheries and their habitats for today and tomorrow. Each year, Family Fish Camp is planned and organized by ANWS and NWF’s shared AmeriCorps member, serving an 11-month term through Confluence Environmental Center. In addition, they engage under-served communities in programs like Fish Eggs to Fry and Garden for Wildlife.

For this year’s event, ANWS partnered with Get Hooked, Brown Folks Fishing, and Littleleaf Guide Service, all of which are organizations led by people of color. With them, ANWS engaged diverse community members and removed barriers that prevent families from connecting with nature. These key partners also helped to identify families in need of financial assistance, to which ANWS provided scholarships to.

A chance to revisit childhood memories

Stefanie Stavrakas and her family were one of scholarship families and were particularly enthusiastic about attending, even more so because of her family’s connection to Camp Angelos, the camp’s location.

“As a child between 8-10 years, I would go with my father and our family friend to the property now known as Camp Angelos. I spent many weekends exploring! I forged many hiking trails – some of which, I noticed, are still in use.”

Stefanie and her husband, Vasili, are both federal employees working in the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and were furloughed during the recent government shutdown. Coming up with funds to cover basic living costs for six weeks was a challenge but they did not want their two children, Olivia and Demetrios, to miss out on Family Fish Camp because of this. Both their children are in scouts, Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts, and outdoor activities and stewardship represent core aspects of the scout values. A few of Olivia’s fellow Girl Scouts were attending the camp – yet another reason that Family Fish Camp felt like an important opportunity for the Stavrakas family. After hearing their story, ANWS felt they were truly deserving as scholarship recipients.

During the event, Stefanie shared stories from her experience as a young child spending time at Camp Angelos. After learning about the salmon life cycle from her father, she would go down to the banks of the Sandy River and watch in awe as hundreds of spawning salmon completed their hundred-mile journey home. Her father also shared his knowledge of fishing with her and Stefanie soon became familiar with the rods, reels, and other equipment needed to score a catch. These sweet memories, along with a love of native wildlife, have been passed along to her children, completing a cycle, much like the one she learned about from her father.

Passing the torch, from mother to daughter

Olivia, age 11, along with her mother, joined the 44 other women and girls in celebrating International Women’s Day at Family Fish Camp. Angling, among many other outdoor sports, can often be dominated by men leaving little access available for women and girls to feel welcome. However, all the women and girls attending this event grabbed their rods and reels without hesitation and happily hooked their own fish.

“To me,” Olivia shared, “being a girl and a part of the angling community means that I don’t have to be good at fishing, I don’t need to be a different gender or race, but it does mean to me that I can have lots of fun helping my family catch food in an inspiring, creative, and amusing way, and all it takes is guidance, my focus, and lots and lots of patience!”

Join us next year at Family Fish Camp!

While Family Fish Camp provided a space to practice casting and hooking, many of the families attending reeled in new friendships as well. Aspen and Andrew, two of our youngest attendees, forged a fast friendship that lasted beyond the weekend.

The NW Steelheaders hope that Family Fish Camp continues to make fishing available to all folks, no matter their background or experience, just like Olivia said. If you and your family or someone you know would like to attend or sponsor a future Family Fish Camp, learn more.

Our public lands provide the necessary habitat for the health and connectivity of America’s robust wildlife. Those lands are under stress from increasing human population, expanding industries and infrastructures, and the continued push for energy dominance and resource extraction. With these new and unprecedented attacks on public lands, there is a dire need to reinvent and reinvigorate the conservation movement, enlist a new and modernized conservation coalition and implement creative new ways to speak to both decision makers and the public. Sportswomen are a integral and powerful voice in this coalition.

During Women’s History Month, Artemis is honoring women who dedicate their time and attention to advocating for public lands and sharing their stories with others. Their stories – like our own – are connected to a deep history of our relationship to the natural world and the people who influence our connection to it.

Artemis’ own conservation ethos is strongly influenced by Native American stories, which bestow the importance of a reciprocal relationship with the earth and honor our obligation to care for it.  Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer is the founding Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. Their mission is to create programs which draw on the wisdom of both indigenous and scientific knowledge for our shared goals of sustainability. Dr. Kimmerer’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, is a collection of essays, each of which weaves together beliefs and practices of Native people, Dr. Kimmerer’s scientific knowledge of the natural world, and stories from her life. The result is a poetic elucidation of our need to restore our relationship with the natural world. That restoration requires a sense of reciprocity. We have an obligation to give as well as receive.

“If an animal gives its life to feed me, I am in turn bound to support its life. If I receive a stream’s gift of pure water, then I am responsible for returning a gift in kind. An integral part of a human’s education is to know those duties and how to perform them.” – Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

Artemis takes this obligation to heart and upholds the definition of a complete sportswoman – one who can skin a deer, land a burly brown trout, navigate the backcountry, and she knows her game commissioners and politicians, knows wildlife laws, defends all wildlife, advocates on their behalf and teaches others these skills.  

Here are four Artemis women who are building on the stories of our past and making waves in hunting, angling, and conservation communities across the country. The stories they share work to inform, educate and conserve our public lands and wildlife heritage for generations to come.

Cindy Stites

Cindy is a Manager of Commercial Landscape Construction in Coatesville, Indiana. She has been hunting for 6 ½ years and fishing for most of her life. She is an Artemis Sportswoman, a Hunt to Eat Ambassador, an Indiana Hunters Education Instructor, a 4H Shooting Sports Archery Instructor, a Board Member for the Indiana chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and a Regional Committee Member for 2% for Conservation. She writes a blog called Whitetails and Running Trails, where she shares her journey with the sporting community. Cindy has been a strident advocate for the recently signed “John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act” and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). She is now turning her energy to advocating for full funding for LWCF.

“For me, the spark for conservation was really ignited once I started hunting. I started appreciating the land and the animals in a more up close and personal way. You cannot keep taking without giving something back. As hunters, there is so much more that we can do to give back to the animals.”

Stine Richvoldsen

Stine is a software developer in Jackson, Wyoming. She started fishing as a kid with her grandpa in Norway and started fly fishing 5 years ago. Stine first ventured into hunting by accompanying her husband, and then started hunting herself when she picked up a bow and discovered archery. She heads into the mountains every September and hunts mostly

solo. When rifle season starts, she once again enters the woods with her husband. She says, “I’ve always done most of my recreating on public lands, whether it’s running, climbing, biking, or hiking. Because of that, I’ve been excited to preserve our wild spaces. When hunting or fishing, you’re PART OF your environment, not just IN it. It really highlights the importance of taking responsibility for maintaining and caring for the landscape you’re part of. It’s no longer just about maintaining the relatively small areas we use for recreation; we need to consider entire habitats that sometimes stretch across states to support their quarry.”

Stine is an Artemis Sportswoman and a Conservation Ambassador for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation. She recently wrote a blog about the importance of sharing your knowledge and passion with legislators for Wyoming Wildlife Federation called The Power of Showing Up after attending Camo at the Capitol in Cheyenne, WY, a program that brings hunters and anglers together for advocacy training.

“I feel like a LOT can be done just by talking to people, especially respectful conversations with people of differing opinions. I also take pride in being a supporter of other sportswomen and wildlife enthusiasts whether that is sharing archery form tips at 3D league, making sure my friends know about educational events, or encouraging fellow sportswomen to take charge of their own experience. I think it’s important that we as women encourage each other, and affirm that we can achieve our aspirations on our own.”

Chelsea Cassens

Chelsea was born and raised in Eastern Oregon where she spent much of her time on public lands and wild places. She is a nurse and a mother of two. Her passion for public lands comes from her parents and grandparents, who exposed her to the beauty of the outdoors and built memories to last a lifetime. Chelsea hunts big game and upland birds in the fall. During the winter, you can find her chasing waterfowl and steelhead fishing. In spring and summer she enjoys multiple public land activities, from trying to outsmart the elusive Rio Grande turkey, to mushroom and huckleberry picking, to spending time in the woods scouting and camping with friends and family. Hunting and fishing have been a staple for food and nourishment for every generation in her family.

“It’s not always easy to find the time to recreate, advocate, and volunteer while working and raising a family. It’s really important to me, and I have made conservation work a part of my family’s lifestyle.”

Chelsea is the Oregon ambassador for Artemis Sportswomen. Additionally, she is a brand ambassador and Community Manager for Hunt to Eat, First Lite Prostaff member, and secretary and treasurer for Oregon state Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. She helped host the 2018 Association of Northwest Steelheaders Women’s Fishing and Outdoors Clinic with Artemis co-founder Jess Johnson. She was also recently featured in two articles published by The New York Times: Poisoned Wildlife and Tainted Meat: Why Hunters Are Moving Away From Lead Bullets and a Times Insider piece A Vegetarian Reporter Explores a Hunting Dilemma, where she unknowingly took a vegetarian writer on her elk hunt.

“I believe that everyone at some level cares for fish and wildlife as well as clean air and clean water. The women in Artemis embody a whole vision of truly becoming committed conservationists. We are here to protect it, and become a strong voice for all.”

Crystal Egli

Crystal Egli is a videographer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Crystal is an active outdoors-woman, both on and off the job. She enjoys hiking, backpacking, fishing, and hunting, all of which she looks forward to experiencing with her baby daughter. She is a board member for Environmental Learning for Kids. Her hunting journey started a few years ago, but she has been fishing for as long as she can remember.  Her dad would take her out and tell her that he wasn’t allowed to touch any of the fishing equipment because he didn’t have a license. So, Crystal would have to figure out how to do it all by herself if she wanted to continue. This included rigging the line, tying knots, baiting the hook, removing fish off the hook, netting. He was always standing close by, but she had to do the work. As an adult, when she called him up to confront him about this, his response was, “I don’t even like fishing. I just thought you might.”

Crystal attributes this self-reliant experience as one of the reasons she started to hunt as an adult. She understands and values the importance of friends and mentors for close guidance, but she makes sure to do each step herself.

“I had people guiding me on what steps to take, but I always made sure to be the one physically doing each step; that was very important to me. It instilled a sense of pride in my own abilities and that pride is what drives me to continue pursuing hunting as a resource for food and fishing as a source of fun.”

We are at a crossroads in the history of American conservation. In order to continue to tell stories that resonate with people across America, we must incorporate more stories. Crystal is a strong voice in this effort. She knows that people of color recreate in the outdoors a lot more than the agencies, media, national hunting and fishing organizations think they do. She is reaching out to people who have documented this history as well as communities of color to attempt to change this.

Learn more about Artemis and sign up to join our network of sportswomen.

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