It's almost flattering that Chinook1 thinks I have, or had, so much influence on proceedings that legally involved multiple agencies. I was involved in developing the Cowlitz settlement agreement in 2000, but was out of the picture by the time FERC approved TP's new license in 2002. The decision to terminate use of Chambers Creek origin steelhead in the Cowlitz hatchery program was made a number of years later.

For the record, had I still been involved, I would not have supported the decision to quit using early timed hatchery winter steelhead. The reason is simple. The Cowlitz provides a unique mechanism for separating hatchery and natural production fish at the fish barrier dam. No early timed hatchery steelhead would ever make it to the upper basin unless managers decided to place them there. Further, the concern that the early timed Chambers Creek fish would stray into lower Cowlitz River tributaries and cause genetic introgression with native wild steelhead was unwarranted. The Cowlitz steelhead genetics study showed that introgression in those tributaries was very low, considering that well over one million Chambers Creek steelhead fry had been deliberately stocked in those streams in years gone by. Apparently those who make the decisions thought it better to suspend use of Chambers Creek fish and reduce the risk to zero.

A number of changes have been made to the Cowlitz hatchery program that was initially described by the license settlement agreement. The main reason for those changes was to better comply with ESA interests in recovering natural origin populations of ESA-listed species.