According to the preliminary agenda (12-29-04) there will be opportunity for open public input at shortly after 9:00 am on the 14th, 8:30 am on the 15th, and late in the afternoon on both days. The staff report on raising allowable steelhead impacts in the lower Columbia will be late in the afternoon on the 15th.

They apparently encourage people to comment in the afternoon, unless they can only be present in the morning. I would take that to mean that you could comment on the steelhead issue on the 14th if you can't make it on the 15th. It cannot hurt to give commissioners some notes to digest overnight before they are briefed by WDFW staff. Sticking around till the end would be worth it too, in case you wanted to rebut an aspect of the staff report.

A good showing by this community at the workshop -- and then the Feb hearing -- will make an impression on the Commission and the Dept. Coming on the heels of the wild-steelhead release fight, it will demonstrate that recreational fishers are not only still serious and paying attention on a range of steelhead-conservation issues, but that they are ready to pick themselves up and mobilize on behalf of the resource whenever they think it's necessary.

Ramon Vanden Brulle
Washington Trout