WHO WE ARE
We are “boots on the ground” restoration practitioners. At LCFEG, our passion is seeing the potential in damaged, blocked, and undernourished stream reaches and restoring them so wild salmon and steelhead can rest, feed, and spawn there.
Our vision is rooted in hydrology, geomorphology, and restoration ecology and we make it happen with partnerships, collaboration, and hard work. We look at waters big and small across the Lower Columbia region and ask how this particular reach—given its unique history, ecology, and potential—can be repaired to bring back healthy habitat for salmon and steelhead. Whether it’s planting trees to restore functional riparian areas or stacking large wood to create deep pools and redistribute spawning gravel, this is our contribution to the long term recovery of the Northwest’s native fish.
This is how LCFEG, and all of the state’s 14 regional fisheries enhancement groups, are a critical link in “The Washington Way,” a unique approach to salmon recovery that focuses on regional needs and priorities and invests in local, community supported habitat improvement projects.
OUR STAFF
Shauna Hanisch-Kirkbride, Ph.D., Managing Director
Brice Crayne, Project Manager
Maurice Frank, Project Manager
Chelsey Pacanins, Stewardship Coordinator
Jesse Barr, Restoration Technician
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Hal Mahnke (President), Brian Davern (Vice President), Ed McMillan (Treasurer), Ray Mathes (Secretary), Joshua Burchett, Jim Byrne, Scott Donaldson, Bob Layton, Jim Williams, Jeff Wittler, Rick Yahrmarkt, Katie Woollven

Habitat improvement | Nutrient enhancement | Native plants | Outreach
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LCFEG's habitat restoration activities include restoring in-stream habitat complexity, removing fish passage barriers, planting native riparian vegetation, and removing invasive species in riparian areas.
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Our nutrient enhancement work seeks to increase availability of marine-derived nutrients in several Lower Columbia River watersheds. With the help of our partners and volunteers, we place several thousand salmon carcasses per year into rivers across the region.
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LCFEG maintains three riparian nursery sites that produce about 20,000 native plants each year to help restore riparian areas that are so important to salmonid habitat.