Meet The Oregon State Police Wildlife Conservation K-9 Teams At The OWF Gift Shop In Bonneville (Photo) -06/23/25

(CASCADE LOCKS, Ore.) – Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF) and the Fish & Wildlife Division of the Oregon State Police (OSP) are giving new meaning to the phrase “dog days of summer'' by inviting you to meet the OSP Wildlife Conservation K-9 teams between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 29, at the OWF Gift Shop at Bonneville Fish Hatchery in the Columbia River Gorge.

 

Visitors will meet Senior Trooper Josh Wolcott and his K-9 partner Buck and Trooper Shae Ross and his K-9 partner, Scout. This is an opportunity to meet the teams and learn more about how they fight poaching in Oregon. While there, consider having a Buck and Scout Drink Special and or picking up a Buck or a Scout stuffie. All donations at checkout during the month of July are dedicated to the Foundation’s OSP Conservation K-9 Team Fund. 

 

OWF, in partnership with OSP, launched Oregon’s first Wildlife Conservation K-9 team in 2019. Senior Trooper Wolcott and Buck have conducted numerous poaching investigations and logged hundreds of hours in the field since the program’s beginning. Senior Trooper Wolcott and Buck work from OSP’s Springfield Area Command but have worked multiple regions in Oregon.

 

The effectiveness of the first K-9 team led OSP leadership to approve a second team in January of 2023. The newest team works from OSP Area Command in Bend but have also been deployed to other regions at various times. OWF and its donors financed most of the costs of the program’s first two teams. Ongoing K-9 expenses, primarily veterinary care, are funded by donations from the public to the OSP Conservation K-9 Team Fund. To learn more or to make a supporting donation, visit the Team webpage at https://myowf.org/osp-conservation-k9-team.

 

Poaching in Oregon

Oregon and all other states adhere to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which operates on seven interdependent  principles, including ‘wildlife resources are conserved and held in trust for all citizens’ and ‘wildlife may only be killed for a legitimate, non-frivolous purpose.’ Our wildlife laws, including those that make poaching illegal, are rooted in this model of conservation.

 

Poaching is the illegal taking of birds, wildlife and fish. Poaching also includes habitat destruction. 

 

According to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s (ODFW) Stop Poaching webpage, “Poaching can take many forms. Shooting a raptor. Keeping fish out of season. Sharing tags. Exceeding bag limits. People working the system to get resident licenses or tags when they aren’t residents are also poaching.”

 

ODFW partners with OSP to enforce our wildlife laws. Only the states of Oregon and Alaska work in this way; all other state wildlife agencies employ their own game wardens. The OSP Wildlife Conservation K-9 teams are an essential tool in our fight against poaching. Hundreds of poached animals and fish are recovered each year, which represents only a fraction of the total lost to poaching in Oregon.

 

Fish and wildlife managers and law enforcement officials rely on assistance from the public to report poaching and suspicious activities. To report crimes against fish, wildlife or habitat, please use the Turn In Poachers (TIP) line, 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone. You can also provide information via email: TIP@osp.oregon.gov.

 

Oregon Wildlife Foundation

Oregon Wildlife Foundation is an apolitical operating charitable foundation dedicated to increasing private and public funding support for wildlife conservation projects in Oregon. Since their founding in 1981, OWF has directed tens of millions of dollars in private and public support to a broad range of projects throughout Oregon. For more information visit www.myowf.org.

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Interviews:  Contact OWF Executive Director Tim Greseth at tim@myowf.org or External Communications Manager Mo Montgomery at mo@myowf.org

 

For questions about poaching and poaching statistics, we recommend contacting the following individuals: 

 

Captain Kyle Kennedy

Public Information Officer,

Oregon State Police

Email: OSP.OSPPIO@osp.oregon.gov

 

Yvonne Shaw

Stop Poaching Campaign Coordinator

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

(503) 947-6037 office / (503)383-6859 mobile

Email:Yvonne.L.SHAW@odfw.oregon.gov

 

Oregon Wildlife Foundation Invites You To Celebrate Herman’s Birthday (Photo) -06/16/25

(CASCADE LOCKS, Ore.) – Herman the Sturgeon is kind of a big deal in Oregon and we’re celebrating their birthday on Sunday, June 22, at Bonneville Fish Hatchery in the Columbia River Gorge! The festivities begin at 10 am and wrap around 2 pm.

 

This is an all-ages experience to celebrate the passing of another year in Herman’s long and storied life. Come join us to sing Happy Birthday, have a cupcake, join the scavenger hunt, and take an “ussie” with a legendary fish!

 

We are also pleased to announce that our partner, Ferment Brewing, is releasing another round of “High Five, Herman” IPA, available to those 21 years of age and older at their tasting room on Hood River’s waterfront and in 4-packs at select stores throughout the greater Portland metro area. 

 

“High Five, Herman!” was brewed using regional, environmentally responsible ingredients from mission-driven suppliers. Mainstem Malt, a company that works directly with farmers in the Columbia River Basin to supply Salmon-Safe grains, provides the malt for this beer. The hops, sourced from Crosby Hops in Woodburn, are also Salmon-Safe, meaning they are grown using watershed-friendly and climate-resilient stewardship practices to protect water quality and wildlife habitats.

 

Herman’s story includes trips between the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s (ODFW) Roaring River Fish Hatchery near Scio and the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. Beginning in the 1930s and up until the 1980s, one Herman or another was a mainstay at the State Fair’s Animal Village exhibit. Life on the road is hard on a fish, so ODFW stopped trucking Herman places and started planning for a permanent home. 

 

To provide Herman with a safe and healthy environment, a campaign was launched in 1997 to build him a suitable habitat at Bonneville Fish Hatchery. In collaboration with ODFW, Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF) raised the money needed, more than $350,000, to construct the Sturgeon Viewing & Interpretive Center at the hatchery. Dedicated on Sept. 27, 1998, the Center is one of Oregon’s top visitor attractions. 

 

The Center has served its purpose well for over 26 years, but prolonged exposure to Gorge weather and the passage of time have taken a toll on the building. In addition, Herman’s habitat needs some improvements and the interpretive signage, designed for an early internet audience, needs updating.

 

Birthday gifts, aka tax-deductible donations to assist us with this renovation campaign, are most welcome! You can make a gift using the following link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/oregon-wildlife-foundation/sturgeon-interpretive-center

 

"We hope that Herman’s fans will join us in supporting improvements to the Center, but also within the pond that is their home," said Tim Greseth, Executive Director of the Foundation.

 

Oregon Wildlife Foundation also owns and operates gift stores at the hatchery and in downtown Hood River. The store at Bonneville features coffee drinks, treats, local and regional gift items, and, of course, Herman the Sturgeon memorabilia. Proceeds from the sale of merchandise at the Foundation’s gift stores support fish and wildlife conservation efforts throughout Oregon. During the month of June, donations made at checkout at either of our stores are dedicated to the Center’s renovation expenses.

 

Sturgeon Conservation

Herman the Sturgeon is approximately 10 feet long, weighs over 500 pounds, and is more than 80 years old, but who cares, age is just a number! There are records of larger and older white sturgeon in the Columbia River and elsewhere in Oregon, but Herman is an excellent example of this large and long-lived species. Worldwide, there are 23 sturgeon species, with seven found in North America. Only two, white and green sturgeon, are found in Oregon and along the West Coast. Both are classified as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” in Oregon’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).

 

In the Columbia River basin and elsewhere, white sturgeon face serious challenges, including habitat fragmented by dams, rising water temperatures, and more frequent low-flow years. These impacts, taken together, threaten the long-term survival of this ancient species in Oregon.

 

Bonneville Hatchery and Sturgeon Viewing and Interpretive Center

The Sturgeon Viewing and Interpretive Center is located at Bonneville Fish Hatchery, 70543 NE Herman Loop, in Cascade Locks. From I-84, take Exit 40 to Bonneville Dam/Fish Hatchery. Follow the signs to the hatchery and park in the parking lot. For more information on the Sturgeon Viewing and Interpretive Center, visit www.myodfw.com/bonneville-hatchery-visitors-guide.

 

Oregon Wildlife Foundation

Oregon Wildlife Foundation is an apolitical operating charitable foundation dedicated to increasing private and public funding support for wildlife conservation projects in Oregon. Since 1981, the Foundation has directed tens of millions of dollars in private and public support to a broad range of projects throughout Oregon. For more information, visit www.myowf.org.

 

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Herman’s Birthday Schedule

10 am - birthday celebration kickoff

  meet OWF staff,

             scavenger hunt!

             self-guided tours of the hatchery

11 am - sing “Happy Birthday” to Herman

12 pm - cupcakes/drawing of Herman raffle

  1 pm - sing “happy birthday” to Herman

  2 pm - end of celebration

 

Here are some ways you can help conserve sturgeon:

• Take care of our natural resources for present and future generations
  • Properly dispose of trash and waste materials
  • Think about activities that impact our streams, including pollution from:
    • Motor oil leaking from vehicles or its improper disposal
    • Detergents from washing vehicles in driveways
    • Using phosphate-based fertilizers on lawns or in farming operations
• Use less water and electricity - that’s good for your pocketbook and the environment.
• Follow fish and wildlife regulations. 
• Report the illegal take (poaching) of sturgeon to Oregon State Police or through the Turn In Poachers hotline: 1-800-452-7888