Three Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Every River Needs A Champion!

Picture a clear, cold, and clean stream running through the hills around Puget Sound. After a long day, that sound alone can bring calm. As you step closer, the water sparkles in the sunlight and you notice fish moving in the current—maybe a brilliantly spotted trout, a salmon returning to spawn, or a “little red fish,” the kokanee.

With more than two million people living in the Puget Sound region, nature can sometimes feel hard to reach. But these streams, rivers, and lakes still flow through our communities, supporting fish, wildlife, and all of us.

The Three Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited is dedicated to keeping those waters healthy. We focus on coldwater conservation and the protection of the watersheds that feed our rivers, lakes, and urban streams across the Snohomish, Cedar-Sammamish, and Green-Duwamish basins.

We work to ensure that these places continue to provide serenity, healing, connection, and adventure—even as our region grows. Our members are volunteers, anglers, families, students, and neighbors who want to give back so that future generations can enjoy and recreate in the same beautiful waters we treasure today.

From kokanee recovery and habitat restoration to youth education and community science, we bring people together to become champions for their rivers.

Highlighted success: Kokanee Fry Trapping & Recovery Efforts

Each winter, volunteers gather after dark along Issaquah and Sammamish tributaries to count the smallest but most critical fish in our watershed: kokanee fry. These “little red fish” are unique to Lake Sammamish and are culturally and ecologically significant to Tribes, communities, and all who rely on healthy waters. 

Only a few years ago, in 2019, fry trappers would see just 1–3 kokanee fry per night—a sobering reminder of how close this population was to collapsing.

.              Today, everything is different...

A Record-Breaking Turnaround

Thanks to years of coordinated work by Tribes, agencies, nonprofits, and community volunteers, numbers are rising faster than anyone expected:

• Fry traps now count over 2,000 kokanee fry per hour during peak outmigration
• Last season, an estimated 44,000 kokanee fry successfully reached Lake Sammamish
• These are some of the strongest survival indicators in more than a decade

This is what recovery looks like—one cold night, one fry, and one volunteer at a time.

How TU Helps Lead the Recovery

The Three Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited plays an essential role in the long-term recovery of kokanee and the health of the Lake Sammamish watershed. Our work supports Tribal, agency, and community partners through hands-on action, science, and stewardship.

Habitat Restoration

We restore degraded streams by improving riparian vegetation, stabilizing eroding banks, and rebuilding channel structure so kokanee have access to clean, cool gravel for spawning. These on-the-ground efforts improve water quality, increase habitat complexity, and support long-term resilience for native fish.

Barrier Removal

Culverts and road crossings can block kokanee from reaching their spawning grounds. Our volunteers help assess barriers and support public and private partners working to remove or replace fish-blocking culverts. Each completed project reopens critical habitat and strengthens the kokanee’s chances of survival.

Monitoring, Science & Collaboration

Volunteer-powered programs—including fry trapping, stream surveys, and data collection—provide essential information to researchers, managers, and multiple watershed partners. This community science helps guide decision-making, track population trends, and ensure recovery actions are grounded in the best available data.

Learn more about us and our intiatives!