Portland NWAEP Lunch & Learn - Hydropower Licensing and Mitigation in the PNW - Clackamas River Fish Passage Improvements - Clackamas River Fish Passage Improvements

Portland NWAEP Lunch & Learn - Hydropower Licensing and Mitigation in the PNW - Clackamas River Fish Passage Improvements 

Presented by John Esler; Portland General Electric

Portland General Electric (PGE) operates a FERC licensed, multi-dam hydroelectric project on the Clackamas River (Clackamas County, OR). PGE recently received a new 45 year operating license for this project.  The Clackamas River is critical habitat for several ESA protected salmonid species (coho salmon, spring Chinook salmon, winter-run Steelhead) and this habitat is expected to play an important role in the recovery planning for these species.

This presentation will describe the fish passage improvements that are being implemented on the Clackamas River by PGE. These multi-million dollar investments - along with robust fish passage monitoring protocols - will be important components of the long-term effort to eventually de-list (ESA) these important fish species.

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John Esler has worked at Portland General Electric since 1980 in various capacities in Government Affairs, Energy Generation, and Environmental Services.  John is currently the licensing project manager for the Clackamas River hydroelectric project.  John served on the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission for 6 years, chairing the Commission for 3 years.   He served on the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Lower Columbia River Salmon Recovery Planning Board and is currently on the executive board of the Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation and has served as the Vice President and President of the Northwest Hydropower Association. John holds degrees in biology and anthropology from Ripon College (Ripon, Wisconsin) and the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA)