Friends of the Columbia Gorge invites you to a live webinar with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) to talk about the oldest fish that is still alive today and native to the Pacific Northwest: the Pacific lamprey. CRITFC has been leading a successful restoration program to keep these critical fish in the Columbia River.
Records of lamprey fossils have dated back as far as 500 million years, proving this ancient fish lived amongst dinosaurs and survived mass extinctions including the Ice Age. With no bones, one nostril and a mouth full of teeth, their unique appearance resembles an eel. While outlasting countless other species, in recent times the Pacific lamprey saw its populations decline, almost going extinct in the 1990s.
Join us live with CRITFC’s Lamprey Project Lead Laurie Porter, Fisheries Geneticist Jon Hess, and Public Affairs Specialist Jeremy FiveCrows on Wednesday, Nov 18 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific. Registration is free; click the "Register" button below. The webinar will be recorded and uploaded to Friends' YouTube page within a few days of the recording.
Lamprey populations have fallen due to reasons similar to those responsible for salmon's decline: destruction of habitat from development, forestry practices, increased water temperatures from climate change, water pollution, and dams that make it very difficult for lamprey to pass and move up river. Ensuring the Pacific lamprey stays in the Columbia River is critical because they are a First Food for Tribes in the Columbia River Basin, providing cultural, physical, and medicinal health to communities. Lamprey are also a food source for other fish and birds. And they filter our rivers by feeding off of sediment, and return marine nutrients to fresh water streams during their migration to spawn.
Laurie Porter is the Lamprey Project Lead at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Laurie has an undergraduate degree in biology and a master's degree in cultural and environmental resource management from Central Washington University. Laurie is passionate about working for the conservation of Pacific lamprey. She considers lamprey a unique and interesting fish to work with, as it is an ancient fish relatively unchanged from its ancestors, with still many mysteries to uncover regarding its life history and behavior. Laurie is enrolled with the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
Jon Hess received a Ph. D. in ecology, evolution, and population biology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. For research, Jon tends to gravitate toward what he calls "misunderstood species with funky teeth," having studied the population genetics of naked mole-rats for his dissertation and more recently the population genetics of Pacific lamprey at CRITFC. His general research focus at CRITFC is in the application of parentage and genetic stock identification to fisheries management, and understanding the genetic basis of fitness traits.
Jeremy FiveCrows is CRITFC's public affairs specialist. He was born and raised on the Nez Perce Reservation. Growing up traveling throughout the Nez Perce homeland with his family on hunting, fishing, and berry-picking trips instilled in him a strong sense of place and a dedication to preserving the environment. This only increased while living in Norway where he witnessed Norwegians' dedication to cherishing and protecting the environment. (He’s confident that he is the only Nez Perce Indian who is fluent in Norwegian.) Jeremy has a degree in conservation biology from Brigham Young University.
Natasha Stone is Friends’ community engagement specialist. Natasha manages Friends’ outdoor youth education efforts and works to build a diverse and inclusive network of community partners to help protect, preserve, and steward the Columbia Gorge. Before joining Friends, Natasha worked at Oregon Public Broadcasting as a production assistant for the Think Out Loud radio program. A graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Ethnic Studies, Natasha is passionate about working with underrepresented communities and has seen firsthand how outdoor recreation and education can be empowering tools for communities while working for Portland’s Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.
Photographers (from top): Laurie Taylor; Jon Hess; Bobby Begay
