Wild Salmon Rivers
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO CONSERVE FUNCTIONING SALMON/STEELHEAD ECO-SYSTEM AT WATERSHED LEVELS, INTEGRATE ANGLING ACTIVITIES WITH BASIC SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, COLLECT RAW DATA, MONITOR ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTIONS, SALMON/STEELHEAD POPULATION DYNAMICS, PUBLIC EDUCATION, PROVIDE LOGISTIC SUPPORT FOR... TO CONSERVE FUNCTIONING SALMON/STEELHEAD ECO-SYSTEM AT WATERSHED LEVELS, INTEGRATE ANGLING ACTIVITIES WITH BASIC SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, COLLECT RAW DATA, MONITOR ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTIONS, SALMON/STEELHEAD POPULATION DYNAMICS, PUBLIC EDUCATION, PROVIDE LOGISTIC SUPPORT FOR FIELD WORK IN REMOTE LOCATIONS, PROVIDE ANTI-POACHING SUPPORT, ENCOURAGE CONSERVATION ETHIC AND SUSTAINABLE ECO-TOURISM, PUBLIC EDUCATION.
- Income
- $608,006
- Spending
- $498,766
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 20.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 86%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $78,000, executive dir. (jan-oct)/secretary
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 85% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 20.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 18% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 30% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 61% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 10 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $309,744 spent. TCA'S PRIORITIES ARE TO GALVANIZE ANGLERS IN A COALITION TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE OUR ICONIC WATERSHEDS, WHICH REPRESENT THE LIFEBLOOD OF WILD STEELHEAD AND SALMON. CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT IN 2024 INCLUDE: - COLUMBIA AND SNAKE RIVER STEELHEAD CONSERVATION- OLYMPIC PENINSULA STEELHEAD CONSERVATION- WILLAMETTE RIVER STEELHEAD AND CHINOOK CONSERVATION- NORTH UMPQUA STEELHEAD CONSERVATION [SEE SCHEDULE O FOR MORE INFORMATION]COLUMBIA AND SNAKE RIVER STEELHEAD CONSERVATION - WILD STEELHEAD RETURNING TO THE MOST PROLIFIC STEELHEAD AND SALMON RIVER ON THE WEST COAST RUN A GAUNTLET AS THEY RETURN HOME. ONE OBSTACLE WE CAN EASE OR REMOVE IS HARVEST. TCA'S GOAL IS TO REDUCE THE ENCOUNTER RATE ON WILD STEELHEAD BY PROTECTING REFUGE AREAS AND REFORMING FISHING REGULATIONS ALONG THE WAY. CATCH AND RELEASE BY ITSELF IS NOT ENOUGH TO PROTECT WILD STEELHEAD BOUND FOR RIVERS SUCH AS THE WIND, KLICKITAT, DESCHUTES, JOHN DAY, WENATCHEE, CLEARWATER, SNAKE, AND GRAND RONDE. OLYMPIC PENINSULA STEELHEAD CONSERVATION - OLYMPIC PENINSULA WILD STEELHEAD ARE IN STEEP DECLINE OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS. TCA HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE TO MODIFY MANAGEMENT REGIMES, REDUCE RECREATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL HARVEST, SET ESCAPEMENT REQUIREMENT, PARTICIPATED IN A NUMBER OF COMMISSION AND WORKING GROUP MEETINGS, AND DATA MINING. WILLAMETTE RIVER STEELHEAD AND CHINOOK CONSERVATION - THE WILLAMETTE RIVER IS OREGON'S LARGEST WATERSHED AND HOME TO WILD SPRING CHINOOK, WINTER STEELHEAD AND NUMEROUS WILD TROUT POPULATIONS. HOWEVER, ITS PRODUCTIVITY HAS BEEN HAMSTRUNG BY 14 FLOOD CONTROL AND HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS AND FAILING MITIGATION EFFORTS. TCA IS WORKING ALONGSIDE OTHER CONSERVATION GROUPS TO REFORM FLOW REGIMES AND REMOVE HARMFUL HATCHERY STEELHEAD PROGRAMS. NORTH UMPQUA STEELHEAD CONSERVATION - THE NORTH UMPQUA COALITION CONSISTING OF NATIVE FISH SOCIETY, OREGON COUNCIL OF FLYFISHERS INTERNATIONAL, PACIFIC RIVERS, THE CONSERVATION ANGLER, THE NORTH UMPQUA FOUNDATION, THE STEAMBOATERS, TROUT UNLIMITED, AND UMPQUA WATERSHEDS FORMED IN JANUARY 2021. COLLECTIVELY WE DETERMINED THAT OREGON SHOULD MANAGE THE NORTH UMPQUA AS A WILD STEELHEAD WATERSHED WHICH WOULD BECOME THE ONLY RIVER IN OREGON MANAGED FOR BOTH WILD WINTER AND SUMMER STEELHEAD. THE COALITION FOCUSED ITS ADVOCACY ON EDUCATING THE OREGON FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION ABOUT THE WILD SUMMER STEELHEAD, THEIR ICONIC STATUS AS A GAMEFISH PURSUED BY ANGLERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, AS WELL AS THEIR INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY AND UNIQUE LIFE HISTORY ATTRIBUTES WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THEIR FUTURE SURVIVAL.
- $52,918 spent. INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION, SCIENCE, AND ADVOCACY: PROGRAM INCLUDES PORTIONS OF THE KAMCHATKA STEELHEAD PROJECT, DEVELOPMENT OF OUR NORTHERN CROWN INITIATIVE, AND CROSS-BORDER SCIENTIFIC AND ADVOCACY COLLABORATION IN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ONTARIO, CANADA. OUR SCIENCE AND ADVOCACY STAFF WORK WITH INDEPENDENT AND AGENCY SCIENTISTS AND ADVOCATES WITH ORGANIZATIONS LOCATED IN CANADA AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADVANCING AND EXCHANGING SCIENTIFIC AND CONSERVATION KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WILD STEELHEAD. DATA COLLECTED THROUGH THE KSP HAS PROVIDED THE BASIS FOR OVER TWO DOZEN SCIENTIFIC PAPERS AND INCLUDES IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ANADROMOUS AND NON-ANADROMOUS LIFE HISTORIES WITHIN AND BETWEEN BREEDING POPULATIONS. THROUGH INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM FLY-CAUGHT STEELHEAD DURING THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT, OUR UNDERSTANDING NOT ONLY OF ASIATIC STEELHEAD BUT, BY EXTENSION, THEIR NORTH AMERICAN RELATIVES AND HAS ENABLED OUR ORGANIZATION TO ADVOCATE FOR CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO FURTHER WILD FISH RECOVERY IN THE UNITED STATES. KAMCHATKA STEELHEAD PROJECT: THE CONSERVATION ANGLER AND MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY CONTINUE TO BE UNABLE TO CONDUCT NORMAL FIELD OPERATIONS. TCA AND MGU INSTEAD, MOUNTED AND ANTI-POACHING OPERATIONS TO PROTECT CONSERVATION GAINS REALIZED OVER THE PROCEEDING 29 YEARS
- $38,749 spent. THE OSPREY: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SALMON AND STEELHEAD CONSERVATION PUBLISHES THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, POLICY, NEWS, AND OPINION ABOUT WILD PACIFIC SALMON AND STEELHEAD CONSERVATION. OUR PARTNERSHIPS MAKE THIS POSSIBLE AND THE CONSERVATION ANGLER WORKS WITH FLYFISHERS INTERNATIONAL, THE FLY SHOP, WILD STEELHEAD COALITION, WORLD SALMON FORUM, SKEENAWILD, THE STEELHEAD SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, WILD FISH CONSERVANCY AND INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS AND WRITERS. THE OSPREY ADVOCATES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF WILD STEELHEAD AND SALMON STOCKS AND THE RECOVERY OF DEPRESSED POPULATIONS. THE OSPREY IS GOVERNED BY AN EDITORIAL AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND A COUNCIL OF INTERNATIONALLY PROMINENT SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS PROVIDES EDITORIAL GUIDANCE.
- $26,768 spent. NATURAL RESOURCE AGENCY BUDGET ADVOCACY: THE STATES OF IDAHO, WASHINGTON, AND OREGON OPERATE MULTIPLE SALMON AND STEELHEAD HATCHERIES ALONG THE COLUMBIA AND SNAKE RIVERS WHICH ARE THE PRODUCT OF AGREEMENTS TO TRADE FREE-FLOWING RIVERS FOR HATCHERY FISH. THESE HATCHERIES REPRESENT A FAILED PROMISE, A PROMISE MADE BEFORE WE UNDERSTOOD THAT HATCHERIES WOULD FAIL TO REPLACE WILD STEELHEAD AND SALMON. TCA IS WORKING TO REFORM THE MITIGATION REQUIREMENTS AUTHORIZED BY MULTIPLE DAMS AND HATCHERY-BUILDING BOONDOGGLES SO THAT WILD FISH CAN REBUILD THE ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY IN MULTIPLE WATERSHEDS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since December 2005.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.