Oregon State legislators want to hear what you have to say about state agency budgets. This includes the next two years of funding for natural resource agencies like the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). This budget will set the direction and priorities for the agency through June 2023.
In this legislative session, Native Fish Society has been advocating for key budget needs that support the revival of abundant wild fish. This includes establishing a new Habitat Division within ODFW and working to prevent the elimination of 21 positions that contribute to recovering fish populations and providing the critical data needed to make science-based management decisions that support wild fish needs.
We invite you to join us in advocating for a strong wild fish budget for ODFW. The legislature is hosting a series of virtual public listening sessions, and we encourage wild fish advocates to provide brief oral or written comments on the importance of wild fish in your homewaters and the need for investing in wild fish conservation and recovery.
You can sign up for any meeting, but priority will be given to citizens of the specific congressional district designated for each hearing. (Find your congressional district here). Online signup to provide oral testimony is required before the start of the meeting. Click on the links below to signup. If you can't attend a meeting, have more to say than the two minutes allotted, or prefer to share your thoughts in writing, you can provide written testimony via the links as well. Even a short note from the many advocates of wild fish will have a big impact as the legislature considers where to invest state resources.
Thank you for joining us in adding your voice to the groundswell of public support advocating for the revival of abundant wild fish in Oregon and around the region.
Oregon State Public Budget Hearings
District 1 - Wednesday, April 14, 5:30-7:30 pm
District 2 - Saturday, April 17, 1:00-3:00 pm
District 3 - Wednesday, April 21, 5:30-7:30 pm
District 4 - Thursday, April 22, 5:30-7:30 pm
District 5 - Saturday, April 24, 1:00-3:00 pm
Tips for Testifying
- Depending on the number of sign-ups, testimony can be limited to two minutes.
- Write out what you want to say in advance and practice to make sure you are keeping it within the time allotted.
- Focus on telling the committee why wild fish are important to you, your family, and your community.
- Tell the committee to fund the recovery of conservation of wild fish. You can include any of the topics are language in the NFS budget memo below. We encourage you to tell the committee that you support the creation of an ODFW Habitat Division and are concerned that a significant number of positions focused on wild fish recovery and management could be cut.