Come out to support our mission and vision!
Volunteer Program
Volunteer with Mid-Columbia Fisheries
Mid-Columbia Fisheries (MCF) offers a variety of volunteer opportunities in salmon recovery for all ages and abilities as groups or individuals. We believe hands-on opportunities to help restore habitat and salmon populations will help foster the commitment needed to sustain wild salmon in rivers in eastern Washington.
Interested in volunteering with Mid-Columbia Fisheries?
Mid-Columbia offers a wide-range of volunteer opportunities
Have Questions? Want to Connect with our Volunteer Team?
Merritt Mitchell
Outreach & Communications Manager
Why Volunteer with Mid-Columbia Fisheries? We can connect you with a current volunteer!
Check Out What You Could Assist With!
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Adopt-A-Stream
Get involved. Adopt a stream segment, join a cleanup, or bring your organization together to protect Ellensburg’s urban waterways and the fish that depend on them. The Adopt-A-Stream program is supported by the City of Ellensburg’s Backyard Buffers Grant and the Department of Ecology’s Mercer Creek Restoration Grant, helping turn community action into lasting impact.
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Bull Trout Volunteer Program
Looking to get into the fisheries field, passionate about Bull Trout, or just want to explore the beauty of the Yakima Basin? Our Bull Trout Volunteer program might just be right for you! Check out our Bull Trout page to find out more.
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Salmon Tank Stewards
Adopt a salmon tank at a local school in Kittitas County as part of MCF’s salmon in the classroom program to help teachers care for and raise salmon before we release them into the wild!
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Restoration
Installing restoration projects often takes lots of time and workforce. Having a group of volunteers helps us plant a riparian buffer or install a beaver dam analog more efficiently and we get to have more fun with the extra help!
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Salmon Education Field trips
Have fun teaching kids about the importance of salmon and their habitat during in-class lessons and for salmon release field trips! Background Checks are required before working with children.
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Monitoring
Sometimes our biologist or ecologist could use extra help on their research projects. Come join us for a great morning doing a spawning survey or monitoring native plant growth.
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Outreach
Help MCF table at fun educational events such as Nature of Night or Get Intimate with Shrub Steppe and engage with the public on the status of bull trout or the benefits of riparian buffers.
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Stewardship
After restoration work is installed, the stewardship work that comes after is essential to the success of the project. Having volunteers water, remove weeds, lay down mulch, and perform necessary maintenance makes all the difference for our projects!
Volunteers are critical for our success! Stay tuned for 2026 events!
This spring, Mid-Columbia Fisheries is potentially hosting four volunteer stewardship days for all community members and families to visit a few of our habitat restoration sites, participate in meaningful stewardship work, and engage kids in fun outdoor educational activities. Volunteers will be assisting in weeding and watering with planting projects while learning about native plants, riparian buffer zones, and salmon habitats. Kids will be able to take part in fun environmental educational activities and experiments. All gloves and tools are provided, as are refreshments and a free pizza party donated by our local Domino's to thank volunteers for their hard work!
We hope you will join us in 2026 for volunteer events!
If you have any questions, please email our Outreach and Communications Manager, Merritt Mitchell. - merritt@midcolumbiafisheries.org
2026 Mid-Columbia Fisheries continues 'Dedicated Volunteer Program' and invites you to join Bull Trout restoration work!
Volunteers are critical for our success! So why not have them involved with our direct fish work? This program is tailored as a repeat, educational, and field experience to get volunteers out in the watershed to help with activities directly benefiting Bull Trout. Volunteers will be invited to rescue events, demographics, redd surveys, and general outreach to the public! However, the program requires at least one training event, and must sign up for at least 3 activities from July through October. The experience, knowledge, and locations this program has to offer are only unlocked if you get out in the field with us!
If you have any questions, please email our Fish Biologist, Aimee Taylor, at aimee@midcolumbiafisheries.org