Washington Trout: Preserve, Protect, Restore

Thirteenth Annual Wild Fish Soiree

Most Successful Event Yet!

WT held its 13^th Annual Wild Fish Soiree & Benefit Auction on Sunday May 16^th at Lowell-Hunt Catering’s beautiful dining and entertainment facility on South Lake Union in downtown Seattle. The evening was a remarkable success and raised more money for WT’s advocacy, research and restoration programs than any previous event, nearly $45,000. WT was honored to have Bruce Brown, author of Mountain in the Clouds, give the keynote speech. Brown gave an inspirational presentation to over 115 auction attendees and supporters, sharing his philosophy on the demise of salmon and where the movement has gone over the past two decades. Taking the audience on an extemporaneous, visionary, and heartfelt journey of the wild salmon movement, Brown discussed the changing social and political environments from the early 1980s to present day. Mountain in the Clouds was a seminal piece of literature not only for the larger conservation movement, but also for the founders of Washington Trout. His work was in the hearts and minds of WT’s founders as they worked to create an organization that would rise to meet the challenges brought to light in his writing.

Keynote speaker Bruce Brown giving his inspirational presentation

WT was very pleased and excited to present several “feature” items in the live auction, bidding generated on all of these items contributed significant funds towards the record-breaking success of the 2004 Soiree. WT would like to extend our thanks to Julian and Miranda McHardy for donating a week of fly-fishing on the River Dee in Scotland, Michael and Myrna Darland for a Fly-Fishing Expedition Package with Southern Chile Expeditions, Russell Lowell for his Cutthroat Camp: Lowell-Hunt Style, Michael Uehara and Regula Wipf for a Multiventure Package at King Pacific Lodge, and Kent O’Neill and Cere Gillette for an all-inclusive trip to The Lodge at Gold River.

"Fund-A-Dream" bidding raised $6,350 for the purchase of a 3-person pontoon boat for WT field research. Thanks to the generosity of our Fund-A-Dream bidders, WT raised enough money to purchase an Aire Ocelot pontoon boat. The Ocelot is a commercial-grade boat that comes equipped with dry boxes, safety equipment, and all the necessary extras. This boat will allow WT field crews to access and survey habitats that we had previously been unable to reach due to low-flow conditions and other access limitations. The crew is eagerly looking forward to taking our newest piece of equipment out for a spin!

Washington Trout extends our appreciation to all our members and supporters who attended the event, donated items, or volunteered to help make the auction such a wonderful success. WT would like to give special acknowledgement to our sponsors: Hill’s Discount Flies, Lowell-Hunt Catering, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Your generous support helps make possible all our efforts on behalf of Washington's wild fish.