JOHN DAY – John Day will be the site of one of five public meetings slated to discuss the recently released plan for the conservation and recovery of Oregon’s native steelhead populations in the mid-Columbia river.

The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Forest Service Conference Room, 431 Patterson Bridge Road.

The Oregon Mid-Columbia River Steelhead Conservation and Recovery Plan serves as a roadmap for the recovery of steelhead populations in the Fifteenmile, Deschutes, John Day, Umatilla and Walla Walla subbasins. Mid-Columbia River steelhead are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The meetings are designed to present the plan to interested citizens and organizations prior to the close of the federal public comment period on Dec. 23.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also will hold meetings in Redmond, Hermiston, The Dalles and Walla Walla, Wash.

The Oregon conservation and recovery plan was released at the same time as, and is part of, NOAA Fisheries Service’s bi-state plan for recovery of mid-Columbia River steelhead populations in both Oregon and Washington. Each meeting will begin with a presentation of the state’s plan, followed by a summary of the NOAA bi-state plan. There also will be an opportunity for questions and comments from the public.

Both ODFW and NOAA fisheries are currently accepting written comments on the recovery plans.