est. 2000
An organization dedicated to increasing the return of wild
steelhead to the waters of the Pacific Northwest
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Wild Steelhead Coalition | |||||
est. 2000 An organization dedicated to increasing the return of wild |
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Vice President of Fundraising, Ryan Petzold
For the past 10+ years, it seems as though everything I do has some connection to steelhead. So back in 2000, when the WSC was formed, there was no question that I was going to be there, that I was going to be involved in any way that was needed to advance the Mission that I believed in.
I was born and raised in Western Washington and have fished for steelhead the better half of my life and have looked for ways to pursue my passion for steelhead beyond just fishing for them.
After I graduated high school, I pursued a degree in Fisheries Science from the University of Washington but became disinterested because I could not connect every class I was forced to take to steelhead and their life histories and their biology and their ecosystems…well you get the point. So I moved on.
Currently I manage Kaufmann’s Streamborn, a flyshop in Bellevue, Washington. I also guide steelhead and teach Speycasting on my days off. And when I am not in the shop, guiding or teaching, I am fishing for steelhead.
It is hard for people to grasp my passion for flyfishing, it is even more difficult for those to realize that that passion is directed towards one fish: steelhead. And I believe that passion is of value to the WSC’s Board of Directors.