Wallowa Resources is excited to bring you the Stewardship Series. This Wallowa County selection of posts will highlight and celebrate the diverse land stewards of Wallowa County/Northeast Oregon, their work, their values, and their deep connection to this place. Our goal is to offer these land stewards a platform and tell their story, in their voice, with wishes to inspire reflection on a personal connection to place and the human role of this precious landscape. This first installment features Montana Pagano. Montana Pagano is a Watershed Restoration Specialist for the Nez Perce Fisheries. She specializes in fish habitat restoration within the tribe’s treaty territory.

Montana Pagano is a Watershed Restoration Specialist for the Nez Perce Fisheries. She specializes in fish habitat restoration within the tribe’s treaty territory. She is the first person featured in Wallowa Resources' Stewardship Series, in which we highlight and share inspiring stories of a local land steward once monthly.

"It’s important to me that people know that this work stems from arriving at a place of having to restore habitat in freshwater natal streams because of the extent of degradation we've gotten to. Ideally, we would never come to this place where we are trying to save salmon, a species that is 6 million years old. It's such a linchpin in the ecosystem; bringing marine-derived nutrients up from the ocean 500+ miles away, that's incredible and so unique."

"The fact that we're so far inland at this elevation with these mountains, the fact that we have salmon coming in, and that we still have a chance to make a positive impact and save these fish. We have a tremendous amount of water here with the snowpack we should have on an average year, the elevation in the mountains, and the lake. There's a lot of hope for this area, and I hope that folks will keep the faith, and get behind the restoration efforts being done to save the salmon and other important species." - Montana Pagano, Watershed Restoration Specialist for the Nez Perce Fisheries

"This specific area is meaningful to me because my family comes from Wallowa. They settled in this specific portion of the valley. My grandparents were born and raised here, and we spent time in our cabin in the mountains. I feel extremely connected. My dad built this longhouse, so this specific piece of ground is near and dear to me. To impact this area positively is very special. The fact that it's such an important place for descendants of the Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce makes it even more special." - Montana Pagano, Watershed Restoration Specialist for the Nez Perce Fisheries

"One of the proudest honored moments I've had here at Tamkaliks was the side channel blessing. Hearing the traditional Nez Perce songs brought me to tears. The symbolism of it not just being a big project but something even more impactful, and the community coming together, it was a really moving moment. About the side channel project: the homeland project approached Nez Perce Fisheries (specifically Joe McCormack) about restoring a simplified, channeled stretch of river with very little habitat for juvenile salmonids to feed and rest." - Montana Pagano, Watershed Restoration Specialist for the Nez Perce Fisheries

"We worked with an engineer to design this complex, multi-thread project in the flood plain so the river can interact and recharge the water table, *wet the sponge* and provide juvenile rearing. Today, we are here looking for Coho Reds, but this is a very new project, so it hasn't had a chance to flush the sediment out. We are hoping by this time next year, we will see coho spawning and potentially steelhead and a number of different juveniles in this channel. We also planted willows to enhance the floodplain adjacent to the river." - Montana Pagano, Watershed Restoration Specialist for the Nez Perce Fisheries

"My grandparents inspired me to be mindful of the land, how we utilize it, and how to give back to it. Taking us to the mountains and experiencing the outdoors to build appreciation and now be able to pass on that experience. Yeah, I just can't imagine not feeling that connection to the land in which you live. I can't remember a walk where she didn't pick up a piece of trash or point out a plant to identify. They motivated me and inspired me to do the work that I do today. Rivers are truly the epicenter of my life and my livelihood - whether it's restoration work, flyfishing, rafting, hunting, or family gatherings in the canyons. Nothing on earth brings me more peace or interconnectedness than the time on the river." - Montana Pagano, Watershed Restoration Specialist for the Nez Perce Fisheries