supporting environmental integrity and economic stability within the Coos watershed  
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MICHAEL LESTER

Road Sediment Specialist & Riparian Stewardship Crew Leader

MINI-BIO

Mike joined the Coos Watershed Association through an early “hire the fishermen” program in 1995. At that point he had been a commercial fisherman on the west coast for years and also had carpentry and mechanical experience. After years of having salmon support him at sea, he sees working to support salmon in streams now as a just completion of the cycle.

Mike lives in Charleston and enjoys fishing, hunting, and gardening in his free time.

WHAT MIKE DOES AT COOSWA

Mike has held several positions at the Coos Watershed Association since 1995.  In the early days he was involved in riparian plantings, especially on Willanch Creek. He quickly proved himself to be a good worker and moved up to doing road and landing surveys and evaluating the results. After seven years of survey experience, Mike accepted a full-time staff position as the Sediment Risk Reduction Coordinator in 2004. In 2007, Mike’s title was changed to Road Sediment Remediation Specialist and Riparian Stewardship Crew Leader when he started to lead the new Salmon Season Riparian
Stewardship Crew.

Mike has surveyed over 300 miles of roads and thousands of culverts. Mike has been involved in almost every restoration project the Association has done since 1995 and was instrumental in developing the database that was used in our Coastal Oregon Riparian Silviculture Guide.

 

  
 

 

 

 


When he was a commercial fisherman, Mike would spend up to 300 days a year at sea. In the mid-1980s, Mike was drag fishing in the Bering Sea. He sold fish to the Russians at sea: “we just handed them the net.”

 
 

Coos Watershed Association :: P.O. Box 5860 , Charleston, Oregon 97420 :: Ph. (541) 888-5922 / Fax (541) 888-6111