The Middle Fork of the Salmon River is one of the original rivers designated a Wild River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. The Middle Fork is located in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and flows in a northeasterly direction for 100 miles to its confluence with the Main Salmon River, another designated river.

There are approximately 95 campsites along the Middle Fork and all float parties, commercial and private, are assigned campsites for their normal five-to-eight-day float trips.

The Middle Fork Outfitters Association (MFOA) has sponsored a volunteer program called Redd Alert since 2017 in cooperation with the Salmon Challis National Forest (SCNF).

The purpose of the Redd Alert program is to assist the Forest Service or volunteer checkers with raising awareness with a short message on the need for all float boaters to conserve, protect and avoid nests (redds) of endangered wild summer Chinook Salmon fish during the primary spawning period of August 15 to September 15. The Redd Alert volunteer information supplements information provided by the SCNF checkers at Indian Creek, mile 25, and at Boundary Creek, mile 0, which has periodically been staffed with Redd Alert volunteers since 2017. Summer Chinook Salmon were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1992.

Even though the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and tributaries contain the best summer Chinook habitat in the entire Columbia River Basin which includes most of Idaho, Oregon, Washington and portions of Montana and western Canada, the average number of mainstem Middle Fork of the Salmon River redds is seven. Some years the number is zero. In the early 1950’s before the four Lower Snake River dams were built, over 400 redds were counted in the mainstem of the Middle Fork. 98 percent of returning summer Chinook salmon spawn in the tributaries.

Once redds are located by the SCNF boat patrol, the current SCNF protocol is to provide a map and coordinates of located redds to boaters. Most mainstem redds are found in the same location annually.

Redd Alert volunteers serve one-week stints. Volunteers are predominately women working in pairs and referred for the most part to the MFOA by Women Fly Fishers of Idaho. MFOA is indebted to Sawtooth Flying Service of McCall, Idaho, who have provided pro bono fly-in and fly-out services for volunteers to the SCNF Indian Creek airstrip.

MFOA and its members, which include all 26 outfitters, provide a tent, cots, sleeping pads, table, stove, propane, cooking equipment and a lightweight shelter for protection from the sun and rain. MFOA provides a $30 per day stipend to volunteers to help offset expenses. Volunteers provide a sleeping bag, other personal gear and a cooler for their food and drink. Volunteers provide each boat captain of private and commercial parties with a special waterproof boat tag to remind boaters to stir their craft away from known redds. Volunteers also provide a “Come Home” sticker provided by the Idaho Conservation League to everyone in a float party.

It is important that boaters cooperate so that recreational boating can continue during the spawning season without additional restrictions. Current restrictions include no more than 12 boats in each float group and no reissuance of cancelled launches during the spawning period. Commercial and private boaters cannot imagine losing one third of the boating season. Neither can the local communities and economies.

For more information on the Redd Alert program, contact the Executive Director of the MFOA, Grant Simonds, at gsimonds@centurylink.net or 208.867.2138