Early on, Fish First was driven to do more than complain about the decline in fish runs. So hundreds of volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Operating under the assumption that the North Fork of the Lewis fish was crippled by lack of habitat, they got a map.

From that map, they figured out who owned the land, and then went and offered to work with the landowners. Initially fearful and reluctant to work with Fish First, the landowners gradually saw that all the volunteers wanted to do was restore their land. Thus, Fish First's reputation as a land stewardship group was earned.

Using information gleaned from interviews, historical data and old photographs, Fish First restored the habitat by returning pools and riffles to the stream, replacing spawning gravel, installing woody debris and fixing riparian zones, all under the watchful eye of its chief hydrologist. A man who has been donating his time for over 10 years, Richard Dyrland.

A list of Fish First completed projects can be found here.