Oregon to continue running 6 hatcheries under extension

MEDFORD, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will allow the state of Oregon to run six hatcheries for three more months under a recent extension.

The Mail Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2tj7Itn ) the Corps decided this week to keep Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff at the Cole Rivers Hatchery on the Rogue River and five other hatcheries ahead of the Friday expiration of an agreement between the parties.

Scott Patterson with the department says it has not heard back from the Corps on its proposed roughly $2 million annual agreement to manage Cole Rivers hatchery. The parties are currently hashing new operating contracts for four hatcheries in Willamette Valley.

Corps spokesman Tom Conning says the agency hopes to have the contracts for the six hatcheries finalized by the end of July.