The Estuary Partnership is pleased to announce our 2026 Stewards of the Year:
Christine and Clifton Bruno
Clifton & Christine Bruno have worked with community, youth, and family programs for over 30 years. Clifton is a Wasco Tribal member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Christine’s heritage is Basque, Comanche, and Irish. They share Indigenous culture, art, history, ethnobotany, games, first foods, and lifeways. The Brunos provide Indigenous Traditional Ecological Cultural Knowledge (ITECK) in the Pacific Northwest; with professional consultation, leading restoration and education on site and with schools. The Brunos value being inclusive of all abilities and welcoming everyone into natural spaces.
The Brunos are known locally for their Salmon Bakes, the Native Gathering Garden at Thomas Cully Park, Quamash (Camas) restoration and traditional cooking, Sandy River Delta, and She Who Watches at Columbia Hills State Park. They value Food Sovereignty work with Portland’s NW Indigenous Food Sovereignty Alliance, their International work with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the North American Urban Indigenous Food Systems.
The Brunos have been heavily involved in our work to restore and care for First Foods at the Sandy River Delta, and have been generous participants sharing their knowledge in our environmental education programs for K-12 students.
Monica Blanchard
Monica Blanchard works for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife where she has been the state’s lamprey biologist since 2020. She grew up in Washington, adventuring in the mountains, rivers, and ocean, which was a big part of why she became a biologist. She collaborates with resource managers and biologists throughout the region to study lamprey and include them in monitoring and restoration projects. Outreach and education has been a large part of her position to raise awareness that lampreys are present and beneficial to ecosystems. Prior to focusing on lampreys, Monica worked for years on various aspects of salmonid conservation in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. Today she lives in Portland and still loves being in the outdoors with her husband, friends, and large dog, Barlow (also known as Kitten).
Monica volunteered her valuable time and invaluable expertise in fish recovery efforts for the East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project in 2025 and 2026.
Joe Skalicky
Joe Skalicky works for the Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He has served as a fish biologist at the CRFWCO for his entire career, beginning in 1995. His first project was an instream flow project where he modeled sturgeon habitat in the Hanford Reach. Joe has since worked on habitat and fish passage assessments for dozens of species ranging from trout to lamprey. Most of his time now is focused on lamprey-specific passage assessments at barrier dams and fishways, and studying the effects of drawdowns on lamprey burrowed in sediment. Joe enjoys working with lamprey more than any other species!
Joe also volunteered his valuable time and invaluable expertise in fish recovery efforts for the East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project in 2025 and 2026.
Clifton, Christine, Monica, and Joe received the awards during the Estuary Partnership’s Celebrate the Columbia fundraiser, held at Hotel Indigo on the Vancouver Waterfront on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
Past Stewards of the Year:
2025: Clark County Councilor Sue Marshall
2024: Congressman Earl Blumenauer, U.S. House of Representatives
2023: Corlee Frederick, Educator
2022: Dave Pinkernell, Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards and Camas-Washougal Community Chest
Rudy Salakory, Cowlitz Indian Tribe
2019: Lee Ellen Gilronan, Teacher
2018: Charity Powell, Teacher
2017: Patrick Lee, Clark County Public Works
2016: Dave Ripp, Executive Director, Port of Camas-Washougal
2015: Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership Founders
2014: Hillary Barbour, Office of US Congressman Earl Blumenauer
2013: The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
2012: The Honorable Joan Dukes, Northwest Power & Conservation Council
Louise Solliday, Oregon State Government
2011: Amy Borde, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lyndal Johnson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Jennifer Morace, US Geological Survey
2010: The Honorable Jeff Merkley, US Senate
The Honorable Earl Blumenauer, US House of Representatives
2009: Susan Holveck, Beaverton School District
2007: Alice Ott Middle School students, teachers, and principal
Girls Scouts of the Columbia River Council
2006: Jeff Rooklidge & Wahkiakum High School students, Wahkiakum High School
2005: Wilson Cady, Georgia-Pacific
2002: Louise Solliday, Office of Governor Kitzhaber
2001: Terry Hussman, Washington Department of Ecology (posthumous)
About the Award
Restoring and protecting the lower Columbia River and Estuary requires the efforts of many people and groups. We recognize and celebrate the hard work and dedication it takes to protect and restore the river with our Steward of the Year Award.
The annual award, instituted in 2001 and presented during our Annual Dinner & Gala, recognizes exceptional stewardship by a group, entity, organization, business, government agency, or individual towards the restoration and protection of the lower Columbia River and Estuary.
Stewards of the Year represent any sector of the community and any area of focus of the Estuary Partnership: habitat protection, water quality, land conservation and protection, education and community engagement, or leadership. These recipients have all demonstrated this outstanding stewardship and commitment to the protection and conservation of the lower Columbia River.