Celebrating Our Salmon Hero: Richard Visser
We are thrilled to honor Richard Visser with our 2025 Salmon Hero award. Richard recently retired from the Bureau of Reclamation, capping off a remarkable career that helped shape salmon recovery and water management in the Yakima Basin.
Richard’s path to fisheries wasn’t a straight one. He grew up on a farm near Sunnyside and even spent time working as an accountant at a tortilla factory before following his passion for outdoors and conservation work. With a degree from Central Washington University in hand, Richard began a career that would leave a lasting mark on salmon recovery in our region.
Many of us first met Richard in 2006, when he served as the Yakima Basin watershed steward for WDFW. Watershed stewards were unique, free-ranging positions that focused on building partnerships, getting projects on the ground, and sparking momentum for salmon recovery. It was a perfect fit for Richard. Whether he was working with landowners and conservation districts to launch the first fish passage projects in Cowiche Creek, writing late-night grant applications to protect Snow Mountain Ranch, or helping establish the Yakima Tributary Access & Habitat Program (YTAHP), Richard brought an unmatched mix of persistence, creativity, and collaboration.
Richard also played a foundational role in our Board’s work. He got the lead entity project ranking process off the ground, building the robust technical review system we still use today. In fact, we’re still using some of the spreadsheets he created over 20 years ago! Beyond that, he co-authored the first draft of our Yakima Basin Steelhead Recovery Plan, which remains a guiding document for our work throughout the Yakima Basin.
When watershed steward positions were eliminated during the recession in 2009, Richard continued his service as a biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and later as project manager with the Bureau of Reclamation. Along the way, he became a central figure in the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan (YBIP) bridging political and technical worlds, guiding the Habitat Committee’s 10-year plan, ensuring bull trout recovery was part of the conversation, and helping deliver on signature projects like Cle Elum fish passage. His deep knowledge of the basin and his dedication to collaboration have been invaluable to the success of YBIP.
Richard has always balanced two rare qualities: the pragmatism to focus on what can be done today, and the vision to keep us accountable to the big picture. For many of us, he has been a trusted mentor, a sounding board, and invaluable partner.
His retirement this spring came as a surprise to all of us, and his absence is greatly felt. But Richard, know this: your legacy is woven into the fabric of salmon recovery in the Yakima Basin. The projects, partnerships, and plans you helped build will continue to grow, and your well-deserved break is one you can take with pride.
Congratulations, Richard, and thank you for your years of service, your wisdom, and your friendship. You are truly a Salmon Hero.