The American Museum of Fly Fishing is pleased to announce that Guido Rahr is the recipient of the 2024 Izaak Walton Award. An event honoring his accomplishments will take place in San Francisco on November 14.
A globally recognized pioneer in the conservation movement, Guido Rahr is the president and CEO of the Wild Salmon Center. Under his leadership, the organization has developed scientific research, habitat protection, and fisheries improvement projects in dozens of rivers across Japan, the Russian Far East, Alaska, British Columbia, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. His efforts with the Wild Salmon Center have raised more than $200 million in grants; established fourteen new conservation organizations; and protected 7.7 million acres of habitat, including public lands management designations and ten new large-scale habitat reserves on key salmon rivers across the Pacific Rim.
Mr. Rahr developed the stronghold strategy: a strategy of protecting ecosystems before they become endangered. Targeting the most pristine and productive river systems in each region of the Pacific Rim and taking the long view toward conservation, the Wild Salmon Center and local partners have defeated hydroelectric dams, industrial mining, road building, overfishing, clear-cut logging, water withdrawals, and other threats to stronghold watersheds.
He developed a love of nature from an early age, becoming an expert in the study of reptiles and amphibians. He comes from a family of fly fishers, and he became an accomplished and passionate angler and fly tier, hosting a public-access show called On the Fly while earning a BA in English literature from the University of Oregon. He also holds a master’s degree in environmental studies from Yale University.
Before coming to the Wild Salmon Center, Mr. Rahr developed conservation programs for Oregon Trout, the United Nations Development Programme, the Rainforest Alliance, and Conservation International. He is a member of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Salmon Specialist Group. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Lee, and their three sons.
The Izaak Walton Award was established by AMFF in 2014 to honor and celebrate individuals who live by the Compleat Angler philosophy. Their passion for the sport of fly fishing and involvement in the angling community provides inspiration for others and promotes the legacy of leadership for future generations. Mr. Rahr’s conservation efforts (and successes!) will have a lasting impact on the sport of fly fishing—a contribution that is immeasurable and one of the many ways in which he embodies the spirit of the Izaak Walton Award.
For more information, please contact Sam Pitcher at spitcher@amff.org.
All images courtesy of Guido Rahr.
Leadership Circle
There are two Leadership Circle levels: Team Tarpon ($1,000) and Striper Circle ($500). All Leadership Circle donors will receive a commemorative gift. Team Tarpon supporters will also receive an invitation to a post-pandemic gathering at the Anglers’ Club of New York. For more information please contact Sam Pitcher at spitcher@amff.org.
