NOAA honors Aaron Beavers for fish passage tool

Kleinschmidt Associates said senior fisheries engineer Aaron Beavers won NOAA’s Technology Transfer Award for helping develop a tide gate pipe sizing tool used in coastal Oregon. The tool is designed to speed up planning, cut costs and improve fish passage in tide gate replacement projects. Why it matters: - The award highlights a practical technology that can make fish passage projects faster and less expensive. - The tool supports habitat connectivity for native fish species while helping landowners and agencies meet state and federal requirements. - The recognition also underscores a broader push to move federal research into everyday use by local governments, nonprofits and industry. What happened: - Kleinschmidt Associates announced that Aaron Beavers, a senior fisheries engineer, received NOAA’s Technology Transfer Award on June 18, 2026. - Beavers was recognized for his role as a Fish Passage Engineer at NOAA in developing a publicly accessible tide gate pipe sizing tool. - The tool was created through the Oregon Tide Gate Partnership and is being used across coastal Oregon. The details: - The interactive tool helps landowners, engineers, watershed organizations and resource agencies identify appropriate culvert sizes for tide gate replacement projects. - The tool is designed to help projects meet state and federal fish passage requirements. - By simplifying a complex design process, the tool can reduce planning and engineering costs. - The tool can also accelerate project development. - The resource supports restoration of habitat connectivity for native fish species. - Tyler Kreider, Fisheries Engineering Section Manager at Kleinschmidt, said Beavers’ work created a resource that benefits landowners, agencies and communities while advancing fish passage and ecosystem restoration goals. - Kreider said the recognition reflects Beavers’ innovation and practical problem-solving. - Beavers has more than 16 years of experience in fish passage and hydraulic engineering. - Beavers identified the need for a streamlined approach to tide gate design and helped guide the concept from vision to implementation. - The tool is now used by landowners, watershed councils and state and federal agencies to support tide gate replacement and restoration projects. - The Oregon Tide Gate Partnership includes federal and state agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations and technical experts. - The partnership works to restore fish access to coastal habitats while supporting local communities and landowners. Between the lines: - NOAA’s award is meant to recognize technologies that move beyond federal agencies and into practical use. - Beavers’ project fits that mission because it turns specialized engineering work into a tool that a wider set of users can apply. - The project also shows how fish passage work increasingly depends on collaboration among regulators, engineers and local stakeholders. What’s next: - The tide gate sizing tool will likely continue to support replacement and restoration projects across Oregon. - Kleinschmidt said Beavers will continue that work at the company. - The Oregon Tide Gate Partnership is positioned to keep advancing fish access projects that balance ecological and community needs. The bottom line: - NOAA’s award puts a spotlight on a simple idea with broad impact: better engineering tools can speed up habitat restoration and make fish passage projects easier to deliver. For more information, visit Kleinschmidt’s website .