FROM THE PRESIDENT
By Arn Thoreen

The more we learn about salmon, the more we find out about how vital they are to the Pacific Northwest ecosystem. We’ve known that salmon have evolved to bring back essential nutrients from the ocean to our rather pristine streams and then die, thus making those nutrients available to the next generation of salmon fry. We also know that other life, including eagles, bears, and trees depend on those same ocean-derived nutrients for optimum growth. Now we learn that the recently-listed endangered Southern resident orca, the top of the food chain, depends on the also listed threatened Chinook salmon as its preferred food source.
Getting this rather complex information available to the general public is one half of the mission of SFEG. Yes, we want to improve salmon habitat which is why most of us volunteer our time, however, unless we raise public awareness as to why we’re doing it, the passion we have will die when we’re gone.
For the past two weeks my wife, Fran, and I have hosted seven high school girls that volunteered for the Earthwatch Institute’s Student Challenge Award Program. An Anonymous donor supports 70 fellowships for high school students to participate in Earthwatch projects throughout North America, from the Canadian Arctic to the Caribbean, including the Skagit Valley. Those coming to the Pacific Northwest assisted Dr. Ralph Riley in assessing salmon habitat above manmade barriers (i.e. culverts) as well as other salmon habitat research projects. This information will aid SFEG in prioritizing which barriers to correct.
The crew was up at 6:30 am each day for breakfast, then off for a full day in the field. They learned how to map streams and measure available habitat. It was strenuous work involving boulder scrambling, salmonberry thickets, devil’s club, nettles, and lots of mosquitoes. In the evening they came back for dinner, data entry, and keeping up on their program-required journals. Having no television or internet allowed for plenty of time to bond with each other and broaden their horizons. As none of the girls has ever been to the Pacific Northwest, I asked them to write a paragraph about what they knew about salmon and the Northwest before they came and what they learned while here See “Impressions of Washington” article.
SFEG really appreciates the assistance of Dr. Riley’s Earthwatch volunteers. They are helping us make a difference and are becoming informed decision-makers of the future. Learn more about Earthwatch Institute and its programs and www.earthwatch.org.