By Taylor Schmuki & Edited by Lindsay Warne
Volunteers: ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
In 1787, the famous words “We the People…” built the scaffolding for a better future powered by the hearts and minds of everyday people. Today, the challenges of our day loom large. In Washington State alone, salmon populations decreased by forty percent, critical estuarine habitat decreased by seventy percent and human generated pollution threatens people and animals alike. Under these conditions, it seems practically impossible to out-swim the wave of hopelessness.
And yet, people from all walks of life show up—an aspiring ecologist, a woman in her first trimester, a neighbor up the road, an old friend— looking to make a difference. As a non-profit, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) would not exist without our persistent and devoted volunteers. During the three volunteer work parties this fall, our volunteers removed 15 shade clothes, built 18 capillary beds (which house around 200 nursery plants), potted 120 live stakes, and planted 1,160 plants. These efforts directly improve salmon habitat and build greater capacity for SFEG to continue restoration work.
Utopia Complex Project: A Success Story
Utopia Complex is an old farm turned restoration site now managed by Skagit Land Trust. This year, in partnership, we planted 12 new acres of conifers and willows. Our new plantings will grow among full-grown conifers and cottonwoods that were planted by SFEG volunteers 15 years ago. These plantings have reduced invasive species such as blackberry and reed canary grass while providing salmon and wood duck habitat.
Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization. They help us accomplish ambitious projects, such as Utopia, that we could never complete alone. Every volunteer helps. You have made a difference and we at SFEG are so grateful.
You make a difference!
One tree in a forest may be forgotten. However, it still produces 6,000 pounds of oxygen a year, houses numerous animals, filters water, and provides beauty for thousands of people. We can take cues from the trees and see that by donating 25 dollars or volunteering a few hours you have helped our community.
Thank you for your commitment to service and we hope to see everyone in many days to come.
Remember: ‘We the People’ can be successful. ‘We the People’ can make a difference. And ‘We the people’ make change happen.
A Day of Rapids and Trash Removal on the Cascade River
From the FieldBack in October our field crew went on a rafting mission to finish out the field season
By Lindsey Juen
In October, field season was nearly over but one project remained. We were on a garbage reconnaissance mission. With extra clothes packed in dry bags and thermoses full of hot tea, the SFEG field crew put our rafts into the Cascade River. With the help of Shane and Andrea (aka Mama River) of Chinook Expeditions we finally got to spend a day on the water instead of only beside it!
We reached the point at which the trash was staged by the river and loaded the two rafts with tires and a completely water logged futon mattress. The rest of the trip was calm and beautiful with the sun shining through the fog onto the mountains surrounding us. With heavier loads, one of the two boats got stuck on rocks at a shallow point but was quickly freed by the crews synchronized paddling.
After reaching the endpoint of our river journey, we unloaded the boats and loaded the trash into the work truck. We ate lunch with our guides by the river as we watched fishermen try to catch their salmon dinners.
After a trip to the dump, we returned to the office eager to watch the videos of our exciting day. We skipped through the footage to the point where people were supposed to be flying out of the boat and the video stopped! We couldn’t believe it! With nearly the entire office troubleshooting with us, we could not find a way to recover the lost footage. It will always be in our memories, but no one else will ever see the excitement. Oh well!
We The People, Can Make A Difference
From the FieldBy Taylor Schmuki & Edited by Lindsay Warne
Volunteers: ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
In 1787, the famous words “We the People…” built the scaffolding for a better future powered by the hearts and minds of everyday people. Today, the challenges of our day loom large. In Washington State alone, salmon populations decreased by forty percent, critical estuarine habitat decreased by seventy percent and human generated pollution threatens people and animals alike. Under these conditions, it seems practically impossible to out-swim the wave of hopelessness.
And yet, people from all walks of life show up—an aspiring ecologist, a woman in her first trimester, a neighbor up the road, an old friend— looking to make a difference. As a non-profit, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) would not exist without our persistent and devoted volunteers. During the three volunteer work parties this fall, our volunteers removed 15 shade clothes, built 18 capillary beds (which house around 200 nursery plants), potted 120 live stakes, and planted 1,160 plants. These efforts directly improve salmon habitat and build greater capacity for SFEG to continue restoration work.
Utopia Complex Project: A Success Story
Utopia Complex is an old farm turned restoration site now managed by Skagit Land Trust. This year, in partnership, we planted 12 new acres of conifers and willows. Our new plantings will grow among full-grown conifers and cottonwoods that were planted by SFEG volunteers 15 years ago. These plantings have reduced invasive species such as blackberry and reed canary grass while providing salmon and wood duck habitat.
Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization. They help us accomplish ambitious projects, such as Utopia, that we could never complete alone. Every volunteer helps. You have made a difference and we at SFEG are so grateful.
You make a difference!
One tree in a forest may be forgotten. However, it still produces 6,000 pounds of oxygen a year, houses numerous animals, filters water, and provides beauty for thousands of people. We can take cues from the trees and see that by donating 25 dollars or volunteering a few hours you have helped our community.
Thank you for your commitment to service and we hope to see everyone in many days to come.
Remember: ‘We the People’ can be successful. ‘We the People’ can make a difference. And ‘We the people’ make change happen.
Hamilton Crowdsources Flood History
From the Field, Latest Newsby Lindsay Warne
Seventeen community members gathered in Hamilton on Thursday night, the 17th, to start planning a new restoration project for Carey Slough. SFEG is working with adjacent landowners and consulting partners to gather information to create a technical plan that benefits both people and fish. Restoration projects cannot increase the flood level of an area; therefore accurate, on-the-ground data from the community is invaluable to correct and supplement existing information.
This project is the first phase of a multi-phase project. SFEG is currently collecting data, building relationships with local landowners, and working with those landowners and the Town to identify constraints and opportunities for habitat restoration. We will ultimately identify and develop preliminary designs for one or more early-action projects that can be implemented (Phase 2). Once we have achieved community support and have developed a solid conceptual restoration program and process we will move forward with developing designs for additional restoration and/or acquisition actions in Phase 2, and ultimately implement those projects to restore habitat in Carey’s Slough and the surrounding floodplain as part of Phase 3.
Working with Hamilton shows that every person can make a difference in their community. This meeting was the first of many in designing a working conceptual model that is supported by the community. Check the calendar for updates on our next meeting sometime in January.
For more information on SFEG projects check out our Current Project page: Current Projects
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