To help me reflect on my time here at the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, I looked back at my timecards for the last 10 months. Planting parties, nursery maintenance, spawner surveys, grant writing, Earth Day planning, conferences, teaching, planting database management, potting parties, culvert surveys, vegetation monitoring, the list goes on and on and on. I have had the opportunity to do SO MUCH during my service term and I am so grateful for every minute of it.
As a northern Californian, I knew nothing about the Skagit River watershed when I began my term in September. I knew nothing about the immensely beautiful places that I would get to work in or the passionate people I would meet who dedicate their careers or their Saturdays to restoring the critically important salmon runs that call this watershed home. Whether I was walking through Ennis Creek on a spawner survey with coho whipping through riffles around my boots, or watching flocks of snow geese fly above me as I worked at our native plant nursery, or driving out highway 20 to project sites in the fall under the brilliant oranges and reds of the deciduous tree leaves, or even planting willow stakes in the middle of a snow storm, I have fallen in love with this watershed.
This position with SFEG has taught me so much and confirmed my desire to pursue salmon habitat restoration as a career. Going forward, I would like to get my graduate degree with a masters thesis focusing on restoration efforts in the Skagit. In the past week or so, I have been reaching out to fisheries scientists who work in the watershed to identify unanswered research questions to help us better understand the effectiveness of restoration strategies and the specific life histories and habitat requirements of our Pacific salmon. In the meantime before graduate school, who knows what I’ll be doing. What I do know is that I love working in the fisheries field and my term with SFEG has been a transformative experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world! Thank you!
Salmon Sightings
Upcoming EventsFor more info: outreach@skagitfisheries.org or 360-336-0172
It’s not really goodbye!
From the FieldSomehow, it is already July, and my Americorps term with SFEG is coming to an end. This last ten months has been a whirlwind of new experiences for me. As Community Outreach Associate I got to wear many hats and explore the inner workings of the non-profit and restoration world, and get a feel for the different paths I may want to take for the future.
With SFEG I got to explore every corner of Skagit Valley from wading a raging winter creek in search of spawning salmon, to helping host a film festival in the historic Lincoln Theatre, to spending my summer Fridays on Deception Pass beaches. I got to do all this and more while meeting and interacting with Skagit community members from all walks of life. Working with SFEG allowed me to take part in many various types of projects and work settings and solidify that conservation is the right field for me, and helped me narrow down the ideal role I would like to serve within this field.
I worked hard trying to instill in everyone a sense of pride in the salmon species with which we share a home, hoping that maybe that pride will manifest in actions that could help aid salmon recovery. I can’t speak for the community at large, but I know that what I have seen and learned about salmon and the Skagit has inspired in me a burning desire to protect the legacy of our salmon and river.
So hopefully I’ll see you all around, out on the water or a trail, sharing the magic and passion we all feel here in Skagit.
The salmon days aren’t over
From the Field, Latest NewsTo help me reflect on my time here at the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, I looked back at my timecards for the last 10 months. Planting parties, nursery maintenance, spawner surveys, grant writing, Earth Day planning, conferences, teaching, planting database management, potting parties, culvert surveys, vegetation monitoring, the list goes on and on and on. I have had the opportunity to do SO MUCH during my service term and I am so grateful for every minute of it.
As a northern Californian, I knew nothing about the Skagit River watershed when I began my term in September. I knew nothing about the immensely beautiful places that I would get to work in or the passionate people I would meet who dedicate their careers or their Saturdays to restoring the critically important salmon runs that call this watershed home. Whether I was walking through Ennis Creek on a spawner survey with coho whipping through riffles around my boots, or watching flocks of snow geese fly above me as I worked at our native plant nursery, or driving out highway 20 to project sites in the fall under the brilliant oranges and reds of the deciduous tree leaves, or even planting willow stakes in the middle of a snow storm, I have fallen in love with this watershed.
This position with SFEG has taught me so much and confirmed my desire to pursue salmon habitat restoration as a career. Going forward, I would like to get my graduate degree with a masters thesis focusing on restoration efforts in the Skagit. In the past week or so, I have been reaching out to fisheries scientists who work in the watershed to identify unanswered research questions to help us better understand the effectiveness of restoration strategies and the specific life histories and habitat requirements of our Pacific salmon. In the meantime before graduate school, who knows what I’ll be doing. What I do know is that I love working in the fisheries field and my term with SFEG has been a transformative experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world! Thank you!