Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

Make a Difference Day: Cornet Bay Planting October 27
2018-10-27 10:00 - 13:00 UTC | Deception Pass State Park, Bowman Bay, Anacortes, WA, 98221, United States
October 27: Make a Difference Day: Cornet Bay at Deception Pass State Park
Make a difference to forage fish, salmon, and orcas as we continue this beach restoration effort in partnership with Northwest Straits Foundation and Washington State Parks at this spectacular location with waterfront views. Over the last few years Cornet Bay has undergone many restoration projects including removal of bank armoring. In 2012 the armor was removed and the beach was restored to a more natural beach habitat by planting numerous native beach species and holding multiple weeding and monitoring events. Help us continue the restoration of this marveling location by planting more native plant species.
Directions
From Skagit County, take Hwy 20 toward Oak Harbor; after the Deception Pass Bridge turn left at the light at Cornet Bay Road, and go to the end; follow signs for parking. Parking is limited; please carpool.
Please call (360) 336-0172 or email outreach@skagitfisheries.org to let us know you are coming so we can have enough snacks and tools!

Skagit Wild & Scenic Film Fest 2018
2018-10-26 18:00 - 22:00 | WA
Friday, October 26, 2018 at the Lincoln Theatre
A CELEBRATION OF OUR ENVIRONMENT!
Reception starts at 6:30 pm, films start at 7:30 pm.
Join the fun at the reception with food, music, beer and wine. By arriving early you will avoid the lines! Or better yet, PURCHASE your tickets now and just enjoy the reception!
Ticket Price: $15 or $25 PURCHASE NOW
($25 ticket purchase includes a special discounted SFEG membership, FREE Klean Kanteen giveaway, and a raffle ticket)

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival returns to the Lincoln Theater
The Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) is excited to bring the Wild & Scenic Film Festival back to the Historic Lincoln Theater for one night only on Friday, October 26th. This evening of short films will kick off with a reception starting at 6:30 pm in the Lincoln’s Art Bar featuring locally made desserts, beer, and wine followed by the film showing at 7:30 pm. As a special treat local musicians will play during the reception, so come early and join the fun! Purchase your tickets now, to avoid the lines.

“Wild Olympics”
The Film Festival will feature short films that will delight the senses, inform our minds and help us appreciate nature and the struggles to protect it. Films were selected from a collection of over 100 films shown at the annual film festival held in Nevada City, CA. The films capture the spirit of varying environmental movements across the globe and the relationship that they have to humanity and that humanity has to them. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival works with environmental groups across the globe to host On Tour events as a way to outreach into different communities and bring together a diverse audience.

“Every Bend”
A Benefit for SFEG
SFEG is thrilled to be selected as a host organization for this amazing film event for the fourth year in a row and hopes the Film Festival will inspire a greater connection with our own Wild and Scenic Skagit River, as well as providing an evening of engaging fun.
“Sky Migrations”
SFEG is a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging the community in restoring wild salmon populations for future generations. Salmon habitat enhancement is accomplished through habitat restoration, monitoring, and a wide variety of community outreach and education programs. SFEG offers free educational programs to over 1,500 students each year. These opportunities get students out of their classrooms and learning hands-on real science and watershed exploration which otherwise would not be available and affordable to local schools. Funds raised will go towards supporting these important education programs. They will also enable the program to continue to be offered free of charge to local schools.
13 Featured Films:
“During the Drought”
History of the National Parks, Ryan Maxey
A Letter to Congress, Dalia Burde
During the Drought, Chrisna Byck
Every Bend, Sinjin Eberle
Imagination: Tom Wallisch, Steve Henderson
Love of Place, Brian Olliver
Patagonia Azul, the Interconnection of Life, Fernanda Neder
Sky Migrations, Charles Post
The Fix, Kris Millgate
The Nature of Maps, Tahria Sheather
The Shape of a River, Gianna Wood
Where the Wild Things Play, Krystle Wright
Wild Olympics, Colin Arisman
Synopses of the above films can be found HERE!
Purchase tickets ahead of time to avoid the lines, or come early to the Reception to ensure your ticket:
-Purchase tickets ONLINE through the Lincoln Theatre website: PURCHASE TICKETS
-Purchase tickets at the Lincoln Theatre Ticket Office, Mon-Fri from 12 noon to 5PM, 712 S. First Street, Mount Vernon
-Purchase tickets by Calling 360-336-8955 during above hours to order tickets by phone
Many THANKS to our Local Sponsors:

Samish Nation

Salmon Sightings at Clark Creek
2018-10-20 12:00 - 15:00 | WA
Want to see salmon up close? Have a burning fish question?
SFEG is offering the opportunity to view salmon in the Samish and Skagit watersheds with experts on hand to answer questions. Join SFEG in partnership with Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife on Saturday, October 20 Noon-3pm to see what lives in Clark Creek.
Additional Viewing Dates: November 10th: Chum at Oyster Creek, at Taylor Shellfish Farm in Blanchard (in partnership with NSEA)
For more information email outreach(at)skagitfisheries.org or call 360-336-0172 ext 304.

Spawner Survey Workshop October 6
2018-10-06 09:00 - 15:00 | WA
Join SFEG’s team of citizen scientists to learn a new skill and protect our salmon!

SFEG’s Spawning Survey workshop on Saturday October 6, 9am-3pm at Alger Community Hall will cover the techniques that will be used during weekly monitoring sessions from October through January in the Samish and Skagit watersheds.
Volunteers will learn:
– Salmon species and redd identification
– Stream condition identification and documentation technique
After this workshop, the volunteer will be qualified to join the weekly monitoring sessions from October through January.
***Things to remember***
-Advanced registration is required! Please email outreach@skagitfisheries.org to register by October 4.
-Be prepared! Dress for the weather and bring lunch!
-No chest waders or boots will be needed for the workshop, but will be needed for weekly monitoring. If you need to borrow equipment, please let us know your boot size.

Baker River Sockeye: A Success Story
2018-09-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 10441 Bayview Edison Rd, Mount Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
PSE Powerful Partnership 2018
Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is hosting a public presentation with Doug Bruland, a fisheries scientist with Puget Sound Energy (PSE), about the work being done by PSE to restore Baker River sockeye and the success the program has had.
In 1985 only 99 sockeye returned to the Baker River and since 2010 there have been the largest adult sockeye returns on record with over 30,000 fish returning to spawn! Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the successful work that has been done to increase sockeye runs in the Baker River.
Mosey on in at 6pm to enjoy displays and light refreshments before the presentation.

Skagit River Salmon Festival
2018-09-08 11:00 - 18:00 | WA
Join us for the 7th Annual Skagit River Salmon Festival on Saturday, September 8th, 11am-6pm at Mount Vernon’s Edgewater Park. Enjoy live music, activities for kids, beer and wine garden, food vendors, and more. Most of all, come to celebrate the amazing Skagit River and the animals that call it home!
More info here
Want to help? We need volunteers! See opportunities Here

Cornet Bay Volunteer Day
2018-09-06 10:00 - 13:00, 2018-08-24 10:00 - 13:00 | WA
Nestled in on either side of the Deception Pass Marina, the Cornet Bay planting project has restored shoreline habitat at Deception Pass State Park. In 2012-2013, native shoreline vegetation was planted to enhance one acre of nearshore/beach habitat. In the fall of 2015, NWSF completed restoration of an additional 300 feet of shoreline at the Cornet Bay Phase 2 site.
Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 sections of the planting need your help to continue to thrive with bi-monthly weeding and watering volunteer parties.
Join us at this beautiful site to help pull weeds, water plants and learn about some native beach plants.
RSVP Here or contact Kelsey Taylor at (360)336-0172 ext. 306
Directions:
From Skagit County, take Hwy 20 toward Oak Harbor; after the Deception Pass Bridge turn left at the light at Cornet Bay Road, and go to the end; follow signs for parking. Parking is limited; please carpool.
Click here for more information about this project.
Click here for more information about Cornet Bay

Bowman Bay Volunteer Day
2018-08-31 10:00 - 13:00, 2018-08-03 10:00 - 13:00, 2018-05-24 10:00 - 13:00 | WA
Located at the scenic Bowman Bay boat launch, this planting was started in 2015 when Skagit Marine Resources Council partnered with the Northwest Straits Foundation (NWSF) and State Parks to remove approximately 540 feet of rock armoring from the Bowman Bay shoreline at Deception Pass State Park.
The goal of the project was to re-grade the beach to match the natural contour, add beach nourishment material suitable for forage fish spawning, and enhance riparian vegetation.
Join us in weeding and watering the site this summer to maintain the health of the planting and ensure another successful year of growth in both beach grass and backshore plant communities.
RSVP Here or contact Kelsey Taylor at (360)336-0172 ext. 306
Directions:
From Skagit County, follow Hwy 20 toward Oak Harbor; after Pass Lake turn right on Rosario Road, at the sign for Deception Pass State Park. Then, take the first left onto Bowman Bay Road and follow the signs for parking. Parking is limited; please carpool.
Click here for more information about this project.
Click here for more information about Bowman Bay.

Native Plant Nursery Volunteer Day
2018-08-29 09:00 - 14:00, 2018-08-22 09:00 - 14:00, 2018-08-15 09:00 - 14:00, 2018-08-08 09:00 - 14:00, 2018-08-01 09:00 - 14:00, 2018-05-30 09:00 - 14:00 | WA
The SFEG Native Plant Nursery is where the Pacific Northwest comes to you. Help to care for over 30 species of native trees and shrubs this summer as we grow our plants for fall and spring salmon habitat restoration plantings. Learn about nursery management, sustainable composting, and plant care while giving back to your environment this summer through regular Wednesday weeding and nursery maintenance work parties.

Wednesdays at 9 pm until 2 pm
RSVP Here or contact Kelsey Taylor at (360)336-0172 ext 306
Driving Directions: From I-5 the Cook Road Exit #232 travel east on Cook Road; Turn left onto District Line Road and drive north to Kelleher Road; turn right onto Kelleher. The SFEG nursery is on left (north) just past District Line Road at the old steel barn. Alternately, from Hwy 20 in Sedro-Woolley take F&S Grade Rd north, and turn left onto Kelleher. Coming from this direction the nursery will be on your right. Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/ej2rG2iKGHF2

Cornet Bay Volunteer Day
2018-08-10 10:00 - 13:00 | WA
Nestled in on either side of the Deception Pass Marina, the Cornet Bay planting project has restored shoreline habitat at Deception Pass State Park. In 2012-2013, native shoreline vegetation was planted to enhance one acre of nearshore/beach habitat. In the fall of 2015, NWSF completed restoration of an additional 300 feet of shoreline at the Cornet Bay Phase 2 site.
Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 sections of the planting need your help to continue to thrive with bi-monthly weeding and watering volunteer parties.
Join us at this beautiful site to help pull weeds, water plants and learn about some native beach plants.
RSVP Here or contact Kelsey Taylor at (360)336-0172 ext. 306
Directions:
From Skagit County, take Hwy 20 toward Oak Harbor; after the Deception Pass Bridge turn left at the light at Cornet Bay Road, and go to the end; follow signs for parking. Parking is limited; please carpool.
Click here for more information about this project.
Click here for more information about Cornet Bay.

+ GOOGLE CALENDAR+ ICAL EXPORT

Vegetation Monitoring Workshop
2018-06-02 10:00 - 15:00 | Hamilton Town Hall, 584 Maple St, Hamilton, WA - Washington, 98255
Are you interested in volunteering for us? Are you interested in plants or restoration projects? Come help us monitor our restoration plantings!
This workshop is a mandatory training for all volunteers and it will help prepare you for the monitoring season! But there is no obligation to volunteer if you attend the workshop.

Volunteers will learn both native and invasive plant ID during the class. In addition to a PowerPoint presentation, volunteers will test their skills by identifying plants that come from the SFEG Native Plant Nursery. The monitoring portion of the class will teach volunteers about SFEG field protocols, including percent cover, transect data collection, and health ratings. In the afternoon volunteers will practice their skills at an SFEG planting along Carey’s Slough in west Hamilton.
You must bring your own lunch, but we will be providing light refreshments. Please dress for the weather, we will spend half our time outside.
This workshop is FREE and a really great opportunity to gain more plant knowledge.
We also welcome those who are just interested in the workshop! There is no obligation to volunteer!
If you have questions, you may contact Kelsey Taylor at:
ktaylor@skagitfisheries.org
or
(360)336-0172

You must RSVP to attend. Contact: outreach@skagitfisheries.org

Earth Day Celebration
2018-04-21 10:00 - 16:00 | Edgewater Park, 600 Behrens Millett Rd, Mount Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
Earth Day @ Edgewater Park
Now is the time to celebrate the earth by doing some good work! This year’s Earth Day Celebration will be at Edgewater Park in downtown Mount Vernon.
We will be improving a walking path along the Skagit River which will help keep foot traffic away from a 3 year old restoration site as well as provide a better way to access the park to residents. Don’t know how to do any trail maintenance? No problem! We will have well-trained staff to help you along the way.
Invasive plant species have wreaked havoc on the park for a very long time. Invasive species are very good at taking over areas by pushing out our native plants. They do not, however, have any good impacts on our salmon habitat and need to go. We will be removing English Ivy, which is can actually be fun to remove when you roll it up into a burrito. Ivy specifically can take over trees, preventing them to get as much sunlight as they need as well as acting like a sail in the wind, causing trees to fall easier in storms.
Everyone who attends our Earth Day Celebration will receive one raffle ticket and a reusable grocery bag. We will be selling raffle tickets as well if you want a better chance of winning (must be present to win). This year we have great prizes from various businesses and organizations.
The prizes are:
Whale Watching tickets for two from Island Adventures
Gift card to Vital Choice Seafood
Girl Scout Cookies from Girl Scouts of Western Washington
Gift Card to Max Dale’s Steak and Chop
Mosquito-repelling shirts from the Mount Vernon Parks Foundation
We will have organizations dedicated to environmental stewardship and education at the event with informational booths that will have a STEM activity, great for all ages!
Booths:
Skagit County Noxious Weed Control Board
Mount Vernon Parks Department
Skagit Conservation District
Orca Network
Pacific Biodiversity Institute
Growing Veterans
Puget Sound Energy
Girl Scouts of Western Washington
Fidalgo Fly Fishers
Viva Farms
Swinomish Casino and Lodge
Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

Not only will we have fun informational booths, but we will also have a couple of sessions for anyone to attend.

Native Plant Walk: Want to find out about the native plants in YOUR area? Our knowledgeable Riparian Restoration Coordinator, Kelsey Taylor, will be leading an easy guided walking tour about of the native plants around Edgewater Park! We’re hopeful that the plants will be in better bloom so that she can talk more about their foraging uses. Either way, this will be a fun and interactive tour!
Fish Seining: What is fish seining you ask? It is a way of fishing that uses a large net to pull in large quantities of fish. We will be using a much smaller version of a seining net in order to collect data about which type of fish utilize the slough. This is a great opportunity to get up close and personal with all different types of fish! Most salmon that will be found will be in a juvenile stage and so they won’t be full grown.
Non Native plant walk: Similar to the Native Plant walk, this guided tour will be centered around the non native plants that inhabit this area. This guided tour will give you a good understanding about the interactions between native and non native plants. Joseph Shea from the Skagit County noxious Weed Control Board will be leading this tour.

As always, we will have coffee and light refreshments for our volunteers including gloves and all other tools necessary tools needed to do the job. Lunch has been graciously donated to us from the Swinomish Casino and Lodge, which will be serving boxed lunches.

We wanted to thank our partners for this event:
Mount Vernon Parks Foundation
Mount Vernon Parks Department
Swinomish Casino and Lodge

As well as our Sponsors for this event:

Planting Party @ Utopia
2018-02-24 10:00 - 13:00 | WA
2/24/2018 UPDATE: THIS PARTY HAS BEEN CANCELED.
Come volunteer with us as we plant native trees!

February 24 10 am – 1 pm
* Utopia, just east of Sedro-Woolley, partnership with Skagit Land Trust
Directions: From Sedro-Woolley eastbound on Highway 20, turn right (south) on Hoehn Rd. Turn left (east) onto Utopia Rd. Follow signs for parking. Parking is very limited, so please carpool. Driving time from Sedro-Woolley: 10 minutes. https://goo.gl/maps/XeUW62qmyyC2
This planting is in partnership with The Skagit Land Trust
As always, we will provide boots and gloves to those who want them. We will have snacks and coffee available to keep us going.

Utopia is a beautiful and rich site that we often visit. It is home to many species of animals and plants. We find evidence from elk, coyote, bobcat, owl, deer,and beaver along with birds and amphibians.

Whenever we plant trees and shrubs near the river, we are adding the diverseness and richness to the Riparian Area, land that directly impacts the river. This area acts as a buffer to the river to help mitigate pollutants, heavy water flow, and trash on its way to the river. Plants along the river bank have a great advantage in their helpfulness. Overhanging trees shade the water and help to keep it cooler, in turn keeping oxygen-depleting algal blooms in check. Plant roots hold the soil in place, helping to keep the banks from eroding away and keep the river from having too much sediment, clearer water is easier for salmon to breathe, see, and smell in.
This site is owned by the Skagit Land Trust and together, we are able to help improve the area.
This event is a great way to get out and do some work to improve salmon habitat. We will be by the river and cool things always happen near a river.
To RSVP, please email volunteer@skagitlandtrust.org so that we know how many people will be attending!

Annual Meeting and Celebration
2018-02-08 17:30 - 20:30 | WA
Join us to celebrate how much we have accomplished this year thanks to YOU.
Click here to find out all the details and to purchase tickets.

Wild and Scenic Film Festival
2017-10-20 18:30 - 21:30 | Lincoln Theater, 712 S 1st st., Mt Vernon, WA, 98273, United States

Vegetation Monitoring Workshop June 3
2017-06-03 10:00 - 13:00 | Deception Pass State Park, Bowman Bay, Anacortes, WA, 98221, United States
Join us Saturday, June 3, 10am-1pm for a free volunteer workshop to survey vegetation at restoration sites. This workshop will be an introduction to identifying native and invasive plants, assessing plant health, and estimating coverage in riparian planting projects. Updates on the status of these plants help us determine the most effective practices for future riparian revegetation projects. After training, volunteers will sign up to do a day of monitoring on at least one restoration planting site with SFEG staff and interns.
Register by May 31: rwest@skagitfisheries.org or 360-336-0172

Bowman Bay Volunteer Party May 9th
2017-05-09 10:00 - 13:00 | Deception Pass State Park, Bowman Bay, Anacortes, WA, 98221, United States
For about 5 years, SFEG has worked with partners like Washington State Parks and Northwest Straits Foundation to help restore rearing beach habitat at Bowman Bay. Thanks to our many volunteers, hundreds of trees, shrubs, and native beach grasses have been planted and now we need to maintain a good habitat for them to grow!

SFEG will be hosting monthly weeding parties through the summer from 10am-1pm to help give these plants a boost.
Join us at this beautiful site to help pull weeds, water plants and learn about some native beach plants.
Directions:
From Skagit County, follow Hwy 20 toward Oak Harbor; after Pass Lake turn right on Rosario Road, at the sign for Deception Pass State Park. Then, take the first left onto Bowman Bay Road and follow the signs for parking. Parking is limited; please carpool.

Click here for more information about this project.
Click here for more information about Bowman Bay.
Click here to check out our calendar for all our events.

Earth Day
2017-04-22 10:00 - 14:00 | Howard Miller Steelhead Park, 52804 Rockport Park Rd, Rockport, WA, 98283, United States
Understand. Connect. Be involved.
April 22: Celebrate Earth Day with us!
Join us in partnership with Skagit County Parks and several others for a fun-filled day at Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport. This site has had many restoration transformations by SFEG over the past 10 years including riparian restoration through the mechanical (herbicide-free) removal of non-native invasive plants, planting of native trees by staff, volunteers and students, creation of interpretive signs along the trails. More recently we’ve installed two foot bridges and restored a stream channel to help improve critical habitat for juvenile salmon rearing.
Celebrate Earth Day 2017 with educational and service oriented activities that include removing plant protectors, a demonstration of juvenile fish surveys, archaeological presentations, and more! We want our volunteers and guests to understand, connect, and be involved in the environment on an ecological level.
Everything is connected; come find out how!
Gloves and tools will be provided. Parking is limited; please carpool.
**Please RSVP for the volunteer party to ensure enough snacks and tools!
360-336-0172 or sfeg@skagitfisheries.org**
Directions:
Take Exit 230 Hwy 20 off I-5 and head east about 37 miles to Rockport.

Trivia Night
2016-06-16 19:00 - 21:00 | North Sound Brewing, 17406 WA-536, Mt Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
Come and join Skagit Fisheries for our first ever Trivia Night!
A chance to win a whale watching tour with Island Adventures Inc., a boat tour of deception pass with Deception Pass Tours, and much more!
SFEG will be hosting this event at North Sound Brewery on June 16, 2016 from 7pm-9pm for participants 21 years of age and older. Mike in the Morining will be our MC during this fun filled event and he will be asking questions about Skagit Valley history, local fish, local businesses and much more! There is a 5 person per team limit with as many groups that want to participate. PRIZES will be provided for first, second, and third place winning teams and prizes for special questions and best name as well. $5 donation per person to participate and all funds go to funding salmon restoration and education programs, not to mention that North Sound Brewery will be donating $1 for every pint sold during the event! If you are hungry while you are at the event, don’t worry, there will be Pizza’zza Mobile food truck to take care of your hungry tummy.
Prizes include:
1st Place

Whale watching tour tickets from Island Adventures Inc.
Wild and Scenic Film Festival tickets and cups

2nd Place

1 hour Deception Pass boat tours from Deception Pass Tours
Hats for the 2016 Salmon Festival

3rd Place

Family passes to Skagit Speedway
Film passes to Lincoln Theater

Best/ Most creative name

Gift Certificates for Ristretto Coffee Lounge & Wine Bar
North Sound Brewing Co. glasses

Other random question prizes

Free pizza from Coconut Kenny’s
Free sandwich from Coconut Kenny’s
Gift Card for Woods Coffee
6″ Custom Fly Wheel from Fly on the Wheel

Vegetation Monitoring Workshop
2016-06-04 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Join us Saturday, June 4, 10am-2pm for a free workshop to survey vegetation at restoration sites. This workshop will be an introduction to identifying native and noxious plants, assessing plant health, and determining coverage in riparian planting projects. Updates on the status of these plants help us determine the most effective practices for riparian revegetation projects. After training, volunteers will sign up to do a day of monitoring on at least one restoration planting site with SFEG staff and interns.

Register by June 1: via email or 360-336-0172

Looking for an internship? We’re looking for a Vegetation Monitoring Intern!
We’re also looking for helpers at our native plant nursery this summer– contact us for more info!
