By Shoshana Paige

NSEA Board President

In a year that has seen our community face substantial hardship and uncertainty, it may seem strange to be talking about gratitude. However, every Thanksgiving, it is my tradition to take stock of all the things I am grateful for. This year, I recognize how privileged I am to still have a job that I love, to be in relatively good health, and to have the rewarding opportunity of serving the community I love as an NSEA board member. As President of the Board during this very challenging year, I am so grateful for the stability of this organization. That stability is due in large part to the generosity of our members and partners throughout the past 29 years, and the financial stewardship of staff and board members to ensure that NSEA could weather storms such as this current crisis.

I am grateful for the NSEA staff who nimbly adapted to the changes of working under a pandemic to educate, inspire and engage the community to take action to keep wild salmon here for future generations. I am grateful for my fellow board members who worked hard to finalize and implement our new 5-year strategic plan, and sought to ensure NSEA was adapting to meet the unforeseen challenges of today, while also pushing forward to ensure NSEA can continue to advance this mission for many years to come.

I am especially grateful to the commitment and generosity of our members this year—those who have reached out to see how we were doing; those who offered support at whatever level they could during this difficult time; those who shared their support for NSEA with other members of our community; and for all of you who continue to stay engaged as members of our community to keep wild salmon here, in Whatcom County, for generations to come. This Thanksgiving, please know that we at NSEA give thanks for your support for the salmon, and for our community.