A Monitoring Program grew into so much more

By Sarah Brown
NSEA Environmental Stewardship Coordinator

This summer, we are excited to continue partnering with the US Forest Service to provide one of our most popular community outreach programs, the Nooksack River Stewards. What began as a monitoring program in 2005 has evolved into community-focused initiative that educates and engages Whatcom County residents and visitors on the significance of salmon and the impacts that we humans have on their habitat as we play in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.  We have a summer full of fun, free, and educational family-friendly events planned for you to engage in along the North Fork of the Nooksack River between July and September!

If you are looking for a short hike with beautiful scenery and the sounds and sights of the Nooksack River, join our naturalists for a Guided River Walk at Horseshoe Bend Trailhead. This is a one-hour, half-mile interpretive experience including highlights of everything from the salmon lifecycle to key habitat components and ends with a hands-on look at water quality on a picturesque gravel bar.  This is a perfect event for young and old alike. This trail is so attractive and charming your family won’t even realize they are engaging in science.

For those of you that miss the spirit and camaraderie of Community Work Parties once spring planting season ends, don’t worry! We will have two chances to join our restoration efforts before this fall. Do you know what spotted jewelweed looks like? Learn why invasive vegetation pose a problem to our local salmon populations and how to identify this high priority invasive while removing it from forest lands. Due to limited parking, registration will be required at www.n-sea.org/nooksack-river-stewards.

One surefire way to create family memories is sitting by a campfire and roasting marshmallows. NSEA embraces this fun tradition by hosting Campfire Stories! Meet us at Chair 9 Restaurant & Bar or the Douglas Fir Campground Picnic Shelter to join in on the memory making. If you are more of a morning person, there are a few times that we will be at the Wake ‘n Bakery this summer for Salmon Sundays with the same salmon-themed fun. Memories included.

We look forward to every summer in the forest, especially pink years. Odd numbered years, that is. Nooksack River pink salmon, which spawn every two years, will be returning this summer to spawn the next generation. This gives us a unique opportunity to not only talk about salmon but also to show you the magic of salmon that we are working so hard to protect. A full schedule of summer programming is available on our website and you can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram to stay updated on where we are each weekend. If you want more information or have questions, contact Sarah at sbrown@n-sea.org or call 360-312-3235.

My Involvement with the Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups

By Dr. Dave Beatty
Retired Professor of Zoology Volunteer, NSEA & SFEG Board Member & President
30 for Thirty #9

I initially became a volunteer in the state’s Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group Program (RFEG) with the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) in 1993 when residing at Lake Samish. While with SFEG, I served on its board for ten years; six years as board president, and on the RFEG Program Advisory Board (AB). The AB was the liaison between the RFEGs, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission. The AB has since been replaced by the RFEG Coalition to represent the 14 state RFEGs. In 2004 we moved into Bellingham, and I became a volunteer with NSEA in 2005.

I recognized the special role of NSEA plays in Whatcom County. Therefore, it was a natural opportunity to become an NSEA volunteer, to participate on its board, board committees and work parties. My experiences and participation in the state’s RFEG program has given me the great satisfaction to use my education and then university career in a Zoology Department and in administration in a Faculty of Science. When reviewing the years since 1993, there are many special times and experiences. With NSEA, one was being NSEA’s Board President during the successful Capital Campaign for the NSEA Facility (aka the Campus). For NSEA, it was, in addition to its programs in salmon habitat restoration, education and community outreach for salmon recovery, an exceptional opportunity to engage the broader community to achieve a goal to ensure a facility it owned for its future operations.

Another special experience was working with the individuals who make up NSEA’s staff and board during those twelve years. Likewise, I enjoyed providing Salmon 101 to interns and providing information to those who sought my advice. It was a natural outcome from my previous career in a university. After leaving the NSEA Board in 2017 and desiring further involvement in local salmon recovery, I represented NSEA on the WRIA 1 Salmon Recovery Staff Team which does the work to develop and implement salmonid habitat restoration and protection projects within the WRIA1 Salmonid Recovery Plan. This Plan has special consideration for the Nooksack River Watershed’s Chinook, steelhead, and bull trout; three species listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

As I am finishing writing my thoughts, I am looking at my office’s stack of NSEA’s Newspaper “Fish Tales”. Before the wide use of digital, the "Fish Tales" newspaper provided information about NSEA and salmonids to a wider audience. Editions, over many years, included the topic “Salmon Science” for which I wrote at least a dozen articles that either I chose, or a staff member requested. I believed, and still do, that “Salmon Science” would inform readers about the special features of each local species; the biological viability of each; and the economic, cultural, social, and ecological importance. Other topics were directed towards issues relating to the problems likely to affect the abundance and recovery of our local species and those elsewhere in the state. Condensing a vast amount of information into an eighteen hundred or less word article was, for me, an enjoyable challenge. My hope always was for the reader to find something of interest and relate it to NSEA's mission and actions for improving salmonid habitat, for education and for community outreach.

NSEA’s Mission, Goals and Actions during these past 30 years has been an example of how a community organization can undertake and faithfully meet its objectives. NSEA developed from an embryonic organization into one of the pre-eminent Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups within Washington. Its reputation also meets this standard within the WRIA 1 Salmonid Recovery Plan.

Thank you, Dr. Dave! This is NSEA’s Thirty for 30 # 9