O Fish Al. Newsletter. Newsletter. Summer HOOD CANAL SALMON ENHANCEMENT GROUP IN THIS ISSUE:

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1 O Fish Al IN THIS ISSUE: Upcoming Events Wild Salmon Hall of Fame Union River Summer Chum Trap Opening Aug 15! Music on the Estuary What s Happening on the Farm Newsletter Updates on Projects Steelhead Project Lower Big Beef Creek Riparian Social Marketing Stream Team Dosewallips Estuary Barge Removal Communications & Outreach Coordinator Erin and StreamTeam Intern Megan represented the Salmon Center at Allyn Days (July 18/ ). Our presence at community events helps to connect citizens, and visitors with the landscape and wildlife through collaborative salmon restoration activities and sustainable farming practices. Photo Credit: J. Tejeda 2015 SALMON Summer Newsletter HOOD CANAL SALMON ENHANCEMENT GROUP

2 HCSEG Staff 2015 Mendy Harlow Executive Director Kim Gower Project Administrator Michelle Myers Project Manager Sarah Heerhartz Project Manager Message From the Director Mendy Harlow WILD SALMON HALL OF FAME for The Salmon Center Stay the Course Julian Sammons Project Manager Tamara Cowles Natural Resource Projects Assistant Clayton David Fisheries Biologist Erin Mihlbachler Communications and Outreach Coordinator Daniel Heide Farm and Field Technician Beth Gizzi Administrative Assistant Joanne Tejeda Publicity and Design Summer Interns Ben Jensen / StreamTeam Megan Madamba / StreamTeam Amanda Munsch / StreamTeam Christina Mayfield /Farm pnwsalmoncenter.org facebook.com/farmwatersedge twitter.com/thesalmoncenter As many of you know, Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group (HCSEG) relies on cash donations as well as local, state and federal grants to sustain our mission to restore healthy salmon populations throughout Hood Canal. Specifically, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) play an integral role in making sure that our doors stay open and we are able to do the good work that you will be reading about in the newsletter. The funding that we receive from WDFW was allocated by the Washington State Legislature through revenues derived from salmon fishing license sales. A little known fact is that you can help support our organization and salmon throughout Washington State is by purchasing a salmon fishing license, (even if you don t plan to fish). Thank you for taking a few moments to read about our current activities. With so many projects and new programs happening this summer at the Salmon Center and throughout the Hood Canal Region, we have many updates in this newsletter that we are excited to share with you. In the following pages, you will learn about the ways the HCSEG staff have been working with community members, partners and agencies to preserve and restore salmon habitat and populations in the Pacific Northwest. Project staff have been working this summer to restore the flora, fauna and stream processes in Big Beef Creek, the Dosewallips Estuary and the Tahuya, Dewatto, Union and Quilcene Rivers. Our education and outreach staff, interns and volunteers have been attending summer outreach events, implementing our summer camp activities and developing a citizen scientist bird monitoring program. In addition to our current summer activities, we also have some exciting events in store for the fall marks the 25th anniversary of HCSEG. In order to celebrate, we have events each month and look forward to seeing you! Executive Director, Mendy Harlow October 10, :00 PM What is the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame? The Wild Salmon Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who ve made significant contributions to save salmon populations throughout the Northwest. This year Billy Frank Jr. will be posthumously inducted for his life-long work dedicated to salmon. Along with others, Billy fought for decades to reaffirm tribal treaty rights and establish tribes as fisheries co-managers, leading to the Boldt Decision in Following the historic Boldt Decision, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission was formed, which Billy chaired for much of his life until his passing in Billy managed to bring partners from all walks of life together in the name of salmon, working towards healthy streams, improved water quality, estuary restoration, barrier removals and most importantly protecting and sustaining the Northwest way of life. We invite you to Stay The Course and join The Salmon Center on October 10th for our Wild Salmon Hall of Fame Dinner and Gala. The gala will take place on Saturday, October 10th, at the Kitsap Conference Center (located on the Bremerton waterfrom at 100 Washington Ave.) There will be an art show featuring the work of local artists Amy Burnett and Ken Lundemo starting at 6pm with drinks and hors d oeurves. Dinner, presentations and an auction will follow at 7pm. Further information can be found on our website at pnwsalmoncenter.org or by calling Beth Gizzi at ext 10.

3 University of Washington-Tacoma students partnering with HCSEG for fish sampling. Photo credit: Erik McDonald Hood Canal Steelhead Project 2015 Union River Summer Chum Trap - Opening Now! The Hood Canal Steelhead Supplementation Project is in its 9th year and aims to restore wild steelhead runs in the Skokomish, Dewatto, and Duckabush Rivers. These three rivers are the test steelhead populations being supplemented with native stocks of juvenile and adult steelhead. The supplementation process begins with a percentage of wild fertilized eggs being taken from the rivers and raised in a hatchery until they reach smolt or adult stage. When ready these fish are released back into the very same river which they were spawned. The idea behind the project is to increase the survivability rate from egg to smolt in order to supplement each year s outmigration of wild steelhead smolt. Since these supplementation fish were spawned naturally we preserve the genetic integrity of each river s historic wild steelhead population. Project success is determined through comparison of these test populations with other control populations not being supplemented. Supplementation will continue through 2018, and it is hypothesized that the boost in abundance will improve the long-term trajectories of these threatened populations. A vital part of determining the effectiveness of this strategy is monitoring abundance, genetic diversity, and life history characteristics in the three test streams and four control streams. Results will help determine if this conservation approach could be valuable for other threatened steelhead populations in the Pacific Northwest. The project is highly collaborative with scientific oversight provided by NOAA Fisheries. The idea behind the project is to increase the survivability rate from egg to smolt in order to supplement each year s outmigration of wild steelhead smolt. Since these supplementation fish were spawned naturally we preserve the genetic integrity of each river s historic wild steelhead population. The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group works specifically on three of the six study streams using volunteer involvement in redd identification, embryo collections, out-migrant juvenile sampling, and summer parr sampling. The 2015 season started with adult sampling and redd surveys by WDFW, NOAA Fisheries, HCSEG staff, and interns on the Dewatto River. Since the egg extraction (redd pumping) phase of the project ended in 2014, we began sampling adult steelhead returning to the Dewatto River. These surveys will provide a genetic baseline of returning adult steelhead; this is another vital component which will help contribute to unraveling the mysteries of the anadromous steelhead lifecycle. Snorkel surveys and adult sampling on the Dewatto River allowed us to observe and sample many adults which were originally released as smolt four years ago. The return of these program fish is significant because they give us confidence our conservation program is helping to bolster the wild population without any genetic diversity loss. While there is always variation in abundance each year, the 2015 smolt trapping season lead to some positive data. The number of Dewatto steelhead smolt had been declining since 2012; however, in 2015 we recorded a substantial increase in smolt abundance. The Tahuya and Little Quilcene Rivers smolt numbers both increased closer to the average abundance seen over prior years. This year presented a new challenge due to very low water levels in the Dewatto, Tahuya, and Little Quilcene Rivers. However, this was overcome through cautious trap location planning, fastidious trap adjustments, and the use of fencing to direct flow directly into traps. This season, HCSEG, offered a new opportunity for University of Washington Tacoma students. HCSEG and UW-T partnered to initiate a unique capstone experimental design class. Once a week the professor and students came out and assisted with checking the smolt traps, as well as, performing habitat surveys on all three rivers. Not only did the students develop field experience and fish sampling skills, but they were able to take the data we collected and present their own conclusions in the form of posters and presentations to their peers at the UWaTERS Environmental Research Symposium. As with every year, we are only able to conduct research projects, such as the Hood Canal Steelhead Project, with the help and dedication of our wonderful volunteers and interns. Thank you for the many hours spent surveying rivers, daily trap checks, and everything else you do! HCSEG would like to acknowledge this year s Steelhead Project interns: Anne Belson, Ian Senestraro, and Kylie Stoneburner. This team did an exemplary job of building their field sampling skills, collecting smolt data, and having a great time! We would also like to thank Professor Eric McDonald from UW-T for developing and assisting with making this year s pilot class so successful. Thank you for all your dedication, enthusiasm, hard work, and for making this year s steelhead season so much fun! -Salmon and Steelhead Biologist : Clayton David Union River Summer Chum Trap In mid-august, we ll be kicking off yet another year of the Union River Summer Chum Program. The program, which is in its 16th year, works to rebuild Hood Canal Summer Chum populations in the Union and Tahuya Rivers. Volunteers help monitor our adult trap on the Union River 24/7 for two months, collecting abundance data on returning fish. Last season marked the final year of supplementation for the Tahuya River, but the HCSEG biologist, interns, and any willing volunteers will continue to monitor the status of Summer Chum by conducting carcass surveys. This project would not be possible without our many dedicated volunteers, who take time out of their busy lives to lend a hand to these fish. Believe it or not, our volunteers cover nearly 1500 hours of work in the two-month season. Trapping starts Aug 15th thru Oct 15th if you d like to help us this year, contact Erin Mihlbachler at ext. 12 or erin@pnwsalmoncenter.org or Clayton David at ext. 25 or clayton@pnwsalmoncenter.org Salmon Trap on the Union River. Photo credit: Clayton David

4 BEFORE Habitat restoration work is underway this summer at Big Beef Creek! The primary goals of this restoration project are to restore stream, floodplain, and wetland connectivity, and increase the amount of and access to available spawning and rearing habitats for all salmonids in Big Beef Creek. The objectives for Phase 1 are to remove three buildings, the primary transformer, and power lines out of the wetland restoration area, and install 10 large woody debris (LWD) habitat structures in the creek. Work completed to date includes demolition of two storage buildings and a dilapidated caretaker s cottage, and relocation of the transformer and power lines out of the wetland restoration area. We are currently underway with the LWD installation work. We have selected Cascade Excavators as the contractor and work began on August 3, Later this summer through early fall, work will complete the placement of 10 LWD structures in Big Beef Creek and the decommissioning and removal of two artesian wells. We anticipate completion of wood placements by August 31, 2015, and final completion of Phase 1 construction by October 1, Throughout the coming fall and winter, we ll be replanting native vegetation in the area where the caretaker s cottage was removed and the new electrical meter base was installed. We ll also be removing an assortment of invasive plants including scotch broom, Himalayan and English blackberry, English ivy, and common tansy. In areas that will not be disturbed in the next phase of the restoration project, new native plants will be planted where invasives are removed. Phase 2 restoration areas will be replanted after all fill material is removed. Wetland restoration will be completed in the summer of 2016, with removal of imported fill in the building demolition area. If funded, additional habitat restoration work in 2016 will include removal of the well-access roadway that divides the floodplain of Big Beef Creek and installation of 13 more large wood structures placed by helicopter. Stay tuned! -Project Manager: Sarah Heerhartz, PhD Example of an existing natural log jam in Big Beef Creek. Photo credits: Sara Heerhartz AFTER Lower Big Beef Creek Restoration Project - Phase 1 Best Wishes to Lauren and Welcome to Christina! After a short 10.5 months, I am completing my final days as AmeriCorps Intern and Sustainability Coordinator for the Salmon Center! This year of service had been an excellent source of growth for both myself and the nutrition and sustainable agriculture programs of the Salmon Center. It has been a pleasure to work with the Salmon Center and Mason County in promoting community health and salmon conservation through our U-Pick and P-Patch gardens. During my service at the Salmon Center, I was afforded the opportunity to develop enriching activities alongside staff to engage youth in the importance of growing their own food in a sustainable way, while also bringing home the importance of eating fresh, locally grown and organic produce for the health of both themselves and salmon habitat. Teaming up as a supplemental educator for both Belfair and Pioneer Elementary schools has led to assisted hands-on garden work regarding ecology, nutrition, food origins, and sustainable agriculture during after school enrichment programs. I have also had the opportunity to develop and implement my own Healthy Eating on a Budget workshop both at the Salmon Center and the Silverdale YMCA, providing adults the tools needed to adopt healthy eating behaviors without compromising their budgets. Being involved in the community and bringing awareness to food and environmental issues is a priority of our farm programs at the Salmon Center, a priority that continues to grow with continued volunteer, intern, and community support. Our farm has continued to flourish with the help of dedicated volunteers and we are enjoying new support and patronage this year after switching to produce availability on a donationbasis. We are also enjoying extending the diversity of our available produce with the addition of our new greenhouse. As I leave, I am pleased to announce that our new farm intern, Christina Mayfield, will be continuing the wonderful legacy of the Salmon Center s farm programs throughout this summer. It will be a great summer of diverse and delicious produce in abundance, so we hope to see you in our U-Pick soon! Thank you to everyone who made my year such a memorable success. It has been a blessing to be a small piece of the immense good the Salmon Center brings to this community and to interact with all of the special people who hold it dear to them. All my best, Lauren Reetz The Pioneer School Program LinkUp: Teaching kids sustainable gardening. Above: Christina & Huckleberry. Photo credit: J. Tejeda Photo credit: J. Tejeda Photo credit: JBeth Gizzi

5 GreenSTREAM students get their feet wet with hands on research!i Riparian Social Marketing Project Communications and Outreach - Erin Mihlbachler Photo credit: Erin Mihlbachler In the fall of 2014, HCSEG received a grant from Hood Canal Coordinating Council to design and conduct a social marketing campaign aimed at encouraging streamside landowners throughout the Hood Canal region to remove noxious weeds and incorporate native plants into their landscapes, improving spawning and rearing habitat for salmonid species. Specifically, funding was allocated to support work on the following bodies of water: Big Anderson Creek, Big Beef Creek, Big Quilcene River, Little Quilcene River, Skokomish River, Tahuya River, and the Union River. For this project HCSEG partnered with the Mason Conservation District, Mason County, Kitsap County, and the 10,000 Years Institute. Free workshops for landowners were offered at four locations: Belfair, Quilcene, Seabeck and Shelton. A total of sixty-four Amy Burnett Gallery & The Salmon Center Invite You to Our Up-Coming Events Thursday, Fridays & Saturdays in July and August 11-5pm Stop by The Amy Burnett Gallery, 408 Pacific Ave., Bremerton WA Help Paint the Salmon Woman and drop off your name suggestions for her. September 5:30 pm - Salmon Woman Painting Dedication and Soul Salmon Naming The Salmon Center located at 600 NE Roessel Road, Belfair WA Amy Burnett s Art will be shown as a preview to our October 10th event. landowners participated. The workshops focused on the drawbacks of noxious weeds, how to identify them, and how to effectively remove them, as well as the many benefits native plants provide to property value, fish, and wildlife. Workshop attendees were offered a free follow-up site visit which included recommendations for invasive control and native planting options. Several landowners, new to our organization, participated in follow-up site visits. A website was created for the purpose of assisting landowners in noxious weeds that are common to the Hood Canal region. Additionally, the website provides information about gardening with native plants and their benefits. The website also provides links to local Noxious Weed Coordinator. You can visit our site at -Natural Resource Projects Assistant: Tamara Cowles Hello! My name is Erin and I would like to take a moment to introduce myself as the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at the Salmon Center! Prior to coming to work at the Salmon Center, I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Colorado State University, Fort Collins. I am very excited to be a part of an organization that is wholeheartedly dedicated to restoration, education, and research that benefit salmon populations, the ecosystem as a whole, and the Hood Canal community. My responsibilities include managing communications between the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group and the greater Hood Canal community through outreach, education and volunteer recruitment activities. I also work with habitat restoration staff in order to involve volunteers in restoration, monitoring and research activities, such as the Summer Chum Program which starts on August 15th. One of the most fulfilling parts of my job is assisting with coordinating and facilitating the environmental education events and programs for students K-12. Helping kids become engaged with what is happening in their watershed is important because their choices impact the environment just as much as adult s choices do. Enviro Camp and GreenSTREAM are two summer environmental programs that are currently taking place at the Salmon Center. Enviro Camp is led by Michael Siptroth, a Belfair and Sand Hill Elementary Schools Environmental Club advisor and a member of our Board of Directors. Enviro Camp offers children the opportunity to participate in learning activities that provide them with a better understanding of sustainability and environmental issues. This program is open to students in grades 1-5, and camp sessions are every Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 AM 1:00 PM. There are still Enviro Camp sessions being offered this summer, which you may register for at any time. GreenSTREAM is offered to students in grades 6-12, and encourages kids to connect with their environment and the Hood Canal in a hands on way that has an emphasis on science, technology, research, engineering, art, and math. As a new resident of Washington who is anxious to see all that this beautiful state has to offer, I have really enjoyed the GreenSTREAM camps that take place outside of the Salmon Center, and so have the kids! Some locations we have traveled to or will travel to in the upcoming camp sessions include Tahuya State Forest, Mt. Walker, Dewatto River, and Twanoh State Park. Every GreenSTREAM camp involves a learning activity and an art activity that is run by either a Salmon Center staff member, a volunteer, Salmon Center interns, Park Rangers, or a community member. Some art activities have included making nature mobiles, leaf print painting, and making journals from recycled plastic bags and magazines. Some of the learning activities that are taught at GreenSTREAM include teaching kids how to read a map, do scholarly research, and about the importance of sustainable agriculture. GreenSTREAM takes place from 9:00 AM 4:00 PM every Friday from June 19th until August 21st. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in or have questions regarding anything above! Sincerely, Erin Mihlbachler

6 In the estuary, roughly 700 cubic yards of creosote-treated lumber associated with the barge will be removed along with 5,700 cubic yards of fill material. BEFORE StreamTeam Update AFTER Dosewallips Estuary Barge Removal Photo credit: Julian Sammons Two years have passed since excavators breached the dike near the mouth of the Union River. Since then, StreamTeam interns at The Salmon Center have established monitoring protocols to document the habitat transition. Noting changes in bird and plant species, occupation of the estuary for the next few years will illustrate the developing productivity and resilience of the ecosystem. With time, the restored land should resemble the existing estuary on the South end of the Theler Wetlands trails. These estuaries will be home to many organisms from micro invertebrates to juvenile salmon that thrive in a habitat with such fluctuating salinity tides. Although plant and bird succession in the estuary is still in the beginning stages and additional changes are expected, the StreamTeam s research data have indicated that the succession processes in the restored estuary are Sample of Citizen Scientist Program data card. Photo Credit: J. Tejeda leading in the direction of the reference estuary. In the meantime, many wading shorebirds have found the temporary mud flat habitat hospitable and full of preyfood, but over time sparrows, wrens and blackbirds may replace these birds as vegetation fills the estuary. Pickleweed, hardstem bulrush, Triangle orache, seaside arrowgrass, and other salt-tolerant plants found in the reference estuary have emerged in the restored estuary and will continue to fill the bare ground over the next few years. We are developing a citizen scientist program that aims to further involve the public with both The Salmon Center and the environment. Citizen scientist programs are used by many organizations to help researchers collect data in collaboration with the public. We are preparing to debut the Wetland Observations portion of our monitoring program. monitoring plan includes data collection by volunteers. Data cards and instructions for species identification will soon be available for individuals walking the Theler Wetlands trails. Participants will provide valuable data by recording the wildlife flora and fauna they observe during their walks and turning in the data cards at collection boxes located on the trails. Hopefully, participants will find the process fun and educational, and employees at The Salmon Center will use the data to form a greater understanding of the ecosystem in their front yard. The quest to understand the restored Union River estuary continues! -Ben, Mandy, and Megan 2015 StreamTeam interns For nearly half a century, a 190 foot long barge made of creosote treated wood has been sitting at the south end of the Dosewallips River Estuary. Now, thanks to funding secured by the HCSEG, and supplemented by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Creosote Removal Program, the barge will be dismantled and removed. The Dosewallips River Estuary provides critical habitat to juvenile salmon on their journey from freshwater to saltwater. In addition to the sizeable footprint of the barge, a large quantity of fill material was brought in to provide land access to the barge. The result is an unnatural break in the shoreline, and artificial filling of valuable estuarine habitat. In the estuary, roughly 700 cubic yards of Formed in the early 1990 s, the Hood Canal Watershed Education Network or HCWEN is a group of volunteers composed of environmental educators and resource professionals within Mason, Kitsap and Jefferson Counties. Meetings are held quarterly to identify priorities for Hood Canal health including water quality, septic system maintenance, low dissolved oxygen, stormwater, and toxics (fertilizers, pesticides, etc). The overarching goal of HCWEN is to advance Puget Sound Partnership and the Hood Canal Coordinating Council Action Agenda priorities and goals. This is done by increasing public awareness and engagement and fostering behavior changes among new and untapped audiences to better protect, restore, and reduce pollution in Hood Canal. Members initiate, organize, and coordinate public outreach events What is HCWEN? creosote-treated lumber associated with the barge will be removed along with 5,700 cubic yards of fill material. The slope underneath the existing fill material will be re-graded to mimic the historic conditions of the site. Lastly, a comprehensive native planting effort will be done to help restore the shoreline back to a natural state. Construction will begin as soon as the remaining permits for this project to are processed. With the wind to our backs, we hope to break ground on this project at the end of this summer. However, we are prepared to delay construction until next summer if need be. Either way, we re in good shape to get this project done right. Hang in there! -Project Manager: Julian Sammons throughout the year that are consistent in message. An example of events are included under the Do Some Good for the Hood campaign months in May and June. HCWEN is also part of a larger network within watersheds in Puget Sound called the Puget Sound ECO Net (Education, Communication and Outreach Network). These combined ECO Nets work together with the Puget Sound Partnership to build and strengthen relationships among organizations working in Puget Sound to increase public awareness, involvement and individual stewardship. If you would like to learn more or become a member please contact the HCWEN coordinator, Michelle Myers, michelle@pnwsalmoncenter.org or visit -Project Manager: Michelle Myers

7 Four ways YOU can help The Salmon Center: 1Volunteer 2 3Donate 4Stay connected Share our News Our projects are only possible with help from our dedicated volunteers. We rely on these volunteers to help us run our office, monitor restoration sites, count fish, and educate students. Membership Support our outreach and education efforts through an annual membership. Your support will directly contribute to our education and outreach activities, habitat restoration and scientific research projects. Donations are tax-deductible and help support our many projects and programs that are not covered by grants. facebook.com/farmwatersedge twitter.com/thesalmoncenter pnwsalmoncenter.org instagram Your support of the Salmon Center helps us deliver education programs, restore habitat and salmon runs, and conduct research. Select your Support Level Steelhead $1000 Coho $750 Pink $500 Chum $250 Name: Address: Phone: Chinook $2000 Large Business $200 Small Business $100 Family $75 Individual Community Member $25 $25 Payment Type: Check Credit Card Name: Type: Visa MC AMEX Discover Card # Expiration Date: Security Code: 2015 Membership Form Support Levels I want to opt out of benefits Individual /Community Member Quarterly Newsletter Annual Report on Hood Canal Bumper Sticker Access to PNWSC Facilities Invites to Member-Only Events U-Pick Coupons Family Individual Benefits Plus: Introductory Fishing Class 2 PNWSC T-Shirts 2 Bumper Stickers PNWSC Mug Business Quarterly Newsletter Annual Report on Hood Canal Advertising Space in Newsletter Invites to Member-Only Events Chum Individual Benefits Plus: PNWSC T-Shirt PNWSC Water Bottle Pink Chum Benefits Plus: PNWSC Sweatshirt PNWSC Mug Coho Pink Benefits Plus: ½ Day Guided River Fishing Trip Steelhead Pink Benefits Plus: Full-Day Guided River Fishing Trip Chinook Pink Benefits Plus: Full-Day Negotiable Recreational Opportunity *All Guided Trips by PNWSC Staff **Licenses Not Included Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law Donations may be made through our secure site at pnwsalmoncenter.org/member Or by mail at PO Box 2169 Belfair, WA Veterans and Active Duty Military Are Eligible to Receive 5% Off Membership Prices

8 Upcoming & Current Events at the Salmon Center Join us all summer as we celebrate our 25th anniversary! U-Pick Garden Sign up for our updates on what s ready for picking! Adult Painting with Beverly Hooks Thursdays each month, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM GreenSTREAM Summer Youth Program (grades 6-12) Fridays from 6/19-8/21, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM EnviroCamp (grades K-5) Mondays and Wednesdays from 6/23-8/19, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Visit our booth at Habitat Takes Flight Sept 12th (9 am - 6 pm) Port of Shelton Visit our booth at OysterFest in Shelton October 3rd (10 am - 6 pm) & October 4th (10 am - 5 pm) WILD SALMON HALL OF FAME Saturday, October 10th, 6:00 PM Learn more at or call (360) Weekend Volunteers Needed for Animal Feeding Do you love animals? Do you live in Belfair or in the Mason County area? Do you have an extra couple of hours in the mornings on Saturdays and/or Sundays? If you answered yes to all of these questions, we may have the perfect volunteer opportunity for you! We are currently in search of volunteers to help keep our farm animals fed and watered over the weekends, beginning Saturday, August 8th. Currently, we have 5 goats, 4 llamas, 10 alpacas, 17 rabbits, and 65 chickens that need daily feeding and watering. As we are only here Monday through Friday, we really need your help with our animals on the weekends! If you are interested in helping us out or have any specific questions, please contact Daniel at daniel@pnwsalmoncenter.org so that he can provide you with the information you need and to set up a time to show you the ropes to keep our animals happy and with full bellies! Meet Hibiscus the Rooster, Apollo the Llama and bunnies Yin and Yang. Photo credit: J. Tejeda Join us at The Salmon Center for these events! August 26th 7:00 PM Music on the Estuary Music starts at 7:00 but come early, bring a picnic for the lawn and look at student art, projects, and produce September 25th 5:30 PM Salmon Woman Painting Dedication and Soul Salmon Naming Ceremony 4-H Humanely Raised Local Chicken Available Cost per whole bird is $20.00 / Must be able to pick up on Sunday Aug 16th at The Salmon Center. All birds are sold cleaned, raw, chilled and whole. It is short notice but you can still Audrey Lambert at audreylambert99@yahoo.com Raised by local students as a joint project between North Mason FFA and Farm at Water s Edge 4-H, these chickens are: RANGE CONFINED: These birds have been raised on a mostly organic diet and are kept in large, mobile coops that are moved weekly so that birds can eat fresh grass and enjoy dust baths. EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS: As part of both 4-H and FFA, these birds help to educate local students while providing the public with a safe, healthy, sustainable source of meat. In addition, chickens kept for breeding purposes will be shown at Kitsap County Fair to bring public awareness to the need for sustainable farming practices. HERITAGE DUAL-PURPOSE PUREBREDS: All chickens in our flock are purebred Delawares, a heritage dual-purpose breed originating in the 1940 s that was nearly eliminated because of a new, larger Cornish X Rock hybrid bird that overtook the market. Our project hopes to restore good genetics to this breed and help it return to its previous numbers. HUMANELY RAISED, HANDLED and SLAUGHTERED: These birds are raised by young people skilled in animal husbandry, all chickens are handled with care, given large amounts of space, and are slaughtered using the quickest and most up-to-date equipment available.

9 Connect with Us! HOOD CANAL SALMON ENHANCEMENT GROUP instagram pnwsalmoncenter.org twitter.com/thesalmoncenter facebook.com/farmwatersedge