Long Live the Kings-Restoring Wild Salmon and Steelhead to Northwest Waters
Jacques White
Exective Director Long Live the Kings (www.lltk.org)
Scribe: Colleen Turner Editor: Jim Kindsvater
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In tHIS ISSUE
Jacques White discusses Long Live the Kings’ programs to restore wild salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest. Oso Disaster Relief. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). Student of the Month, Natasha Babayan. International Service Committee Update. Dine Around Success.
SPEAKER PROGRAM
Jacques White’s goal is to make everyone of us advocates for wild salmon and steelhead. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, 31 out of 52 salmon and steelhead populations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California are listed as either “threatened,” “endangered,” or “species of concern.” The factors responsible for this decline are complex and far-reaching, including habitat loss due to human activities, overfishing and outdated hatchery practices. Salmon are a bellwether of regional environmental health. As salmon runs dwindle, we risk losing the very qualities that make the Northwest a special place to live. Habitat, Harvest and Habitat are critical to the recovery and sustainability of wild salmon and steelhead.
Jacques spoke about the Glenwood Springs Hatchery overlooking Orcas Island’s East Sound. Begun in a stream in 1978 with eggs from a state hatchery, the Glenwood Springs Hatchery created a Chinook salmon run where none existed before. The run has been propagated from returning adult fish since 1982.
Jacques also talked about the Lilliwaup Creek conservation programs, which have resulted in a 300% increase in wild steelhead spawning in the Hamma Hamma River. The Lilliwaup Creek Hatchery provides a fish rearing laboratory and meeting space where LLTK coordinates conservation efforts with agencies, tribes, local citizens and community volunteers.
In 2011, LLTK and Canada’s Pacific Salmon Foundation launched the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, an ambitious $20 million transboundary research effort that promises to fundamentally change the way salmon is managed in the marine environment. It is the largest research effort of its kind, bringing together scientific expertise from more than 30 state and federal agencies, tribes and academic institutions to address why salmon and steelhead are dying in the Salish Sea.
Marine survival for many stocks of Chinook, coho and steelhead that migrate through the Sea is now less than 1/10th of what it was 30 years ago. Although LLTK has a solid understanding of the factors affecting salmon survival in freshwater, LLTK doesn’t have a lot of knowledge about salmon in the marine environment. To improve survival, there needs to be a better understanding of how salmon and steelhead are affected by the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the Salish Sea.
CLUB BUSINESS
Invocation and Introduction of Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Laura Adams gave the following invocation:
Today
Choose to be joyful
Keep our vision in focus
Be devoted to your dreams
Plan for a productive day
Take a risk and a leap of faith
Do a good deed
Be loud and proud about your passion
Accentuate the positive
Acknowledge someone from the heart
Make yourself happy
Be your word
Take consistent action
Expect success in everything
Make this day really matter
You have the power!
By Caterina Rando
Sheldon Sweeney introduced visiting Rotarians and guests.
Fred Janssen
Scott encouraged the Club to continue to pray for and send notes and emails to Fred Janssen, whose 16 year old son, Jonathan, was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with cancer (Burkitt’s Lymphoma). Fred is very appreciative of the outpouring of support he has received from the BBRC family.
Oso Disaster Relief
Scott announced that the Club will be sending our contribution for the Oso Disaster Relief to the Greater Everett Foundation, which will focus on long term rebuilding efforts as opposed to short term needs, which others are addressing.
The Club will donate $1,250 from the BBRC Foundation. This has been matched with a $1,000 donation from a generous member of our Rotary family. Please feel free to make a contribution to the BBRC Foundation, include Oso Relief in the memo and send the check to PO Box 3003, Bellevue, WA 98009-3003, or give it to BBRC Treasurer Brad Baumann or Club Administrator, Kim Dreiblatt. The cut off is Friday, April 11th. Brad will then cut one check to the Greater Everett Foundation.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)
Madeline Gauthier introduced three students who participated in RYLA: Jennifer Chu, Rick Adams and Kayla Jo Villa. Laura Adams then showed us a video about RYLA, which included comments by various students speaking about what RYLA meant to them and how they came away with confidence they didn’t know they had.
Jennifer Chu remarked that RYLA helped to make her a better person and leader and thanked the Club for the opportunity to participate. Rick Adams also expressed his appreciation and Kayla Jo Villa spoke about the friendships she had made at RYLA.
Student of the Month
Bob Holert introduced Natasha Babayan, who is a senior at Sammamish High School. Bob told us that Natasha is an outstanding student who is highly respected by her peers and teachers at Sammamish and a leader in the classroom.
Natasha told us she had taken several AP classes in high school and decided to start at the college level her junior year by taking Running Start classes. Natasha has also participated in programs at the University of Washington in order to prepare for college. She has participated in UW’s College Readiness Program, Young Executives of Color, and an Admissions Workshop called iDub for underrepresented minorities. Natasha is currently an apprentice at Microsoft working on their US Partner Strategy & Program Team. She was 1 of 20 chosen out of 202 candidates. Natasha was named the 2014 Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue.
International Service Committee Update
Martin Clavijo acknowledged John Martinka (Chair, World Committee Services Committee), Mike Ralph, Ann Norman (Chair, Youth Exchange Committee) and Steve Roberts and asked them to join him for a presentation.
Laura Adams then showed a video about the Youth Exchange Program featuring our current and past exchange students. The BBRC has invested $3,000 in the Youth Exchange Program for 2013-14.
Martin explained the five filters used to decide which international projects the BBRC will fund:
- Aligned with Rotary International’s six areas of focus (Promoting Peace, Fighting Disease, Providing Clean Water, Saving Mother and Children, Supporting Education and Growing Local Economies)
- Impact, Scalability and Sustainability
- BBRC Member(s) Hands-On, Traveling to the Host Club’s Site
- Host Club Champion
- When Needed, Leverage Rotary Foundation Resources
Steve Roberts spoke about the Haiti Potable Water Project. Haiti is the poorest country in the world and the poorest of the poor reside in Northwest Haiti, where the water project is located. Steve explained that 10,000 people in 34 villages in Northwest Haiti are currently drinking water from a polluted river. The water project will provide clean water to all of the people and villages. The Rotary Club of Port de Paix is the Host Club.
The project starts with the capping of the spring, which is scheduled to be completed in July 2014. We will do three separate projects over three years, each of which includes 10-12 fountains and 8-10 miles of pipe. Although BBRC’s contribution is $5,000, the total funding is $182,000, including funds from other Rotary clubs and a match from Rotary International.
Mike Ralph spoke briefly about Imagine Scholar, a highly selective, four-year, after-school mentorship program for talented, disadvantaged youth across the Nkomazi region of South Africa. The BBRC is sponsoring a female student named Enky. Our contribution is $1,250.
John Martinka told us briefly about the microlending project in India that the BBRC is doing with the Bellevue Rotary Club. Our contribution is $1,000.
Martin then gave us a presentation on Abrigarte, a project in Bogotá, Colombia. The objective of the project is to develop a system that promotes solidarity, sustainability and environmental protection through the collection, sorting and donating of used clothing to the needy, and the recycling of textile waste through mailboxes specially designed for this purpose. There are currently two collection points in Bogotá. With BBRC’s contribution of $4,000, there will be an additional five collection points.
Although Martin didn’t spend any time talking about the water project in Colombia, he and Chuck Kimbrough will be leaving for Colombia on May 29 and welcome a third BBRC member to join them.
Dine Around
Tanya Franzen mentioned that the Dine Arounds held on March 28, 29 and 30 were a big success. Two dinners were held on Friday, March 28, one dinner on Saturday, March 29 and two dinners on Sunday, March 30. Tanya graciously thanked the five hosts and gave them a gift.
Thought (Corny Joke) for the Week
“No good fish goes anywhere without a porpoise.” Lewis Carroll
About the Speaker
A keystone of our state's economy and culture as well as our ecology, salmon are threatened by the loss of habitat, misdirected harvest, and short-sighted hatchery management. Climate change and a growing human population have accelerated the salmon's decline. With fewer financial resources available to state, tribal, and federal management agencies, it's now more important than ever that salmon recovery strategies are coordinated, strategic and effective.
LLTK helps those who make decisions about salmon to be successful. They pursue projects and partnerships that compel coordinated, scientifically-credible, and transparent changes to harvest, hatchery, and habitat management to protect and restore wild salmon. They bring innovative tools, proven processes, and a track record of success to each of their projects. With LLTK’s non-government partners, they build new and necessary constituencies and support for positive change.