This year is going to be one of thrift for NSEA. The salmon restoration organization’s two major grants, Jobs in the Woods and Jobs for the Environment, expired. This cut NSEA’s budget from $1.2 million to $431,805.
"It’s not a crisis," said Wendy Scherrer, executive director of NSEA and Huxley College graduate.
NSEA is reacting to the setback by "regrouping," Scherrer said. Employees are applying for more grants, checking the organization’s efficiency, working with more volunteers, designing a media campaign, and asking their neighbors for help.
"We need to have more local community support," Scherrer said.
Despite grant exhaustion, restoration work still needs to be done: trees need planting, barriers to salmon migration need removal, and stream banks need repair. Salmon populations remain a slight fraction of pre-industrial levels, and northwest fishers now trawl in Alaska.
NSEA is part of a statewide coalition of salmon enhancement groups founded in 1990 by commercial fishers looking for a local catch. Clearcuts and fickle salmon runs mean fewer jobs for fishers and loggers.
NSEA was able to employ and train 18 natural resource workers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Jobs for the Environment and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Jobs in the Woods grants.
When the larger grants ran out, NSEA was forced to lay off these workers. Scherrer said the loss of Jobs in the Woods and Jobs for the Environment grants was part of the Bush administration’s cull of national environmental projects. The result of "fiscally responsible" policies also means NSEA has a difficult time raising funds. They must now raise $1 to $2 locally to match every federal dollar.
Before the grants ran out the natural resource workers evaluated site needs, created stronger stream banks by planting trees, and maintained restoration. Volunteers now must fill the muddy shoes of skilled restoration technicians.
The listing of the spring Chinook salmon as a threatened species also resulted in funding loss for NSEA. Funds are now focused on the spring Chinook’s territory in the southern fork of the Nooksack River, leaving lowland salmon restoration in Terrell, Tenmile, and Fourmile Creek high and dry, Scherrer said.
Despite the loss of funds, Scherrer said she is optimistic. She is working on a media campaign to teach Whatcom residents about salmon restoration and hopes to air public service announcements on local radio stations. The segments would feature practical tips for ensuring the future vitality of Whatcom County.
"For my grandchildren – we need to step it up," Scherrer said.