water, fish, & photography - intro.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - 10:43 pm GMT
As some of you know, I’ve been pretty invisible here on The Pedestrian Crossing for the past 6 - 9 months.
Some of you told me you figured that was because I’d become enamored with Twitter and had decided to spend all my on-line time there.
While I indeed find Twitter an excellent place to write, read, and connect - Twitter isn’t why I haven’t been here.
I am fortunate to have a lovely creek bordering one side of my property. In 2008 I was delighted to learn that the creek was to be part of a 2009 project to remove barriers to migrating salmon. All I needed to do was give permission for the work to proceed.
There were of course many discussions with the Natural Resource Department about what land areas would be impacted and how the work would get done.
In the course of these discussions the opportunity arose for me to photograph the project at all 17 of its sites, which I most wholeheartedly pursued.
Over the next weeks & months I’ll do a series of posts about different aspects of this wonderful project.
I’ll share some of my project photos with you, I’ll include some of the things I’ve learned, and I’ll tell you a bit about the wonderful people I met. It would be great if you would let me know any questions you have, or if you are interested in any aspect of the work that I don’t seem to be covering. I’ll do my best to find & pass on the info you’re after.
For today, I’d like to share a video with you. It is about 11 minutes long, and was done by a local documentary film company to help the natural resource folks continue to obtain funding for this important work.
Speaking of funding, I want to tell you something I think is very important.
This work was funded almost entirely by grants from various organizations and by reparation monies from utility companies that placed hydroelectric dams on the big rivers in this area of Washington state.
The lion’s share of the $$ did not come out of taxpayer pockets, and it did not come from loans that must be repaid.
To my way of thinking, in these times of astronomical deficits and taxpayer funded bailouts it is important to highlight and encourage projects that benefit the planet, provide plentiful good-wage jobs, and do not increase our burden of debt. I believe this kind of watershed and habitat restoration work is important for the planet, the people on it, and our economies. I will continue to seek opportunities to contribute in any ways that I can.
Enjoy the video, I think it makes a nice introduction to the topic.
Oh, and I should mention that I appear in this video in a couple of places, in case you’re interested 
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Chelan County Salmon Restoration from Howell at the Moon Productions on Vimeo.
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(what is this?)
An admirable endeavor!
As a child, I saw salmon netting at Celilo falls before the change that came there.
There’s so much to be done by people who are think-ers and do-ers. Wonderful video!
You are beautiful
This is truly a wonderful project.
I enjoyed the introductory video and am looking forward to reading future posts.
Thank you, Kayt.
Kayt, you’re forgiven for taking time off! This is an amazing project and I’m looking forward to your images and words as more of the story unfurls. It’s an inspiring collection of small and big steps and a good roadmap for other salmon-eeking communities. The BC Fraser River sockeye [ love that painting, by the way ] population is at its lowest in half a century, with just over 10% of mature salmon returning this past season. The head-scratching is ongoing, as experts try to figure out the drastic decline, in the hope that it’s not too late to invest in changes.
This is the Kayt I know and love. Actively making a difference. I shall follow this project with great interest!
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful comments - I feel so very fortunate to be in a region of the country where so much mitigation work is on-going. I believe these kinds of efforts really do move us toward a better balance between the needs of people and the environment. I have a lot to learn about all of this, and I hope you all and others will continue to offer insights and ask questions - your comments really inspire me to continue to post on this topic - namaste.
Tumblewords How wonderful to have seen the Salmon before so much human intervention. How sad it must have been to watch the falls be erased after the dam was built. I didn’t know about Celilo until I looked it up. Many thanks
Casper Your support and encouragement is, as always, a joy - thank you!
Kathrin Humbly accepting your graciousness
I love how you put it about a collection of large and small steps making a roadmap - let us hope it is a map that becomes well-worn of frequent use! I think too, that what you said points to the need to understand that small steps are very important steps. The projects highlighted in the video, do not impact bazillions of acres, they impact 5, 10, 50 at a time. Each drop filling the bucket, buying back a little more of the earth we have mortgaged so heavily. It is so important to remind ourselves that no step is too small, each one matters. And I didn’t know about the Fraser River situation - that watershed is just north of Washington it seems - I should learn more about that too. I think it is never too late, until the lights go out.
Selma So good to see you! I am so hit and miss on the web these days, I’m so glad that you haven’t stopped, stopping by. There are so many aspects of the project I want to write about - I hope they will be of some interest and I do so appreciate you being here