Salmon Steward

12 FALL/WINTER 2018 PSF.CA AIR SUPPORT The Pacific Salmon Foundation is proud to announce a new partnership with longtime supporter Helijet. You can now support wild salmon restoration projects in the Strait of Georgia and on Vancouver Island when you fly with Helijet, which will donate a portion of proceeds from every scheduled one-way flight between Victoria & Vancouver or Nanaimo & Vancouver. The program has the potential to raise $24,000 for community projects. To spread awareness, the PSF logo will be emblazoned on Helijet's fleet of courtesy vehicles and on a brand-new Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. Helijet will also help PSF significantly reduce costs for remote research and restoration work by providing occasional use of a helicopter. This year, Helijet sent a helicopter and pilot to Rivers Inlet to help with an egg take on the Chuckwalla and Kilbella Rivers. Now, more than 130,000 eggs will be raised at the Percy Walkus Hatchery, and released into these rivers to enhance stocks. "Helijet has been a proud supporter of PSF for the last 15 years," says Danny Sitnam, Helijet president and CEO. "Like many other British Columbians, we depend on the beauty and natural resources of B.C.'s coast for the longevity of our business, which is linked to the success of our fishing lodge clients and the satisfaction of their guests. If we don't do our part to help protect salmon stocks and our West Coast environment, it will impact all of us. Our company benefits from the recreational fishing sector, but doing our part to help maintain the overall well-being of coastal B.C. is also the right thing to do." psf.ca/helijet AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE PSF's flagship fundraising event, the Vancouver Gala Dinner & Auction, celebrated a record year this May, raising $550,000 for community salmon programs! It was a collaborative effort made possible by a hardworking volunteer dinner committee, many sponsors and donors, a very generous crowd and the event's lead sponsor, Teck. Teck, Canada's largest diversified resource company, has been a fixture at the annual gala for years. Teck's president and CEO, Don Lindsay, has also been directly involved in initiatives supporting PSF as a frequent participant and supporter of the Red Boat Challenge (p.11). So, when Teck decided to step up its commitment as lead sponsor of the 2018 and 2019 Vancouver Galas, it was a natural fit. "Our employees live and work in communities across B.C. and they know the enormous ecological and cultural importance of salmon to our province," says Lindsay. "Partnering with PSF is part of Teck's commitment to maintaining this resource for generations to come." SALMON Donors Making a Dierence Helijet pilot Chris Waymouth (second from right) pitches in for a Chinook egg take in Rivers Inlet.

• Cover