Salmon Steward

To date, the Friends of Mount Douglas Society has benefited from 18 Community Salmon Program grants totalling $102,607 for projects valued at $698,864 including community leveraging. To date, the Lil'wat Nation has benefited from 12 CSP grants totalling $256,231 for projects valued at $627,061 including community leveraging. For Maxine Bruce and the Lil'wat Nation, salmon are crucial for sustenance and cultural identity. salmon Steward magazine 15 A BIG THANK-YOU TO ANGLERS WHO BUY THE SALMON CONSERVATION STAMP, AND TO THESE MAJOR SUPPORTERS OF THE COMMUNITY SALMON PROGRAM: MONTHY DONATIONS = YEAR-ROUND IMPACT! "For 62 years, my family has owned a farm bisected by Weaver Creek, one of the Lower Mainland's most prosperous sockeye spawning streams. I mostly THINK about salmon in October, but my commitment to PSF is monthly and year round, providing assured funds for research and education." — Vivian Evans Walker, Chilliwack Avoid year-end cash crunches and enable better planning for projects that help wild salmon. Visit psf.ca or call us to learn more about monthly giving options: 604.664.7664 Become a Pacific Salmon Foundation monthly donor and get a PSF ball cap or toque when you sign up! (Minimum pledge of $10 per month) PSF2019-HouseAd.indd 1 2019-04-16 3:02 PM MOUNT CURRIE Ask Maxine Bruce what her favourite part of salmon stewardship is and she's quick to say: "Salmon bring people together in the most positive way." Maxine is a member of the Lil'wat Nation in Mount Currie. She has been employed by the Lil'wat Nation since 2005, and involved with fisheries management for several years. She and her team of volunteers see themselves as stewards of their land – its geography and natural resources, including Birkenhead River salmon. Sockeye, Coho and Chinook play a vital role in the community for sustenance and cultural identity, while Birkenhead Chinook support the Southern Resident Killer Whales. Her team has received a number of Community Salmon Program grants from the PSF to support education, outreach, stock assessment and habitat rehabilitation. Their most recent grant will assist with Birkenhead River bank stabilization where the river runs adjacent to Highway 99. Over time, significant erosion has taken place; the funds will help redirect the river away from the highway by adding riparian (streamside) plants to the banks in order to hold the soil. The group will also add large tree stumps and woody debris in the river to create protective habitat for juvenile salmon. Says Maxine: "CSP grants encourage us to look to our own community for support – we ask how can volunteers contribute to the project and in the process, further salmon education among the children and youth in our community?"

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