Salmon Steward

supporter spotlight salmon Steward magazine 5 The Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society was created in 2001 by the Government of Canada to manage a $30-million endowment fund for Pacific salmon conservation. Since then, the fund has partnered with the Pacific Salmon Foundation to help restore and conserve wild salmon populations in British Columbia and the Yukon. Thanks to the Society's support, PSF can allocate more than 90 cents of every dollar donated directly to grants, restoration work and science-driven conservation projects. Support from the Society's endowment fund covers most of PSF's capacity and core costs. Last year, the Government of Canada announced a $5-million contribution to the fund through the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund. In 2018, the Society continued its support for new priorities outlined in PSF's Strategic Plan. These priorities focused on: • Facilitating development of a Yukon River Chinook restoration plan; • Expanding First Nations engagement; and Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society TERRY LANIGAN Chairman Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society chair's message • Contributing to implementation of British Columbia's new Water Sustainability Act, including monitoring of ecological flow agreements and watershed governance. The Society is also a partner in PSF's Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, with a total pledge of $1.9 million. Findings from the Project emphasized the need to understand the life of salmon on the open ocean. As such, we were proud to provide major funding for the Gulf of Alaska Expedition targeted at uncovering this little-understood life phase. Finally, we were pleased to put forth a $100,000 donation towards purchase of the Morrison Headwaters Nature Preserve. This unique watershed provides ideal spawning and rearing conditions for salmon and trout year-round in the Comox Valley and supports more than a dozen species-at-risk, including mammals, fish, amphibians and birds. The Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society is managed by an independent board of directors. The Society began 2018 with a fund balance of $36.2 million and ended with a fund balance of $32.4 million. (Funds do not include a $5-million top-up from the federal government.) PSEFS Board of Directors Terry Lanigan Chair Roger Flowerdew Secretary/Treasurer Members David Elliott, Robert Gayton, John Hodgins, George Hungerford, Anne Kinvig, Doug Knight, John Woodward "I have been interested and amazed by salmon my whole life and I have been able to turn that into a career doing something I enjoy and appreciate. One of the opportunities I have had in my work with DFO has been to be part of thežSalmon Enhancement Program and this included working with volunteer streamkeeper groups. I have seen the energy, commitment and benefits of the work undertaken by the stewardship community and I have great appreciation for PSF's belief in engaging volunteers and communities in salmon conservation. Now more than ever, salmon need collaborative partnerships so that we can get the best benefit for salmon from our collective eŸorts. PSF uses their position as a neutral organization to bring groups together to advance opportunities to make things better for salmon, and I'm excited to be a part of that!"žž — Jason Hwang Vice President, Salmon Pacific Salmon Foundation

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