Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) was formed in 1990 as a non-profit organization with an overall goal of seeing an increase in returning natural spawning
salmon to the over 1,600 km of rivers and streams in
Whatcom County, Washington in the
United States. The association was formed as part of
Washington State's Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups Program established by the Washington State Legislature in 1990 to involve local communities, citizen volunteers, and landowners in the state's salmon recovery efforts. NSEA is one of 14 groups in Washington State each with the common goal of restoring
salmonid
Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish that constitutes the only currently extant family in the order Salmoniformes . It includes salmon (both Atlantic and Pacific species), trout (both ocean-going and landlocked), chars, freshwater whitefis ...
populations and habitat within their region.
Whatcom County is home to the five species of Pacific salmon
(
chinook,
chum
Chum may refer to:
Broadcasting
* CHUM Limited, a defunct Canadian media company
* CHUM Radio, now Bell Media Radio, a Canadian radio broadcasting company
* CHUM (AM), a Toronto radio station
* CHUM-FM, a Toronto radio station
* CHUM Chart, a C ...
,
coho,
pink,
sockeye and
kokanee Kokanee is a word from the Okanagan language referring to land-locked lake populations of sockeye salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''). It may also refer to:
* Kokanee Range, a subrange of the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada
* Kokanee sal ...
, a lake resident sockeye), along with several other
salmonid
Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish that constitutes the only currently extant family in the order Salmoniformes . It includes salmon (both Atlantic and Pacific species), trout (both ocean-going and landlocked), chars, freshwater whitefis ...
s (
bull trout,
Dolly Varden, both sea-run and resident
coastal cutthroat, and
steelhead and rainbow trout) which rely heavily on the return of salmon each year.
The main focus of the NSEA is to restore lowland riparian areas. These areas are commonly impacted by human activities such as
urban development,
agriculture, and timber harvest. Riparian areas slow runoff, filter chemicals and excess nutrients caused by agriculture, shade the water, and slow the process of erosion to riverbanks. The NSEA deals with the issue of riparian destruction by leading many volunteer projects each year. The aim of these projects are to replant native trees and shrubs along stream banks, construct fences to keep livestock out, do an array of in-stream habitat improvement projects including adding large woody debris or gravel to streams, and stabilize eroding or undercut banks. Along with habitat restoration, the NSEA gives many free educational seminars to the local area, along with local schools, on how they can help with salmon management. The current executive director of NSEA is Rachel Vasak.
See also
*
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an int ...
*
Conservation ethic
Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values unde ...
*
Conservation movement
*
Ecology
*
Ecology movement
*
Environmentalism
*
Environmental movement
*
Environmental protection
*
Habitat conservation
*
List of environmental organizations
*
Natural environment
*
Natural capital
*
Natural resource
*
Renewable resource
*
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
*
Sustainability
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
References
External links
Whatcom Salmon Recovery.
1990 establishments in Washington (state)
Nature conservation organizations based in the United States
Nooksack
Environmental organizations based in Washington (state)
Whatcom County, Washington
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