Pressroom
Wild Salmon Center Newsletter May - June 2006
Dear Friends of the Wild Salmon Center
I'm delighted to announce that the Kamchatka Regional Administration approved the final legal designation of the Kol River Salmon Refuge, the world's first protected area designated to protect a salmon ecosystem. One of the most productive and diverse salmon rivers in the world—over 500,000 acres of pristine land from headwaters to ocean—is now protected thanks to our supporters, Russian partners and the great efforts of our Kamchatka program staff.
As you may be aware, this historic event was preceded by years of cooperative work with Russian partners and the United Nations Development Program, and in 2004 Wild Salmon Center received a decree guaranteeing gubernatorial support for the refuge. Today that work has been formally completed, and the Kol River Salmon Refuge is the law of the land. We are now creating a management plan for the river basin, and are in discussions with our Russian partners which additional Kamchatka rivers to target for protected status. Read more about this win . . .
We received urgent news of another sort from the Russian Far East.
Working with the IUCN World Conservation Union Salmonid Specialist Group (which we co-chair), we've determined that one of the largest and most ancient salmon, the Sakhalin taimen—an apex species known to gulp down small mammals and birds—is gravely endangered. Our assessment has led to the placement of Sakhalin taimen on the IUCN's 2006 Red List of Threatened Species. Their designation as "critically endangered" represents the highest risk of extinction for a species. The Wild Salmon Center is acting now to spur international action to save these sea-run fish, so long a part of the Russian Far East and Japanese landscapes. Read more . . .
Meanwhile here in North America, we're establishing a long term collaborative initiative to secure our remaining salmon strongholds. As we mentioned in a prior newsletter this initiative is based on a scientific assessment of the entire range of salmon in the North Pacific. We can now consider the importance of salmon populations within this range, and focus on securing the populations that are most critical to the long term survival of wild salmon.
It is vital to work with local communities to protect salmon strongholds. Our goal in North America is to help citizens in the heart of wild salmon country find the resources they need to protect key stream habitat and maintain vibrant economies. The Wild Salmon Center will leverage public and private resources to increase the resources available for protection of healthy river basins and the services they provide: clean water, natural resources, recreation, food, fish, and wildlife.
Over the last few weeks we have met with congressional representatives, foundations, national and international conservation organizations, as well as President Bush's Council on Environmental Quality. Our meetings have been productive and the Salmon Stronghold Partnership idea is being well received. We will continue to meet locally with Bonneville Power Administration officials and the Northwest Power Planning Council to ensure that the region's salmon conservation investments are refocused in part to protect the last remaining strongholds here in our own backyard and throughout the west.
We welcome your comments and feedback, as well as your support—please consider a gift today.
Warm regards,
Guido Rahr, President and CEO
Three of our Russian colleagues have been honored in England this month with one of the world's most prestigious conservation awards. The Whitley Awards, set up by the U.K based Whitley Fund for Nature, are designed to increase global attention to their projects. Our partner Dmitry Lisitsyn was presented with his award "for campaigning to protect wild salmon on the Far East island of Sakhalin, which have been endangered by industrialization and wide-scale poaching."