Dear Friends of Wild Salmon,
I have felt an affinity for the Pacific Northwest’s waterways for as long as I can remember. In tandem with my affinity for rivers and streams, I also developed my love of fish at an early age. This life-long love affair with rivers and fish naturally led me to my involvement with the Salmon Watch environmental education program and later World Salmon Council.
With so many amazing outdoor memories of my own, I feel the need to provide young people meaningful opportunities to better understand and enjoy the wonders of nature. The Salmon Watch program delivers an unmatched opportunity to motivate students to learn, profess and respect the importance of wild salmon conservation and healthy watersheds. I therefore want to share the Salmon Watch program with as many people as I can.
As a child reared by two full-time teachers, I can truly appreciate the power of Salmon Watch. Salmon Watch creates hope and inspiration and educates the world in a manner that excites all who participate within the program.
The teachers, volunteers and agency experts enjoy the all-day Salmon Watch training. It is fun, informative, provides effective educational tools to teach the children and builds greater community around wild salmon sustainability. The extensive Salmon Watch curriculum that we provide to the schools for classroom instruction is met with enthusiasm and gratitude.
All program participants relish the Salmon Watch field trip experience to witness salmon spawning in their natal streams. Some of my favorite moments occur during the Salmon Watch field trips when students walk up to me after one of my presentations to share their excitement about the salmon’s life journey with me. When students learn about the salmon’s inspiring journey and the ongoing threats to the salmon’s survival, they are inspired to become stewards of wild salmon and watersheds. The students’ Salmon Watch community service projects empower them to translate their personal concern about wild salmon into positive action.
World Salmon Council encompasses all facets of life that fuel my being: Education, Community Engagement and Stewardship of salmon. It provides a voice for all things salmon. These are the ingredients that drive my personal desire to grow World Salmon Council globally.
My life is so much more rewarding because of my involvement with World Salmon Council and Salmon Watch. I feel very fortunate to work with such a talented and capable group of people who are so dedicated to educating, engaging and empowering local communities in wild salmon sustainability.
I invite you to learn about and support World Salmon Council’s ongoing efforts both to educate our young people and advocate for wild salmon and the watersheds that sustain them. There are many ways you can get involved: make a donation, become a Salmon Watch volunteer, and recruit others to the cause.
With your support and involvement, World Salmon Council can ensure that Salmon Watch serves more and more young people in the Pacific Northwest every year. Please join us.
Sincerely,
Michael Knapp
World Salmon Council Vice President
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