Fort Bragg Adcoate-News/Staff
When the Mendocino Unified School District board cut the SONAR program”s budget in half, the teachers came to the Salmon Restoration Association (SRA) for help.
They knew the SRA was already a supporter of educational programs that benefit budding young scientists, as well as migratory fish. The SRA agreed to pay half the costs and are given extensive monthly reports by the two teachers, Robert Jamgochian and Doug Nunn.
The SONAR program teaches kids how scientists work and think, from the political spectrum, such as their direct involvement in the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Process in 2010 to the often mucky and fishy work of counting fish and gathering samples.
The SONAR class of 2011 found one European green crab in a seining in the Big River estuary. The finding could have been significant as the green crab is an invasive species that has spread around the world; the class needed to study this more this year.
“The class followed a slightly modified protocol previously developed by UC Davis. No European green crabs were caught, meaning the study was inconclusive,” the two teachers reported to the SRA.
SONAR was granted up to $8,000 but only used $6,000 for the SRA part of its educational programs over the past 12 months.
Jere Melo
This year”s Salmon Barbecue will be dedicated to former Fort Bragg Mayor Jere Melo, a man who worked tirelessly at the event every year, regularly arriving at 6 a.m. to scrub down the barbecues. Salmon Restoration Board members recall him as a volunteer who never sought credit or preference for any specific program funded by the SRA.
Melo was murdered Aug. 27, 2011; the killing, along with that of forest manager Matt Coleman, resulted in a month-long search in the forest for accused killer Aaron Bassler, who was ultimately shot and killed by police.
The Salmon Barbecue offers award-winning microbrew from North Coast Brewing, fair trade coffee from Thanksgiving Coffee and wine from many local vintners; Cowlicks ice cream is served. Next door, the Department of Homeland Security offers tours of the revamped Coast Guard base and its rescue boats.
SRA projects
? $11,464 of barbecue funds went to the City of Fort Bragg”s Otis Johnson Wilderness Park over the past three years. The money went to Jug Handle Creek Farms for a program using Fort Bragg Middle School students as a learning labor force. Middle and high school students were paid by SRA to do the bulk of native plant cultivation and restorative planting for the spectacular city park facelift, which ended in May.
Under the direction of teacher Irene Heldstab and Helene Chalfin of Jug Handle, students gathered seeds in the park, planted them at Jug Handle Farms. SRA hopes this program will help create a new generation of forest, river and salmon restorers.
? $3,000 for the James Creek Sediment Assessment and Fish Passage Planning Project.
This is a project to repair erosion along 5.2 miles of road within the Jackson Demonstration State Forest property. The SRA funded an extensive study that will measure that erosion.
Field maps were created for use during funded assessment. All data collected were entered into databases and analyzed to determine future erosion volumes, sediment yield estimates, excavation volumes and hours of heavy equipment needed to implement treatment recommendations.
? $5,000 for a salmon survey on Anderson Creek, a tributary to the Eel River. The project was used by the Redwood Forest Foundation in the 50,000-acre Usal Forest in Northern Mendocino County. Anderson Creek lost its large salmon population to severe erosion caused by legacy logging practices.
? $5,000 to help locals understand the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative, currently in the process of creating new protected areas off the entire California coast. People who fish are among the best friends of salmon restoration.
? $30,000 as part of a $150,000 Noyo Watershed Alliance effort to replace a blocking salmon passage from Noyo River into Kass Creek. The money is being used to replace a failing and undersized long stringer bridge with a 60-foot steel structure that has better clearance.
? Mendocino Eco Artists (MEA) has raised thousands of dollars for SRA”s work with special shows and donated artworks.
MEA and John Dixon, owner of the Glendeven Inn of Little River, are presenting a special exhibit of fine art, “Back to the Rivers,” benefiting SRA. The show will be open through Sept. 30 with new pieces coming in regularly. Daily hours are from 9 a.m. to noon and 3 to 7 p.m.
? The second Annual Salmon Film Festival will build on last year”s festival. This year the SRA looks forward to connecting with additional county and regional organizations by matching each film with a “champion” a group that connects the film with local actions.
It takes hundreds of volunteers put on the event from Lions, Rotary, Soroptimist, Knights of Columbus, Kiwanis, along with Harvest Market, Fort Bragg Feed and Pet, North Coast Brewing, Thanksgiving Coffee and many others contribute.
The bulk of the 3,000-plus people who attend the barbecue each year make a special trip to do so, most often from the North Bay and Sacramento Valley areas.
The event was started in 1973 by commercial fishermen, hoping to find ways to restore salmon populations and has been a fixture in Fort Bragg ever since.
Secret recipe revealed
Four (6-ounce) salmon fillets and basting sauce, recipe follows:
Directions: Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat.
Put salmon in a shallow baking dish and pour basting sauce over to coat the salmon, reserving 1/3 of the basting sauce for grilling. Marinate the salmon fillets for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate covered up to 4 hours. Place the fish on the grill skin side down. Grill until just cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Brush with the reserved basting sauce throughout the grilling process.
Serve immediately.
Basting Sauce: Combine ingredients in a bowl, mix well.
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For more information, visit salmonrestoration.org. or email salmonrestoration@gmail.com.
