The HCSEG started unofficially as a grassroots organization in 1986 and continues today since its' official designation in 1990.  We are committed to saving and restoring the Wild Salmon populations of the Hood Canal through staff and community support.  We do this by combining fun and hard work to achieve our goals.  Volunteers play a major role in helping the HCSEG achieve its mission of conserving, protecting, and enhancing the Wild Salmon populations, including the habitat and all other ecological and biological components they depend on.  Without the help of our volunteers we could never have achieved what we have done or continue to do.  We hope you will consider giving your time to help our Wild Salmon!

Volunteers Help Us to Save Wild Salmon!

 "One of the greatest gifts one is given is the ability to work hard at work worth doing"   ~Theodore Roosevelt

Who Are Our Volunteers? 

The HCESG volunteers are a special group of people who want to give back to their community while trying to protect the beauty and natural resources they are fortunate enough to enjoy.  They are parents and families who want to teach the values of conservation to their children and instill in them an intrinsic desire to protect the area they live in.  They do this in hopes that their own future generations will enjoy the treasure they have.  They are retired individuals who want to pass on their wealth of knowledge and expertise.  They are students who want to enhance their own background experiences to prepare them for jobs in fisheries or other environmental related positions.  They are professionals who are interested in providing some of their expertise in specific areas where they are needed.  Mostly, they are folks who are passionate about the outdoors and Wild Salmon.  They realize that everything is connected and that by helping to protect one part, helps to ultimately protects the whole.

What Do HCSEG Volunteers Do? 

The Volunteer who works for the HCSEG do a variety of duties, working anywhere from a few hours a week to a few days a month, to a couple of days out of the year.  Most every volunteer opportunity is dependent on the season and when the fish are most active.  Times when the fish are not moving, we work hard at habitat restoration efforts, participating in educational opportunities or community events to increase public knowledge and awareness.  Check out the plethora of opportunities below.                                             

Spawner Surveys Volunteers count live & dead salmon throughout stream reaches.   Surveys are carried out from October to December.

        

 

Genetic Sampling  Volunteers sample adult salmon for age, Genetic Stock Identification (GSI), and DNA.  This is done by taking samples from fish carcasses such length, scale samples for age and otolith (ear bone) samples to identify where they came from etc.  Additionally, they collect tissue samples: gill plate, heart, liver, eye and body tissue.  The samples go to the Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife labs for assessment and further pathology testing to determine disease or parasites present.  Volunteers with a biology or ichthyology background is preferred, but we will train.

Stream Surveying Volunteers walk rivers to locate any habitat problems such as fish passage barriers.  Information is GPS'd and plotted on a map for potential habitat restoration needs and to pass-on updated stream type classification to State and Federal agencies.

Monitoring Fish Harvest  We assist the WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in monitoring Tribal and sport fish harvest.  Although we are a non-regulating organization, we help in reporting illegal fishing activity to those in a position to deliver corrective action.  Specific info about harvest location, boat identification (coast guard registration numbers, vessel type, size, etc..) and fish gear used is the pertinent information needed.  If you know of or suspect illegal fishing activity, please contact the appropriate law enforcement.                                                                                    WDFW Fisheries Enforcement (360) 586-6129 or (360) 249-4628
Skokomish Tribe Fisheries Enforcement-(360) 426-4740                      Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Fisheries Enforcement (360) 731-8675

Union/Tahuya Summer Chum Trap Supplementation  Volunteers are needed at the adult fish trap on the Union River 24 hours a day, seven days a week!  They work round the clock in 5 hour shifts and count salmon by species and sex.  The trap is in place from August 15th to October 15th.  We catch Summer Chum, Chinook, and Coho salmon during the trap season.

Hama/Lilliwaup Supplementation Volunteers use a beach seine net to capture endangered Summer Chum for spawning.  They collect about 30 pair throughout the run.  They have to sort out the Chinook and Coho from the net and release them to spawn upriver.

      

  

  

Salmon Education Docents Educators are needed during the school year to help out in the classroom with teaching students K-12 about Wild Salmon, tier ecosystems and about water quality.  Volunteers should be kid-friendly, able to multi-task, willing to participate in hands-on activities including but not limited to: art/craft projects, physical activity games, biology lessons/dissections, field trips to and in streams, Power Point presentations (Wild Wise, Nature Mapping, Wild Salmon education), water quality sampling, role play and puppeteer, macroinvertebrate analysis,etc...  We prefer individuals who have at least two years experience in education.  If you are a certified teacher, even better.  But don't be shy if you are not a teacher or have previous experience, we will teach you to teach others.  ALL VOLUNTEERS WORKING WITH CHILDREN WILL BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT CRIMINAL HISTORY AND BACKGROUND CHECK.

Riparian/Stream side Restoration –planting, removing fish passage barriers Volunteers are need to help with riparian plantings or restoring streams for fish passage to upland spawning and rearing grounds.  Volunteers should be able to lift sandbags for stream side stabilization projects, use garden tools and be able to walk in or along a stream bed.

Wild Salmon Incubator Installation Volunteers help install Wild Salmon Incubators (WSI's) at a conservancy.  Wild salmon eggs are put in trays inside and volitionally move out after hatching.  WSI's are ideal to incubate salmon in remote settings.

               

  

 

Fish Feeding/Rearing As an extension of our supplementation projects, volunteers feed juvenile salmon at our Wild Salmon Conservancy sites for approximately 4-6 weeks prior to their release.  Conservancies are used to prevent endangered stocks from becoming extinct. 

 

 Smolt Trap Installation Volunteers install temporary traps in streams to catch salmon smolts.  We use smolt traps in a study and measure and weigh the out migrating salmonid as part of our on-going nutrification study.

               

  

   

 

Smolt Trap Monitoring Volunteers help check smolt traps from the end of March to the beginning of June.  They categorize and record the species and stage (parr, smolt, adult) and let them go. 

                                                  

        Before                      After                                   Engineering/Construction Volunteers with engineering or construction backgrounds are needed to be our eyes and ears of in field project operations(culvert replacement, removal, repair, bridge construction, etc..)

Nutrification/Carcass Deployment Volunteers help distribute salmon carcasses in various rivers in Hood Canal to add needed nutrients.  When there aren't enough returning salmon, the entire river ecosystem is affected.  Carcasses are provided from the Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife and are tested for disease before distribution into rivers.

          

Photography Volunteer photographers are needed year round to capture images of projects as they occur for historical reference.  These images are used in our newsletters, on our web site, in Power Point presentations, posters brochures etc.. 

Dissolved Oxygen Sampling  Volunteers in cooperation with the Washington Dept. of Ecology and the University of Washington conduct weekly sampling on the Hood Canal which are used in the PRISM model to forecast and indicate low dissolved oxygen levels in the Hood Canal.  HCSEG volunteers sample at seven different locations within the Hood Canal to get a comparative analysis of conditions.  

   

 

Water Quality Sampling  In cooperation with the Mason Conservation District and the Mason County Dept. of Health, the HCSEG volunteers take part in a monthly sampling effort to test the water quality on the Big and Little Mission Creeks.  This is part of the Centennial Clean Water Grant provided by the Dept. of Ecology where samplers take part in sampling for both fecal coliform and metal/oil/pesticide contaminants. 

 

Near shore Assessment  Volunteers help to monitor the near shore to survey the eel grass beds, forage fish populations, shellfish populations etc...  Volunteers will GPS data points to inventory habitat areas.  Volunteers should have experience in using a GPS, but we will train.

        

Data Entry Volunteers input project specific relevant data into our database.  Volunteers must be computer savvy with specific experience in Excel.

Bulk Mailings Volunteers help fold, stuff, and label bulk mailings and the quarterly newsletter. These volunteers can work as often or infrequently as they like.

If you have any special skills, equipment, time or just a desire to help out WE NEED YOU!

There are many more volunteer opportunities that are too numerous to mention and change with project needs.  Most volunteer efforts require no experience, rather just a dedicated and reliable individual. 

To become a volunteer or find out more about our current volunteer opportunities, please call Chris Daniel  or Julie Easton at (360)-275-3575.  Our volunteer coordinator can also be reached via e-mail at chris@hcseg.org.  Thank you!!!