PORT TOWNSEND — The annual Hood Canal Environmental Achievement Awards and Conference will be held in The Commons at Fort Worden State Park from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5.
Sponsored by the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, this year’s conference theme is “Economic and Environmental Health in Hood Canal.”
Nine persons will receive achievement awards.
Their efforts range from fighting pollution to rebuilding salmon runs to educating the public about natural resources.
“The intent of this year’s conference is to get a better picture of the work and activities that are in progress throughout the Hood Canal watershed,” the council said in a statement.
Forum for eco-issues
“This conference provides a forum for the economic, social and cultural arenas, such as shellfish, tourism, agriculture, timber and development that work and play in the Hood Canal watershed.
“Panelists will discuss how their work relates to the health of the Hood Canal and what possible role they can play in helping to achieve the council’s shared vision — Humans benefiting from and coexisting sustainably with a healthy Hood Canal.”
There is no fee for the conference, which includes a light lunch.
Registration closed on Oct. 25, but a few seats may still be available.
Contact Robin Lawlis at 360-394-0046 or rlawlis@hcc.wa.gov.
Award winners
• Colony Surf Community — Shoreline areas in this community near Lilliwaup were transformed by residents under the leadership of Tudi Whitright, according to Sue Texeira, public involvement coordinator for the coordinating council.
The project started with a native plant workshop offered by the Mason Conservation District.
Work parties removed Scotch broom and blackberries, replacing them with tall Oregon grape and coastal strawberry.
The effort has improved habitat along Hood Canal while creating a community space for Colony Surf residents.
• Gold Coast Oyster Co. — Owner Scott Grout has documented pollution problems which led to shellfish closures in southern Hood Canal, including the Skokomish estuary.
He pushed to have sanitation facilities at all public areas from Union to Brinnon. Also, with the help of area resident Bill Allen, Grout was successful in getting appropriate management of biosolids at the Webb Hill facility near Union.
• Mike Sharar — A posthumous award will go to the former director of ESA Adolfson’s Olympia office, where Sharar’s work led to ongoing environmental progress in Hood Canal.
The environmental consulting firm was involved in four advanced wastewater facilities in southern Hood Canal, which are now under construction or in planning.
Texeira said his success was in getting people working together for a common goal, and he had a rare gift for presenting hard facts with humility and a sense of humor.
• Rick Endicott — As a lifelong resident of Hood Canal and an employee of the Long Live the Kings group, Endicott made it his life’s goal to restore salmon and steelhead.
In 1993, he led the effort to acquire property near Lilliwaup for a salmon-restoration hatchery, which he continues to manage.
He was instrumental in the effort to restore steelhead to the Hamma Hamma River, where he helped develop methods now used in many other streams.
• Ron and Bernadette Olson — The Olsons are model shoreline stewards, having donated a conservation easement on seven acres at Tekiu Point on Hood Canal’s eastern shore, Texeira said.
The property, monitored by Great Peninsula Conservancy, includes 400 feet of natural shoreline and three acres of productive tidelands.
Without their involvement, the habitat likely would have been converted to a housing development, she said.
• Tom Ammeter — Ammeter has served on the board of the North Olympic Salmon Coalition for 19 years, including 15 years as president.
Heading into retirement, he is being recognized for leading the group in many projects, from the first volunteer efforts to restore summer chum on Chimacum Creek to million-dollar projects across the North Olympic Peninsula.
• Judith Rubin — The stewardship director of the Northwest Watershed Institute, Rubin has played a key role in designing streamside planting projects on hundreds of acres in the Tarboo and Dabob Bay watersheds, Texeira said.
In 2004, Rubin started a school fundraising project called “Plant-A-Thon, which involves about 250 people and raises about $30,000 a year for five schools.
Students and their parents learn about ecology while working together to improve the natural environment.
• Nora Maloney — With help from other members of the Hood Canal Watershed Education Network, Maloney was key to the recent “Do Some Good for the Hood” campaign, which raised awareness about Hood Canal while conducting productive, volunteer events.
Nearly 1,000 participants were involved in 32 events during May and June, far exceeding the goal of 200 participants.
• Rich Geiger — As district engineer for Mason Conservation District, Geiger has embraced many restoration projects to improve the health of the Skokomish River and Hood Canal.
Working with the Skokomish Tribe, Geiger designed and directed the two-phase removal of dikes and roads in the Skokomish River estuary to improve habitat for salmon, migratory waterfowl and shellfish.