Programs

Accomplishments

Helped establish the Kol River Salmon Protected Area, a headwaters-to-ocean preserve that restricts development on 544,000 acres of the Kol and Kekhta watersheds. The Wild Salmon Center and partners also initiated an effort to create an additional 330,000-acre protected area that will encompass the Utkholok and Kvachina river basins to safeguard rare populations of steelhead.

Launched an ambitious effort to create an additional five whole-basin salmon protected areas. This initiative will create a salmon protected area network that encompasses 10 entire river systems, protecting up to 6 million acres of habitat for salmon, bears, eagles, seals, and hundreds of other species. Safeguarding these rivers is crucial for the region's commercial and sport fisheries.

Completed construction of biological stations on the Kol River and Utkholok River and created the WSC-SaRON research program on salmon ecosystems. Biostation salmon scientists participated in many international conservation science meetings and produced 15 scientific articles for publication. Researchers collected three years of baseline data for long-term salmon trend monitoring, and examined the roles of river complexity and marine-derived nutrients from carcasses on salmon productivity and diversity. Students have completed six graduate projects through the biostations.

Training, Eudcation & Outreach

Supported the launch of "Kamchatka Salmon," an education program now taught in Kamchatka's middle and high schools. The program encourages young people to understand and appreciate their natural resources.
Initiated a training program for Russian protected area managers in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme.
Gained international attention for Kamchatka's salmon conservation initiatives, and, in October 2006, were featured in a front-page article in the Sunday New York Times. (New York Times, Oct. 15, 2006)