Western's Huxley College Speaker Series to Host NSEA's Rachel Vasak Jan. 27

Contact: Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-3520.

BELLINGHAM – Rachel Vasak, Executive Director of Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, will present "Restoring Wild Salmon in Whatcom County" as part of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at noon on Friday, Jan. 27 in AW 304 on the Western campus. 

The presentation is free and open to the public.

For thousands of years wild Pacific salmon have returned to their native streams to spawn.  Salmon have shaped  northwest natural history fundamentally and they anchor many human cultures in the Pacific Northwest.  Salmon populations have endured through glacial advances and retreats, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, fires, and floods, but salmon abundances and distributions have declined markedly over the last century due to human activities. Their future in our region will be determined in large part by how we respond to those declines.

The Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring sustainable wild salmon runs in Whatcom County. NSEA is the local Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group established by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to organize citizen volunteers for salmon recovery in Whatcom County.  NSEA relies on volunteers to provide expertise, experience, labor, and resources to conduct restoration projects, spawner surveys, and salmon education.  NSEA supports many internships, in which WWU students gain field experience and natural-resource job skills.

Rachel Vasak has worked for the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association in a variety of capacities as both a staff member and a volunteer for more than a decade. She became NSEA's Executive Director in March 2008.  An avid rock-hound, Vasak received her bachelor's degree in Geology from Western with a focus on stream geomorphology.  Away from the office, she and her husband Ryan enjoy their Ferndale hobby farm with their young son Fenton.

Anyone interested in this topic is encouraged to come and participate; the presentation will include a question-and-answer period.  The speaker series is held by Western's Huxley College of the Environment to bring together the environmentally minded community and other interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities.  Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

For more information, please contact the main office of Huxley College of the Environment, at (360) 650-3520.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College’s academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world.  This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has earned international recognition for the quality of its programs.