Friends of the Hatchery

Another Friends of the Hatchery Newsletter / July 28, 2008


Good morning, everyone!

It's been another extremely busy month. And there have been some developments. Please allow me to share them with you.

Pacific Tower Properties (PTP) is the new property management company for Sheldon Jackson College, replacing Chilkat Services. I am grateful to Russ and Sky / Chilkat Services for all their contributions. It was good of them to employ me during last December, following my layoff from the College. (I helped board up windows on the quad, and do the rounds of the buildings.) They are both great fans of the hatchery program, and I sincerely thank them for all their efforts to keep the Sage Enterprise alive.

I have met Mark and Lisa of PTP, during a day they were touring the hatchery grounds. They both seemed very positive about the hatchery and wetlab. I look forward to getting to know both of them better, and helping in the task of taking care of Sage Enterprise.

Here's some SSSC news- I signed Addendum #4 this month, and my month-to-month contract with the Sitka Sound Science Center continues! Mr. John Stein was hired by the SSSC as their new Executive Director- congratulations to you, John!! I look forward to working with you and the Board. In addition, the SSSC was awarded $10,000 from the City of Sitka from the Salmon Enhancement portion of the Fish Box Tax, and $2,500 from the PNP grant fund. These dollars make it much easier for the SSSC to continue their lease arrangement with the College into August and beyond.

Here's an Americorps update- Jessie, Charity and Mandi have been giving tours of the facility, making signs and printing / laminating pictures, and setting up kiosk displays. In addition, they transferred the chinook fry in Ponds 13 and 14 into Ponds 9 and 11. Americorps students working for Russ Thorpe (Jonathan, Seaton and Joe) tore the sagging, leaking roof off of the spawning shed, and have been working on replacing it! The roof is now finished, and they are installing the conduit for the ceiling lights and exhaust fan. I have been their construction supervisor for this past week, and am impressed with their ability. My thanks go out to everyone who was involved in making this happen!!

From July 21st to July 24th, ANSWER Camp students visited, touring the hatchery, and assisted with the transfers of coho fry from Nursery Troughs into Ponds 13 and 14. They all were very attentive and helpful, and I'm glad they could come here and learn! If you want to learn more about the Alaska Native Student Wisdom Enrichment Retreat, go to www.answercamp.org. There is a photo gallery for this summer's events.

The water has been turned on to the fish ladder since June 15th, but so far there has only been one adult fish return. We have been patiently waiting for the chinook to arrive, but so far, none have returned. By now the pinks should have come in as well. The fish return has been late for many Alaskan hatcheries. We have to be patient, and confident. There are schools of pinks out in the estuary of Indian River, but only a few jumpers at the bottom of the fish ladder so far.

Here's a Wetlab / Aquarium update- Lynn Wilbur has been coming in every day, and overseeing the operation and maintenance of the Wetlab. She has trained student helpers, and together they have made the Wetlab and Aquarium a beautiful place to visit. Visitors marvel at the cleanliness and orderliness of the place. Lynn and Henry have put their heart and soul into this endeavor, making it something that the College and the volunteers can be proud of. What's really something are the number of 7th grade students who have been helping!! Everybody works together, and shares in all the duties. One project that has been ongoing for awhile now is the refurbishing of an old acrylic aquarium donated to the College several years ago. It has been resurfaced / polished on the insides, and soon I will prepare a stand for it, and provide water plumbing into and out. This tank will soon be the home for a group of Kelp Greenlings now living in the hatchery incubation room. Thank you, Lynn, for all your dedication to this project. I'm sure that Molly would be touched by your leadership and devotion to keeping the Aquarium and Wetlab Alive!!

Dan Neri from Emperor Aquatics contacted me awhile back. Emperor Aquatics makes a variety of products for the aquaculture industry. I offered to promote their Ultraviolet and Incubation products to the visitors coming through here this summer, and in exchange Emperor has sent me an upwelling egg incubator to try out with our chinook and coho program. My summer project is to install this component into our existing incubation system, adding a recirculation ability to chinook and coho incubation. I would like to be able to perform otolith marking on the coho and chinook eggs we take this fall. For more information about otolith marking of salmonids, see this site: http://tagotoweb.adfg.state.ak.us/OTO/ For more information about Emperor Aquatics, please visit their website: www.emperoraquatics.com

Steve Warren had volunteered to pressure wash the Sage Building, anticipating dry weather, and a possible opportunity for painting. This preparation for painting is now done, and tho the building still looks like it needs painting, it was a tremendous effort, and I am very thankful for his involvement! He began working on the broken and crumbling windowsills as well, using a hydraulic cement product that sets up quickly, and can be molded and worked nicely. Thanks so much, Steve, for all your time and hard work to get us to where we are today. The paint for the building was ordered, and is now at Spenards, awaiting pickup. What color will it be? you are all asking, right? Many years ago, the building was painted a beige color, and that's what it will be again. I would like to think there will be warm enough weather this summer for drying and painting, and that there will be enough volunteer effort to get the job done.

United States Senator Senator Ted Stevens visited Sitka about 3 weeks ago, and one of his stops was the Sage Building and Hatchery. It was an honor to meet him, and be a part of the tour group that showed him this most wonderful facility. Keith Cox described the vision of the SSSC to the Senator as well.

Regent Seven Seas Cruise Lines has developed a special walking tour arrangement with Allen Marine Tours. The group visits the SJ Hatchery, Aquarium and Wetlab on Mondays and Fridays, every other week. The name of the tour is Ambassadors of the Environment, or AOTE. The walking tour starts at the Raptor Center, and works their way through the Park, visiting the Hatchery, and then they go out on an Allen Marine boat, and see marine wildlife. I give a short presentation to the visitors, and they get to feed the fish in the display tanks, and view the touch tables and aquariums inside. Everyone really seems to like what they see, and I think it's great!! Allen Marine donates $3.00 per visitor on their walking tour to the Friends of the Hatchery account. This is special, and I want to thank John Dunlap for this wonderful gift. I'm hopeful that this will happen again next summer as well.

The State of Alaska funding for the SSSC will begin sometime during August, I have been told. I am going to be renegotiating my existing contract with the Sitka Sound Science Center, so that I can hire a helper for the fall and winter. My company, Goodness Enterprises, is about to expand. My plan is to continue to recruit volunteers, and to once again invite all the local High School science classes, to partake in every aspect of fish culture here. I will surely need helpers as the eggtake season begins.

At this time, I want to once again thank all the people who have donated time and money to this project. The Friends of the Hatchery account will have a balance of over $4,000 this next week, following another deposit from the past two weeks. These dollars will go toward the continuing operation of the Hatchery and Wetlab. The doors to the Wetlab and Hatchery are open 7 days a week. This weekend was one of the first in many months that I was able to have some time off, and it's because volunteers were available to cover for me, and take care of the fish. Mandi, Jessie, and Susan, I really appreciate how you helped me! Without the help of the volunteers, I don't know what I would have done.

Every Saturday I have gone around town, collecting donations from the plastic containers. Lila helps every Saturday afternoon, rolling up all the change, and counting out the bills. All that money has been a huge part of the hatchery's survival. All you folks here in this town of Sitka, and all you folks who visited the Sage Building, and left your donations-You have all helped make the hatchery program a success!! This hatchery, and the Aquarium, is there for your education, and for your children's education, and for your enjoyment, and we all thank you for your contribution to keeping it going. It's hard for me to describe how much I appreciate everyone's gifts. I will do everything I can to keep the facility open, for the future, and for the good of this City.

Soon the fish will return, and before long there will be water running in the incubators again. Broodyear 2008 is about to begin!

I can imagine many of you ask yourselves, as I do, the following question: Will "normal" classes be taught here again? Well, I say this- As long as the Sitka Sound Science Center contract-operates the SJ Hatchery for SJC, there's every reason to expect this to happen. The State of Alaska granted a quarter million dollars this year to keep the educational component of the SJ Hatchery alive. There are a number of research projects that could be launched into right away. Additional grant funding could be sought after. Hands-on training opportunity for interns is available at any time, all through the year. The hatchery lives on, and I need for the students to return as much as I need the fish!! I truly believe this site would be ideal for University of Alaska fish culture students to get experienced in coded wire tagging, fin clipping, sampling, recirculation technology, spawning techniques, etc. There's always the possibility of a certificate program to be developed here as well.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures. If ever you're in Sitka, please feel free to stop by the Sage Building, and see what we've all done. It's a labor of love.

Daniel F. Goodness, Manager
Sheldon Jackson Hatchery
834 Lincoln Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835

Office Phone: 907-747-3824
Home Phone: 907-747-3824
Email: daniel.goodness@gmail.com
Website: www.sjhatchery.org

"Education never stopped at the SJ Hatchery"