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Sakhalin Island Delegation touring the Sandy River

Sakhalin Island Delegation touring the Sandy River

Programs

Sakhalin Island Delegation Visits Pacific NorthwestNews & Program Updates

January - February, 2006

Last November a delegation of Sakhalin Island governmental, scientific and NGO leaders traveled the United States as part of the Sakhalin Restoration Partnership and WSC's Sakhalin Salmon Initiative. The exchange was very successful. The group saw firsthand possibilities for river restoration activities, explored the issue of environmental education, examined public and private land management in Oregon, and engaged key players from both sides of the Pacific to work toward best river practices and collaborative projects.

Project History and Goals

This exchange was part of the Sakhalin Restoration Partnership, created by the Wild Salmon Center in 2004 to take lessons from the Siuslaw Basin Partnership and the USFS Pacific Northwest Region to Russia. The Siuslaw Partnership is an ongoing, cooperative effort that has involved private landowners, local organizations and state and federal agencies over the last 15 years. In 2004, the project won the International Thiess Riverprize for outstanding achievement in the restoration and preservation of rivers and watersheds. At the encouragement of the Riverprize organizers, the Partnership "twinned," or initiated sharing of its restoration expertise, with Russian partners on the island of Sakhalin in the Russian Far East. Through this partnership, comprehensive restoration plans will be created and carried out on pilot watersheds on the island.

delegation visiting Deadwood Creek, Siuslaw River Basin

Sergey Makeev documents restoration work on Deadwood Creek in the Siuslaw River Basin, Oregon for the Sakhalin Delegation.

Outcomes and next steps

Working with representatives of the Forest Service, the Russian and American delegates created a list of criteria to decide the locations of pilot restoration projects on Sakhalin. The group debated the relative merits of five possible rivers in light of these criteria and determined which stakeholders on Sakhalin must also be approached for consultation. A strategic planning meeting with representatives of the Forest Service, WSC and the Siuslaw Institute yielded some concrete future steps for the work on Sakhalin. Most notably, the USFS will prepare a concept paper on site-specific restoration techniques during the spring in 2006. Work will then being in July 2006, with American partners traveling to Sakhalin to participate.

delegation at USFS Pacific Northwest Region headquarters

Jeff Uebel explains watershed analysis to Alexander Dashevskiy, Anatoly Vysotskiy and Liudmila Makeeva at the USFS Pacific Northwest Region headquarters.

delegation meets with fisheries biologists from Portland General Electric

Fisheries biologists from Portland General Electric discuss their role in the company's Barton Side Channel restoration project.

Participants:

  1. Igor Bystrov: Director of the Sakhalin Regional Administration Center for Coastal Fisheries and Commercial Oversight
  2. Alexander Dashevskiy: President of Sakhalin Outdoor Club LLC
  3. Sergey Makeev: Director of the Sakhalin Wild Nature Fund NGO
  4. Liudmila Makeeva: Head Ichthyologist at the Sakhalin Federal Fisheries Management Agency (SakhalinRybVod) Aniva station
  5. Anatoly Vysotskiy: Director of the Conservation Office of the Federal Forestry Department in Sakhalin

Main Hosts:

  1. Karen Bennett: Watershed Program Manager for Siuslaw National Forest, USDA Forest Service (USFS)
  2. Paul Burns: Fisheries Biologist, USDA Forest Service
  3. Dave Heller: Regional Fish Program Leader, Pacific Northwest Region, USDA Forest Service
  4. Johan Hogervorst: Hydrologist, USDA Forest Service
  5. Dave Martin: Russia Far East Salmon Biodiversity Program Director, Wild Salmon Center (WSC)
  6. Nicole Portley: Russia Far East Program Assistant, WSC
  7. Johnny Sundstrom: Coordinator of the Siuslaw Institute, Inc.