1st Official Field Day - The Hatchery

Thursday, July 7th, 2022, our first Official Field Day...

The first night camping in the tent outdoors was amazing, besides that I didn't realize our sleeping mats were self-deflate and didn't clear all the pinecones underneath my tent. It rained and stormed all night, I love the sound and smell of rain as well as the thunder that comes with it. It didn't disturb my sleep at all other than waking up sore from the pinecone being under my tent and mat.  

We arrived at the Spokane Tribe's Fish Hatchery where we met Tim Peone, Program Manager of the Facility who had obtained his Biology Degree from Eastern Washington University.  Aside him was Casey Flanagan who also obtained her Biology Degree from Eastern Washington University and is the Water & Fish Project Manager. Last, was Calvin Fisher who is originally from South Mississippi and obtained his B.S. in Fisheries and Aquaculture, being from across the country he took up learning what he could from the Spokane Tribe's History and Culture to best apply his knowledge to help the Spokane People which I thought was very inspiring and awesome of him to do being from a completely different area.

I am always excited and amazed by those I meet and can hear the passion be heard through their voice and their energy. Not only did I see this in Warren Seyler yesterday but also Tim Peone. From the time that the program began with him being selected for it, literally working and witnessing the hatchery grow from the ground up and the goals he has to continue the growth of the hatchery.  The importance of the history from his elders and family how important water and fish were to their tribe, and him applying that to how he operates the hatchery is just fascinating.  He showed us the spring he found based off his grandmothers knowledge and bringing that back and protecting it, I love how he implies that and where his passion stemmed and grew from that.  

Casey Flanagan was also pretty cool with her going to school on the reservation, being an EWU alumni and then returning back to her people and land to help with water and fish projects for the success in those resources now and future.  Calvin Fisher again is cool knowing he found his way to this reservation to help a tribe with their fish and water as well.  

We took a tour of the facility and it had beautiful murals of an artist by the name of George Flett who I knew personally through my dad. I had always loved his work and buy it any chance I see it.  We got to see the nursery for the rainbow trout, how they are tagged, the growth and improvement of their facilities, as well as some baby sturgeon up close and personal. I personally loved the tour.

After, we headed to the Little Thishimikan Creek to try and bucket some different species of native fish that thrived there once. In particular it was Red Band Trout they were trying to find by Fish Population Assessment Surveying.  We electro-shocked fish in approximately 100 meters of the creek.  I had done this work before when I was a Water Technician and helped fisheries surveying Toppenish Creek back home but over a decade ago so I wanted to help as much as I could and got a little selfish I admit and competitive to catch the most fish lol.  We resulted in finding the sucker fish, speckled trout, leaches, dragonfly larvae, rainbow trout.  

we wrapped up the day and returned to camp, I was able to visit my babies for a bit to do a pre-interview with Darrin Gunkel the filmmaker out of Seattle over the phone. I had to use a landline in order to do it since I didn't have any cell service on the rez.