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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 12, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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November 12, 2020
 
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Page A-1O Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020 si’éaasawas“"" ' gordon@masoncounty corn The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group this month celebrates its 30th anniversary ensur- ing salmon are abundant in local waters. The nonprofit headquartered in Belfair is one of the 12 original Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups (RFEG) created by the Legislature in 1990. The RFEGs were created to be partners to help salmon recovery efforts, supported by local volun- teers. Group employees and volunteers monitor and help restore salmon in the riversheds of Hood Ca- nal, including the Union, Dewatto, Little Quilcene and Tahuya rivers. The group nurtures a certified organic garden and hosts farm animals that include ducks, goats, llamas, alpacas and chickens. The group demonstrates that agriculture, salmon and people can co—exist. “We used to just raise fish,” said executive direc— ‘ tor Mendy Harlow, who joined the team in 2003 through the AmeriCorps program. “Now we’re doing $2, $3-million habitat projects.” The group was first headquartered at the The- ler Wetlands. In 2007, it moved next door into the building that now houses Smith Insurance. In 2009, the group relocated to its present site, the house on the Johnson family farm. ‘ “We’re showing people how you have a working farm 100 feet from the water,” Harlow said. The center has eight full-time employees, and four members from AmeriCorps. Five members of the Washington Conservation Corp restore habitat. The center hosts dozens of educational programs. In December, the group will install a juvenile ro- From left, Alexandra Ehrich, the communication manager for Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, and South Kitsap High School agricultural teacher Michelle Carter record an interview in September with longtime fish count volunteer Lynn Fisher next to the Union River in Belfair. Volun- teers and staff counted 1,777 chum salmon at the site between Aug. 15 and Oct. 15. Journal photo by Gordon Weeks The steelhead will enter the Union River in January and February. . tary screw trap just upstream in the Union River “to begin the fourth year of assessing the juvenile chum out-migration. Those juvenile chum will re- The group seeks volunteer counters beginning in veal the numbers of summer and fall chum, their January. To volunteer, call 360-275-3575 or go to survival rates and the timing of their movements. the website at www.pnwsalmoncenter.org. Salmon: Harlow moved to Belfair from Arizona in 2003 continued from page A-1 raised Harlo’w and her two older brothers, and then worked as a para- educator at an elementary school. . The family lived on a “hobby farm,” where Harlow had a horse, cows, chickens and ducks. She was a mem- ber of the 4-H Club. She also skied on local slopes, and hiked and rock— climbed rocks with her father. “He loved being outside and explor- ing the world around us,” Harlow said. After attending Lakeview High School for two years, her father got a new job in Scottsdale, Arizona, to be the regional fire training manager for the federal government. Both brothers were already in the area, attending the University ,of Arizona. As a high school junior, Harlow transitioned from a “very rural, very poor” region of Oregon where the policies on the spotted owl had closed many of the lumber mills, to an af- fluent area of Phoenix. She found salvation playing the trombone in the marching band at Chaparral High School. “That was like an automatic Your full Service Roofer family,” she said. Harlow roomed with her brother in a condo while attending the Univer- sity of Arizona. She changed her focus to studying birds, and learned about birds of prey while volunteering at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife, watershed and grange land resources. She came to Belfair in May 2003 for her interview for the job through AmeriCorps. She had visited the re: gion before her uncle lived in Ta- coma. ' l “I wanted to go more northwest than the high desert to be, close to the water I was drawn to,” she said. On Hood Canal, “1 was immediately enamored of its unique habitat a rich blend of organisms.” v Harlow was the team leader for a group of 10, maintaining the Theler Wetland trails and fish programs. She got involved in fieldwork projects. After eight months in a part-time ad- ministrator working in finances, she became a full-time biologist. The greatest reward in her execu- Moke 2020 the Year for Your New Roof! Since “$9595 The One nectar That Still Makes House Calls! W.” Estimates tive director position is werking with “passionate, amazing people,” Harlow said. “Mendy is really the heart,,soul and mind of the salmonlcenter,” Gus Johnson, the group’s project manager, wrote in an email to the Shelton- Mason County Journal. “She works tirelessly to make sure that all of our various projects and programs suc- ceed, as well as managing the depart- ments. Her dedication, knowledge and insight are an inspiration to us all.” Harlow started as an AmeriCorps employee, “so she has seen it all,” wrote Lucas Martin, the center’s edu- cation and outreach coordinator. “This allows her to understand every staff member’s position, and be a well-in; formed, involved supervisor to us all. She is always willing to help out on a project, and is even better at hearing out our ideas, and bringing them from a concept to reality.” “Mendy has a very calm, profes- sional and relaxed demeanor, but there’s also a sense of a very motivat- ed and driven person, that underlies it all,” wrote Alex Papiez, the group’s stewardship coordinator. “After spend— ing time with her, you are aware of her deep sense of place for the Hood Canal landscape.” “She is a fierce champion and our guiding light, her dedication driv‘esl‘ali of us employees to want to succeed, thrive and grow in our careers,” wrote Clayton David, the group’s salmon and steelhead biologist. Harlow lives with her partner off Pickering Road, halfway between Shelton and Belfair. Her daughter Al- lison, a 2019 graduate of North Mason High School, is a college sophomore majoring in music at Washington State University -— currently learning from home. In her spare time, she gardens, hikes, plays tennis, practices yoga and enjoys the company of her two German shepherds. She spends most weekdays working from home, but when she’s in the converted farm- house on the water, she walks the Theler Wetlands Trail across the road. “I feel so blessed and lucky to be here. It seems so random that I ap- plied for a job here, and love it.” \lli‘ i‘ln‘fltlx‘ 1hr“ {w- l «iu-nml ll'lli‘i' |I>lvhull1r mum: lJHlll‘. Come see why everyone is smiling! We provide implants, oral surgery, mammals, veneers, crowns, bridges and more. Have your dental work done right here in Shelton and save the driving for the weekend. 1829 Jefferson Street, Shelton - (360) 436-8401 h WWW.sheimndentalccntemom $69 $50 Off ANV DIIN l'l'll 'l Ill A'I MIZN'I' NI W l‘A‘l ll‘N'l' EXAM 21 RAYS .‘ll'li(?lAl.l Also Serving: Olympia - Lacey Tumwoler ' Tenino Yelm Totomo - Montesano Aberdeen McKennd Gig Harbor Cenlralia ' Chehalis Longview ' Vancouver ' Roy