gdp's Comments

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Expedition

Thu, 6 May 2010 17:38:18 +0000

Thanks for your help, Tracy! Keep tuned to this site and our facebook page to learn more and get updates about eventual broadcast dates...

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Expedition

Thu, 6 May 2010 17:37:16 +0000

Hey Steve, That Wild Russia segment has done a great job of bringing some much needed attention to Kamchatka. With your support we'll be able to keep the ball rolling by producing media and stories that help Kamchatka's pristine wilderness gain the international public interest it needs to endure. Help us out by donating today here, learning about Kamchatka on this site, and letting your friends know about the project. Thanks!

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Expedition

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:53:55 +0000

Sounds like an exciting adventure! Thanks for sharing :)

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Help Us Find Whitewater on Kamchatka

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:11:02 +0000

Hi Erich, Thank you for your feedback, and thanks for the invitation to the Alps! I'd like to reply to several of your inquiries: 1. Is the biggest threat to Kamchatka's salmon at sea or on land? We agree that there are many dangers salmon face in the Sea of Okhotsk and Pacific Ocean. Legal and illegal commercial fishing, pollution, and changing water chemistry and temperature are only a few of the challenges humans have presented to these fish at sea. Furthermore, pending development of oil and natural gas deposits along Kamchatka's western shore and in the Sea of Okhotsk threaten to destroy large tracts of estuarine and marine habitat these salmon depend on. However, the bulk of the research that we've seen points to inland activities as the source of the bulk of the threats salmon face. At this time, illegal salmon poaching techniques, such as netting entire rivers just for caviar, is responsible for depleting more Kamchatkan salmon than any other cause. In coming years, it's likely that inland hydroelectric projects, mining activities, and other resource extraction will topple poaching as the number one threat to salmon. 2. Is our approach really helping the effort to conserve Kamchatka's bountiful ecosystems, or are we just needlessly treading/paddling in a pristine place that humans should leave untouched? This is a topic our team has grappled a lot with, but as we have learned more and talked with many professionals and organizations focused on conserving Kamchatka's ecosystems, we have become convinced that we are benefiting -and not merely exploiting- the amazing place we're planning to explore. As I just noted, Kamchatka and the Okhotsk Sea are on the brink of being exploited for the vast oil, natural gas, and mineral deposits (including an estimated 1,000 tons of gold, 5,000 tons of silver, as well as large deposits of platinum and other minerals). In addition, development associated with these pending activities will likely result in hydroelectric projects, pipelines, roads, and new towns (one pipeline up the west coast is nearly complete, and the service road alongside it has already opened up dozens of new rivers to salmon poaching). The pollution and habitat destruction related to these human activities could have devastating impacts on Kamchatka's ecosystems if not performed under the watchful eye of an attentive international audience. There is a certain amount of irony associated with western attempts to influence Russians to conserve their salmon-based ecosystems, considering we've all but depleted our own over the past 150 years. But as Guido Rahr of The Wild Salmon Center stated in an article a few years ago for PBS show, 'The Living Edens:' "What we can offer -- in addition to much-needed funding and technical support -- is a perspective on what the future may bring. We have witnessed catastrophic salmon declines along both our shores. We have seen which conservation strategies worked, and which didn't. Perhaps we can help Russia avoid making the same mistakes we have. Kamchatka represents a real chance to travel back in time hundreds of years. We have a chance to work together to develop and fund programs that may-this first time- keep bad history from repeating itself." We as a team have spent our lives witnessing countless acts of needless environmental and ecological destruction resulting from unchecked development, and we have seen the power that comes from an aware and attentive populace to force industries to take careful approaches that are considerate of existing natural capital. We're not necessarily trying to take a stance against development itself; we just hope that when it does inevitably occur on a large scale in Kamchatka, it will be planned with ecosystem preservation as a major consideration. This expedition presents an opportunity to produce exciting and informative media that helps generate the popular international interest necessary to impact bureaucratic and corporate decision making in the future. As far as our direct footprint on the environment is concerned, kayaks allow us to travel and camp without leaving a trace in the river canyons and valleys we will be exploring. Off the rivers, the most significant environmental impact of this trip will be the fuel burned by the airplanes, helicopters, and land-based vehicles necessary to get us into the super-remote locations we're planning to venture to. Thank you again for your interest, Erich. Where in Kamchatka will we find you this summer? Ethan

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Expedition

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:05:03 +0000

Funny that you ask! We JUST made a new batch of Kamchatka Project T-shirts and will be offering them on the site within the next week! Keep posted :)

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Share and Win a Pair of END Footwear!

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 23:50:36 +0000

Congratulations to William of Longmont, Colorado, for winning his choice of kicks from http://www.endfootwear.com!! His short comment on our Facebook wall was all it took for him to enter!

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Salmon Lifecycle

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:56:14 +0000

The Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife did an interesting study tracking the progeny of 200 chum salmon and put up this cool illustrated summary: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/chum/chum-3d.htm

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Farmed Salmon vs. Wild Salmon

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:50:25 +0000

Just found this super-informative timeline history of salmon aquaculture, starting in the late 1800s: http://www.seaweb.org/resources/aquaculturecenter...

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Share and Win a DAKINE backpack!

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:09:33 +0000

Thanks to everybody who entered this contest! Over the past week and a half 34 people subscribed to the newsletter and community members made 20 blog posts. This is a great start to a project we hope you can help us grow even bigger! Of those 34 subscriptions and 20 comments, we chose one lucky winner at random... We are pleased to announce that Adam Peck-Richardson of Corvallis, Oregon is this week's winner! Keep tuned, as have many more drawings planned for the coming weeks.

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Farmed Salmon vs. Wild Salmon

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:12:43 +0000

That's a fantastic article.. I just learned a TON and will definitely be returning to the extensive list of references at the bottom. Thanks, Brooke!

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Share and Win a DAKINE backpack!

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:04:15 +0000

Yum! Wild Pacific salmon isn't easy to find over there! I spent last Monday with a bunch of middle school students at Eagle Creek as they learned all about salmon ecology. While we didn't tour the nearby hatchery, there were plenty of chinook and coho 'stuck' in the section of river the kids were learning about (in order to catch salmon the hatchery has an impassable concrete fish weir about a mile upstream from Eagle Creek's confluence with the Columbia). I'll whip up a post of the day soon and a video of the event is in the works!

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Where Pacific Salmon Live

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:23:37 +0000

Atlantic salmon seem to hold up better in confined aquaculture conditions than Pacific salmon do. Kudos to anyone who can find a good article explaining why this is. It's important to note the difference between hatcheries and aquaculture (farms): - Hatcheries are usually located on spawning streams and were originally intended to supplement the supply of 'wild' salmon. Hatcheries harvest and artificially inseminate the eggs of returning spawning salmon, and release young salmon back into streams for their journey to the ocean. Hatcheries usually only catch and release species that are indigenous to the area. Read more at http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/resources/search_faq.cf... - Aquaculture occurs in holding pens, usually located in protected saltwater inlets. Salmon are bred and raised as in a hatchery, but spend their adult lives confined in closed nets with controlled diets. Atlantic salmon are commonly used in salmon farms around the world because they're better able to survive the harsh conditions of confined living. See our post on farmed salmon for more info: http://www.kamchatkaproject.org/schoolhouse/?p=19...

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : 200 Years of US Public Policy vs. Pacific Salmon

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:04:23 +0000

Thanks for the heads up! Looks like a fantastic film. I might be able to make that Portland showing...

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Where Pacific Salmon Live

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:42:39 +0000

We did see Matt's article and posted it on our Facebook wall the other day. Really interesting stuff that opens a huge can of worms in the dam-removal debate. For those who didn't see it (or don't live in Oregon): http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2...

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Learn your Salmon Types!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:12:16 +0000

We're all closet nerds here! Keep it coming...

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Salmon Lifecycle

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:16:11 +0000

Great links, thanks! We're in the process of putting together a living page of links to all the relevant resources we can find out there, and posts like this will help us a ton!

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Learn your Salmon Types!

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:29:55 +0000

WOW! Super informative post, Lauren! Thanks for the great beta.

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Where Pacific Salmon Live

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:52:31 +0000

Pacific salmon hatcheries exist all over America's west, Russia, and Japan. According to a 2006 report from the World Aquaculture Society, Kamchatka has five hatcheries in areas where the spawning grounds were previously destroyed. We'll be focusing on the positive and negative effects and perceptions of hatcheries in the Pacific NW and Kamchatka in a couple of weeks. Until then, we'd love to hear everyone's take on this issue!

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Salmon: A Keystone Species

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:32:02 +0000

Win a spiffy new Blade backcountry ski/snowboard pack from our friends at DAKINE! Make a constructive comment or contribution about this post below, and you’ll be entered (up to thirty times per week) into a random drawing to be held October 23rd, 2009.

Kamchatka Project Schoolhouse : Learn your Salmon Types!

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:31:39 +0000