In brief: Salmon passage debate nets state title for Reardan FFA
RIVERS – The Reardan High School Ag Leadership class staged a debate on Columbia River salmon and dams to win a state competition this month at the Washington Future Farmers of America Convention in Pullman.
The Reardan team outperformed the 32-team field at the state FFA Agricultural Issues Forum competition at Washington State University.
Reardan’s presentation highlighted arguments on both sides of the current regional hot topic, “Should salmon be reintroduced to the upper Columbia River watershed?”
The entire class has been researching the question since September to support a six-student team that advanced through months of preliminary competitions.
The presenters were Josey Anderson, Nathan Kieffer, Lizzie Williams, Kaylene Kuykendall, Justis Anderson and Ruger Lillengreen. Their coach is Rick Perleberg, the school’s agriculture instructor and FFA adviser.
The class and topic was profiled in Rich Landers’ recent Outdoors column, “Reardan students debate salmon, dams, other natural resource issues.”
Reardan captured the lone national qualifying spot to represent Washington at the national FFA convention in Indianapolis in October.
The students have presented the program to numerous groups, including the Spokane City Council, school boards, the Bureau of Reclamation and Lincoln County commissioners, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, as well as to the Bonneville Power Administration – the agency that would be asked to tap its power customers and fund the bulk of an upstream salmon revival, should it ever be attempted.
Reardan’s team will be presenting at Whitworth University on Thursday at the U.S. National Park Service student science symposium, where they will be the student keynote speakers.
Kid fishing trout to food banks
FISHING – A recent story about the Kid Fishing Day held on May 7 at Clear Lake incorrectly reported the destination of some of the fish participants donated for charity.
While most of the trout kids caught went home to their own dinner tables, by the end of the day a volunteer crew had cleaned and packed 251 pounds of fish for the needy.
In the past the fish have gone to the Union Gospel Mission, but in recent years Crown Foods has offered to package and store the fish so members of the local Safari Club International chapter can distribute them to local food banks.
Jim Kujala and his volunteer crew –Dave Ross, Chris Helgeson and Jordan Briggs – cleaned fish for a steady line of kids from 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. A couple of volunteers from the Spokane Walleye Club stepped in to give the crew a break, but Briggs – a first-time volunteer – was undaunted.
“He already signed up for next year,” Kujala said.