Featured Partner: Kate Crump
What is your story and where did your passion for climate-friendliness and protecting your watershed come from? Who are you? What do you do?
KATE: My husband and I own and operate Frigate Adventure Travel- a fishing outfitter and lodging company with destinations in Bristol Bay, Alaska and Oregon's North Coast. If we aren't running jet boats on large rivers or flying in float planes to remote destinations in Alaska, then we are rowing drift boats on coastal rivers in Oregon or walking the beach with our yellow labs. Taking great care of our guests on and off the water is very important to us and our team. We feel the same for our environment and the rivers we guide. We hold a deep reverence for these wild places. If we don't watch out for them, who will?
What is in your 'backyard'? What is your local watershed/river and what significance does it have for your local economy?
KATE: We are fortunate to consider two amazing destinations in our backyards. The first is Bristol Bay, Alaska, a very expansive backyard with several millions of acreage. It is located in Katmai National Park and Becharof Wildlife Refuge which make for a uniquely wild and pristine environment ripe for epic runs of salmon, healthy abundant wild trout, and flourishing wildlife populations. Due to these salmon runs, we have a thriving local economy of commercial and sport fisherman as well as a native population of subsistence fishermen. All are reliant on healthy watersheds and good habitat for salmon and all living creatures.
The second backyard that we really consider home is Oregon's north coast. There are many rivers flowing into the bay and ocean here. While our salmon and steelhead runs are a fraction of what they once were, we still have some abundance. It is embedded in the culture of the Northwest to have a respect for salmon and without healthy watersheds they cannot thrive. If we continue to shy away from demanding healthy watersheds in the Northwest in exchange for corporate profitability extracting other resources, then communities lose.
Why do you feel it is important to contribute to the research of your watershed health? What is this research going to tell us about our future and the actionable steps that are needed?
KATE: Well, it sounds depressing, but most places I look at that are wild, pristine or healthy have some threat from a developer of a different or competing resource. I'm constantly confused why humans settle for less than healthy watersheds so someone can profit. I'm not anti progress or development, I just don't see very many situations where profiting corporations are looking to create sustainable resource extraction and keep healthy watersheds as important as they are for the health of humanity. Yet, without healthy watersheds we can't have healthy communities, much less fish and wildlife. So as someone who depends on healthy watersheds for not only my livelihood but my spiritual and emotional well being, I won't stop trying to change the dialog and educate people about why watersheds should be one of our main priorities.
I've been frustrated by the groups opposing one another around salmon and steelhead- all being very vocal, outspoken and aggressive. Everyone wants more fish one way or another and many folks want an easy approach to getting more fish. But I see funding and programs based in research of these unique watersheds drastically cut every year. In my opinion, the only way to truly address any problem is at the root. Without a scientific and reliable assessment we can't even see what the root problem is in each watershed. While the root problems appear to be complicated, we really don't have a baseline or consistent science about our individual systems. I feel that participating in SOTF research can begin this process and hopefully we will see trends in our watersheds and be better equipped to make management decisions for the health of these systems.
How can we inspire more people to give a damn about creating or enforcing policies focused on watershed health and/or climate change? What is its importance to you?
KATE: I believe we just have to keep educating people and shedding light on the issues facing our watersheds. I think recognizing that the science, politics, and policies are quite complicated and that quite often they are not digestible to the public. Offering clear and concise information and also very easy and attainable action items is how we can inspire others to help in the effort to focus on watershed health. Honesty and integrity are so important in this day and age as well. Sometimes science doesn't always tell us what we want to believe and it's important to evaluate it with honesty and integrity while presenting that information well.
How can we inspire more people to give a damn about creating or enforcing policies focused on watershed health and/or climate change? What is its importance to you?
KATE: SOTF empowers me to feel like I am actively participating in the process of understanding my river systems and eventually helping to implement change. I believe that our guests during this winter's steelhead season will be excited to participate as well. It seems like a fun added benefit to be part of something larger!