Podcast

Fish Biologist and Outdoors Woman In Episode 30 of NW Fish Passage, Annika Fain interviews Christine Longjohn. She is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She is an avid outdoors woman and fish biologist for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Spring. Her family comes from the Red Mesa area of the Navajo Nation in…

Annika Fain interviews Amy Bowers Cordalis in Episode 29 of the NW Fish Passage podcast. Amy is a mother, fisherwoman, attorney, and a member of the Yurok Tribe.  She published an amazing memoir last year titled “The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life.” She is the…

In Episode 28 of NW Fish Passage, Annika Fain interviews Heather Cantua. Heather is an attorney, business owner, and is the president of the board of directors for the Pacific Coast Salmon Coalition (PCSC). She moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2021 and joined the PCSC board on 2023. She shares her love for salmon…

In Episode 27 of NW Fish Passage, Annika Fain interviews Santana Rabang. Santana is a podcast producer for the Young and Indigenous Podcast Children of the Setting Sun Productions, youth tribal leader, and canoe paddler. Santana is Lummi through her mother and Nooksack and First Nations Shxwhá:y Village through her father. She shares her childhood…

In Episode 26 of NW Fish Passage, Annika Fain interviews Josie Kamkoff. Josie is a tribal water utilities operator program development lead at Northwest Indian College (NWIC). She is of Lummi and Yupik descent. She mostly grew up in Anchorage, Alaska and spent summers in Lummi, Washington. She is passionate about the environment and received…

In Episode 25 of NW Fish Passage, Annika Fain interviews Bethany Fackrell. Bethany is a Tribal Gaming Commissioner, Snoqualmie Indian Tribe member, artist, and veteran. She participated in the Tribal WaterCorps program. Bethany talks about what salmon means for her, her experience participating in canoe journeys, habitat restoration, and the WaterCorps program. She also talks…

In Episode 24 of NW Fish Passage podcast, Annika Fain interviews Kayeloni Scott. Kayeloni is an enrolled Spokane Tribal Member with strong Nez Perce ancestry. From 2017-2022, she served as the Communications Manager for the Nez Perce Tribe, then American Rivers as the Communications Director for the Northwest Region for over a year. She has…

In this episode, Annika Fain interviews Gabe Ng. Gabe is a Fish Passage Design Manager for the WSDOT NW Region Fish Passage Program. He is passionate about improving the environment and collaborating with a variety of people and disciplines. Gabe provides insight into important aspects of fish passage. Annika and Gabe discuss their experience in…

In this episode, Annika Fain interviews Karin Strelioff. Karin is the Conservation Programs Manager with the Thurston Conservation District. She specializes in marine shoreline stewardship, green stormwater infrastructure, PNW native plants, and conservation focused land management. Karin talks about her motivation, conservation districts, Shore Friendly, and provides advice to young professionals. Enjoy! Website Resources:

In this episode, Annika interviews Emily Howe, an aquatic and estuarine ecologist at The Nature Conservancy of Washington. She holds a Ph.D. from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, with a focus on estuarine restoration and food web ecology in tidally-influenced ecosystems. Listen NowEpisode 19. Emily Howe – Nature…

In this episode, Annika Fain interviews Darrell Gray. Since 1995, Darrell has been a project manager at Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA). The NSEA team enhances river, creek, and riparian habitat while educating people of all ages to provide Pacific salmon and Steelhead the best chance at survival. Since 2005, Darrell has facilitated the removal…

In this episode, Annika Fain interviews Debra Lekanoff, a Washington State Representative. Debra represents the 40th legislative district and is currently the only Native American woman that serves in the Legislature. She is part Tlingit, salmon people, and part Aleut, seal people, from Southeast Alaska, and has lived in the Skagit Valley for over 20…

In this episode, Annika interviews Savannah Smith and Ebony Welborn, marine scientists and founders of Sea Potential. Sea Potential is a program that connects BIPOC youth to marine environments and the maritime industry. Savannah and Ebony talk about what motivated them to study marine science, join EarthCorps, and start SEA Potential. They provide insight about…

In this episode, Annika interviews three people involved in the Coldwater Connection Campaign. Mara Zimmerman, Executive Director for Coast Salmon Partnership and Foundation; Luke Kelly, Washington Coast Restoration Project Manager at Trout Unlimited, and Jess Helsley, Wild Salmon Center Washington Program Director. These three are working together to prioritize the removal of barriers on the…

In this episode, Austin Rose and Eleanor Hines from Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) talk about the goals and projects of the MRC. Austin Rose is the MRC Staff and Planner at Whatcom County Public Works. Eleanor Hines is the MRC Chair and North Sound Baykeeper, Lead Scientist at RE Sources for Sustainable Communities.…

In this episode, Dr. Marisa Litz, lead of the Coast Ecology and Life Cycle Monitoring Unit focused on Pacific Salmon and Steelhead at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). She shares her academic journey from a B.S. in Anthropology to a M.S. and PhD. in Fisheries. Her graduate studies were supported by the…

In this episode, Liz Schotman, the Washington Regional Manager at the Surfrider Foundation talks about her experiences working at Surfrider Foundation, a grassroots activist network dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches for all people. She supports Washington’s 5 volunteer-run Surfrider chapters in their efforts to improve our water…

In this episode, James Rasmussen, a Duwamish Tribal member and the superfund manager with Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC)/Technical Advisory Group (TAG), talks about the history of the Duwamish Tribe and the Duwamish River Superfund Site. For over 30 years, he has been an important advocate in environmental, habitat, and community issues along the Duwamish…

Brian Stewart, Conservation Northwest, and Glen Kalisz, WSDOT, talk about habitat connectivity and provide insight about the importance of connecting habitat and working collaboratively in these efforts. Listen NowEpisode 6. Brian Stewart and Glen Kalisz – Habitat Connectivity

Emily Derenne, habitat restoration specialist at Skagit County, talks about the recent (August ’20) culvert removal at Maddox Creek and the immediate return of fish upstream.Listen NowEpisode 5. Emily Derenne – Habitat Restoration in Skagit County

Robbie Mantooth talks about Ennis Creek, a once productive salmon stream in Port Angeles, and the story of how she and her husband founded Friends of Ennis Creek to better fish habitat and spawning areas.Listen NowEpisode 4. Robbie Mantooth – Ennis: A Creek Worth Saving

Anna Toledo talks about shoreline restoration efforts in Island County. Learn why bull kelp, forage fish, and removing bulkheads are critical for salmon restoration, and more. Listen NowEpisode 3. Anna Toledo – Island County Marine Resources Committee and Shore Friendly

Kit Crump, a Co-Lead Entity Coordinator for Snohomish County and the Stillaguamish Tribe, talks about his habitat restoration projects, including Trafton Floodplain Restoration and Chatham Acres Side Channel Reconnection.Listen NowEpisode 2. Kit Crump – Habitat Restoration in the Stillaguamish Watershed

Annika Fain, hydrologist and owner of Fain Environmental, as well as your podcast host, introduces the NW Fish Passage podcast and “Culvert Case” in Washington state.Listen NowEpisode 1. Motivation and Culvert Case