Saturday, October 16th 2021

Join Mason Conservation District for the fourth Annual Orca Recovery Day
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You can do your part to help the Orca population.

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The Southern Resident Orca Whales that call Puget Sound home are critically endangered. Over the past couple of years, many local orcas have died from a combination of malnutrition, polluted waters, and stress from local boat traffic. In 2018, the world watched as Tahlequah, a Southern Resident Killer Whale, carry her dead calf for 17 days, travelling almost 1,000 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast before letting go. According to the Center for Whale Research, approximately 75 percent of newborns in the Southern Resident killer whale population have not survived.

With just over 70 individuals left in the local population, we must act now. By working to improve salmon habitat, we can help their populations grow and provide a food source and clean waters to save the most iconic species of the Pacific Northwest. ​As we restore our shorelines, there will be more forage fish such as sand lance and smelt, giving the salmon more food and therefore more food for the orcas. Puget Sound has 7,500 miles of shoreline, 2,500 of which has been degraded by development.

For more information and a history of Orca Recovery Day visit: https://betterground.org/in-your-community/events/ord/

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Event Details:

Join Mason Conservation District and Green Diamond Resource Company at Goldsborough Creek for a socially distanced work party of habitat restoration! Volunteers are invited to help create better habitat for the wildlife and aquatic species around Goldsborough Creek by removing invasive weeds and planting native trees and shrubs.

Why Goldsborough Creek:
Goldsborough Creek used to be blocked by the Goldsborough dam, which was removed 20 years ago. When the dam was removed, 30 miles of intact salmon habitat was created and made accessible. Additional habitat restoration efforts like the creation of weirs, culvert replacement, and the introduction of woody debris has continued over the years to increase the quality of the salmon habitat. This increased quality and habitat has reversed the negative trend of the coho salmon population in the Goldsborough watershed and lead to record number of coho salmon present there. However, we can always do more to help, so this year, 20 years after the dam removal we will be helping to increase the habitat quality even more!
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Register Here

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Covid-19 Guidelines:

Volunteer Responsibilities:

• If you are sick in any way or have come in contact with someone who has been sick in the last two weeks, please stay home.
• Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth, except during breaks when you are at least 6 feet away from others. If you are unable to wear masks, we ask that you contact us directly for specific accommodations.
• Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from people outside your household. 
• Please bring your own food and water. For the time being, we will not be providing food or drinks. Volunteers will not be able to share snacks with the group, even if they are individually wrapped.
• Volunteers are required to bring their own gloves.
• Please bring your own tools if you are able. Tools and gloves will not be shared between people outside your household throughout the work party.

Mason Conservation District Responsibilities:​

• MCD will plan work areas to maximize distance between participants.
• MCD will provide necessary tools and materials for the work being performed such as shovels.
  • All tools and gloves will be quarantined for at least four days or disinfected between uses. 
  • Used materials will be kept separate from clean materials and properly disinfected.
• MCD will provide hand sanitizer to be used by volunteers throughout the workday.
• MCD will provide disposable masks for those who do not have their own.

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Questions?
Contact our AmeriCorps member, Logan Kallam, at mcdamericorps@masoncd.org