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“Working for MESSS was very rewarding and a very valued experience for me… I found the routine of returning to the creeks each day really fostered an unexpected sense of belonging and attachment within me.

Writing to a friend after having been on Gilford Island for only a couple of weeks… what came out in my stream of consciousness ramblings was just how very attached I had become to the idea that what we were doing in these creeks – these seemingly insignificant or small acts of restoration – might actually work. I realized then that I had developed a truly emotional response to the possibility that we might see more fish returning to these creeks! And I find that with every creek that I am fortunate enough to walk or visit, that attachment only wedges deeper. I know I’m not alone in that…On a day to day basis, the work required was nothing special….when it comes to clearing brush and shovelling gravel there’s no sugarcoating it – it’s just work. But I think what made the project so meaningful to me was that process of visiting the same creeks day in and day out, walking around, seeing where the sun created shaded pools, watching for fry.. The more time we spent knee deep in creek water, or exploring the tributary networks through the forest, the more I think we understood what we were doing.” Skye M

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I spent an amazing month testing the feasibility of a project to enhance salmon spawning habitat for local streams. We carried buckets of gravel to streams with known Coho salmon populations, and strategically placed the gravel in areas that would create optimal spawning habitat. While working on this project, I gained more knowledge about salmon habitat, and learned oral history of the community and its relationship to the natural resources around Echo Bay. This was not my first visit to Echo Bay, nor will it be my last. The wildlife in Echo Bay is spectacular, but what keeps bringing me back to this place of beauty is the community and how connected the people here are with nature. It is amazing to experience the power and passion that such a small community can have and it gives me hope that it is still possible to make a difference to our wild salmon stocks.” Alex S