Growing a Program to Provide Environmental Outreach Opportunity at a National Fish Hatchery: The Importance of Volunteers and Friends Groups

About a decade a ago, a volunteer program at Coleman National Fish Hatchery was initiated which was designed to tour the numerous school groups that visit the hatchery each fall.   Recently the volunteer group has organized into a Friends Group, and this past year they completed their first major project (an interpretive trail that connects Federal property to adjoining state lands).  This talk will recount the history of the formation of the Volunteer program and the Friends Group and the outreach opportunities created along the way. During the presentation we will also describe our Station's Annual Return of the Salmon Festival.  This event annually attracts roughly 5,000 - 10,000 visitors to the station during this one-day event, and this year we celebrated our 20th Anniversary of the Festival.