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2006 Wild Salmon Hall of Fame
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Jay Nicholas, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, was inducted into the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame in 2006. The 4th annual Wild Salmon Hall of Fame celebration was attended by 200 people from the Pacific Northwest who gathered to celebrate accomplishments in wild salmon recovery. The event was hosted by officials of the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center and sponsored by Kitsap Bank, Cedar River Group, TNT Excavating, Stephen Johnson Inc., North Bay Mortgage and Hood Canal Auto Sales.
Tori Dulemba, Administrative Manager for the Salmon Center, said "Nicholas is known for his respectful relationships with interest groups representing forestry, agriculture, fishing, and conservation. He has written and illustrated a children's book about salmon that has been placed in every fifth-grade classroom in Oregon, with proceeds donated to the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps."
Along with his induction into the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame, Nicholas was given a bronze casting of "The Dance," a carving by wild salmon enthusiast Dr. Al Adams of Union, WA. After receiving the award, Nicholas said people sometimes come to him for "secret answers" to save wild salmon, but there are no secret answers. "If we look in our hearts and do what's right for people," he said, "we will do what's right for salmon." Other finalists for the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame were: Nat Scholz (Washington) Nat works for NOAA in Seattle, managing an Ecotoxicology and Environmental Fish Health Program. Nat's work addresses the complex relationship between land use, water quality, and salmon health. In addition to his work, he volunteers his time checking salmon runs, doing stream clean up and leading children on tide pool trips.
Tom has been an active volunteer for the last 12 years and is a board member for Idaho Rivers United. Tom's non-confrontational approach and ability to communicate with many community stakeholders is a "breath of fresh air in the often contentious world of natural resource management issues." Tom's work focuses largely on the Columbia and Snake River basins.
The Wild Salmon Hall of Fame was organized in 2003 to recognize achievement in the preservation and recovery of wild salmon stocks. Nominees have demonstrated their commitment in a variety of ways, butthe single characteristic they all share is a desire to preserve the legacy of wild salmon…these people have effected changes that make our world a better place for not only salmon, but for all species, including us, and more importantly, our future generations. |
Nicholas was selected for his 30 years of work supporting the future of wild salmon - from a scientific monograph about every Chinook stock on the Oregon coast, to writing the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, a statewide partnership between government, communities and private landowners.
Nicholas' respect for salmon and people is perhaps best represented by the pledge he wrote to introduce the Oregon Plan: "We, the people of Oregon, promise to do our best to understand and respect the needs of salmon and to make some change in the way we live our daily lives, in the hope that both salmon and people will survive and flourish, together, in the future."
Dick is a former Alaska State Senator and an avid fisherman. He also served as a State Representative and Mayor of Sitka. In his legislative role he was responsible for the statutory prohibition of fin fish farming in Alaska, enacted in 1990. He was also instrumental in creating a statutory priority for sustained yield of wild salmon stocks in Alaska. 
