Internship Supports Youth, Tribes, and Fish

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Internship Supports Youth, Tribes, and Fish

As winter takes hold in the Columbia River Basin, Sam Doak reflects back on a very busy field season. Over the summer and into the fall, Sam’s work covered three watersheds, included a variety of fish sampling techniques, and provided rewarding collaborations with the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Klickitat, WA. As part of the Student Interns in Support of Native American Relations (SISNAR) program, Doak’s work was focused on fish of importance to the Tribe and in areas either owned by the Tribe or considered to be the Tribe’s usual and accustomed fishing areas. “This was my first time in the Pacific Northwest“ said Doak “I’ve learned a lot about salmon and trout, as well as many regional issues.“ But, what he learned through this program has meant much more. “Working side-by-side with scientists from the Tribe has allowed me to learn about the societal aspect of fisheries—to better understand and appreciate the cultural values of conservation and restoration in addition to the ecological values, and to appreciate the Tribe’s knowledge and connection to the fish and land.”

The SISNAR program provides interns work opportunities on current USGS projects directly related to, and preferably on, Native American tribal lands, and assisting Tribes with natural resource research issues including water, hazards, fish and wildlife, and climate change. These mutually beneficial projects also serve to build upon or create new relationships with Native American Tribes. Through an internal competitive process, the USGS Office of Tribal Relations liaison team solicits proposals. They select USGS projects that most benefit the Tribe on whose land the research is being conducted (each Tribe must provide written support for the internship) and that will provide meaningful internship experiences that educate interns about research and management of tribal natural resources.

“It’s a great program for us,” said Fish Biologist Jill Hardiman, “it allows us to work with early career interns to provide technical field experience as well as interpersonal relations with tribal biologists who are passionate about protecting natural and cultural resources. Additionally, I feel that the interns are able to better understand through the tribal perspective of how the land and resources have changed.”

Sam Doak came to the WFRC’s Columbia River Research Laboratory in June, 2016. He brought with him prior experience in freshwater ecology, having recently completed a Master’s degree from Bangor University in the UK. While working at WFRC, his work has focused on salmonid populations in the Columbia River Basin tributaries, including Wind River watershed restoration, White Salmon River salmonid recolonization, and Rock Creek fish and habitat assessments. When asked about his future plans, he expressed interest in staying on the West Coast and doing work focused on conservation. “Protecting local species is meaningful work, and I want to continue in this direction.”

To learn more about the SISNAR or to be connected with Sam Doak, please contact Jill Hardiman jhardiman@usgs.gov.

Photo Caption: Sam Doak (center) and scientists from the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation set up block nets to perform population estimates of fish in a pool on Rock Creek, WA. Photo credit Jill Hardiman, USGS.

SISNAR Program: https://www2.usgs.gov/tribal/activities/index.html