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please contact the Volunteer Services Coordinator. Phone: (360) 902-2252 Fax: (360) 902-2157 Email: volunteers@dfw.wa.gov RFEG Information
RFEG Annual Reports Other volunteer information:
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Executive Summary This annual report to the Legislature has been prepared to fulfill the requirements of RCW 75.50.050 and 75.50.120. It lists all projects conducted during the fiscal period July 1, 1996 to June 30, 1997. It is not limited to projects solely funded by the Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group (RFEG) Program, but includes projects completed by the groups with outside funding (matching funds, outside donations and grants, volunteer contributions, etc.) The RFEG Program was created in 1990 as a means of including citizens in salmon enhancement. Twelve non-profit volunteer groups and a Citizen Advisory Board were created by the Legislature to work with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to improve salmon resources throughout the state. The program was originally supported by collection of a $1 fee on recreational salmon licenses, a $100 fee on commercial salmon licenses, and more recently by funds received from the sale of surplus salmon eggs and carcasses returning to state hatcheries. Successes in Fiscal Year 97 The RFEG program was highly successful at generating private donations and contributions, involving volunteers in salmon enhancement, and completing a large number of varied projects. The RFEGs successfully raised over $2.8 million in contributions and donations to supplement the $460,306 in state funds. This is a one to six ratio of state funds to other contributions. Included in this amount were 37,155 volunteer hours (valued at $464,438), contributed by RFEG members and other citizens. The twelve RFEGs completed a combined 160 salmon enhancement projects, which accounted for an estimated 17 miles of improved salmon habitat and 4.7 million eggs or fish incubated or reared.
Challenges in Fiscal Year 97 and Recommendations for Fiscal Year 98 The RFEG Program faced two main challenges: insufficient funding for large and small scale salmon enhancement projects, and an increasing workload on the program’s technical staff. After considering a range of options to address these challenges, the recommended solutions are an increase in funding for projects, and a concurrent staff increase of two new Volunteer Technical Specialists. If enacted, these recommendations would allow the RFEGs to expand their successful techniques to large-scale and chinook habitat projects, and would allow the program to maintain a professional level of administrative and technical support to citizen volunteers.
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