Salmon at the ‘B’-Bay

If you visit the brewery this July through August, you will find hand-painted salmon plaques decorating our Bistro walls. The artwork was made by the 4th graders of Whatcom County as part of the Students for Salmon program hosted by the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA). If you look closely, on each of these wooden plaques, there is a hand-written pledge by a 4th grader promising to do their individual part in restoring the wild salmon populations of Whatcom County.  Stunning photography highlighting the past years’ worth of NSEA’s volunteer work in the community, is also on display and for sale.

NSEA is a community based non-profit dedicated to restoring wild salmon populations in over 1,600km of rivers and streams in Whatcom Country. The main focus of NSEA is the restoration of lowland riparian areas, heavily impacted by human activities like agriculture and urban development. NSEA works with our local community by leading several volunteer projects a year which include activities like the replanting native foliage, stream improvement construction, and free educational courses.  One of these courses includes Students for Salmon, a hands-on environmental science program specifically for fourth grade students in Whatcom County, which teaches the basics of salmon and stream ecology while reinforcing values of stream stewardship, including both teacher and NSEA-led lessons and field experiences. The goal of the program is to teach students about salmon and their watershed environment. By teaching the students about what salmon require in order to live, the program encourages the students to become environmental stewards in the future. During the 2011-2012 school year, 1,131 of our local 4th graders spent a total of 16,625 hours in the Students for Salmon program!

This year, the kids hand-painted individual salmon plaques, which include a hand-written promise of how they will personally continue to help protect our local salmon species. In anticipation of the annual Salmon at the Bay Dinner hosted by NSEA, these vibrant fish now decorate our bistro walls — along with beautiful photography, documenting NSEA’s work in the community! NSEA and Boundary Bay invite you to join us for the annual gourmet wild-salmon dinner and celebrate the art, music and local community as a whole – Saturday, August 10th from 5-8:30 in the Beer Garden. There will be a live auction, silent auction, kids crafts, stand-up comedy, music and so much more! Tickets are $20 for adults/$10 for kids. Tickets can be purchased in advance by emailing aferdere@n-sea.org or by calling 360-715-0283 x 105

Salmon, Beer and Bellingham!

"25 Mile Creek" in 2010 auction

Those of us lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest usually love salmon.  And not just to eat!!  If you love salmon like we do, head down to Boundary Bay Brewery (starting June 19th) for Salmon at the Bay, a silent art auction to benefit the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA).

The Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association(NSEA) is a community–based nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring sustainable wild salmon runs in Whatcom County since 1990.  They train and organize hundreds of volunteers every year and use education and outreach to engage the community in salmon recovery.  NSEA has well-established school and outreach programs and works on long-term projects to keep working at the job of salmon recovery.

But, like any nonprofit, NSEA has to rely on fundraising to continue their efforts, and this Salmon at the Bay silent auction is a great way to do it!  Each piece of art has been donated by a local artist expressing their passion for salmon, and as a whole, the artwork celebrates the history of Whatcom County salmon and our community’s efforts to ensure their sustainable future.  Proceeds from this silent auction benefit the salmon education and habitat restoration programs of Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.  The art show will be displayed at Boundary Bay until August 6th and all items will be available for bidding through Online Silent Auction.

"Swirl" in 2010 auction

The other way to help NSEA raise money is to attend the art exhibit opening and salmon BBQ lunch on June 19th in the Boundary Bay beer garden.  Join us to celebrate our personal, cultural, historical, economic, and environmental connection to salmon.  This year’s theme is Earth, Water, Salmon – the elements of our stream ecosystems. Enjoy music from The Warren Street Session and check out the art hanging on the walls inside Boundary Bay. All event and art auction proceeds benefit NSEA programs to restore sustainable wild salmon runs in Whatcom County. Tickets for both events and music are available at the door or at the NSEA office.  Call 715-0283 or email info@n-sea.org to purchase tickets in advance or for more information.

Important Dates:

Saturday June 19th – Friday August 6th

Art Show displayed at Boundary Bay – All Items Available for Bidding Through Online Silent Auction at http://www.biddingforgood.com/SalmonattheBay2010.

Saturday June 19th  10am – 11am

Artists Reception

Saturday June 19th 11:30am – 3:00pm

Salmon Burger BBQ Lunch  –  $10

Friday August 6th  5:30pm – 8:30pm

Salmon BBQ Dinner  –  $25

Friday August 6th  9:30pm – Midnight

Live Music with Lucky Brown and the LB’s – $10 [Line up has changed as of July 26th: and Snug Harbor will now be playing instead of Lucky Brown!]

Tickets for both events and music are available at the door or at the NSEA office.  Call 715-0283 or email info@n-sea.org to purchase tickets in advance or for more information.

Boundary Bay Brewery Silent Auction

The Nooksack Salmon Enchancement Association (NSEA) is a nonprofit community-based organization dedicated to restoring sustainable wild salmon runs in Whatcom County.  Thanks to a supportive community and dedicated volunteers, Whatcom County streams offer clean, cool and healthy habitat for salmon.  But, like any nonprofit, NSEA has to rely on fundraising to continue their efforts.  If you missed the big salmon BBQ and Lucky Brown fundraiser show here in the Boundary Bay Beer Garden last weekend, don’t fret…you can still help!  Currently, on display at Boundary Bay Brewery, is Salmon at the Bay, a silent art auction to benefit NSEA.  Each piece of art has been donated by a local artist expressing their passion for salmon, and as a whole, the artwork celebrates the history of Whatcom County salmon and our community’s efforts to ensure their sustainable future.  Proceeds from this silent auction benefit the salmon education and habitat restoration programs of Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.  To place a bid on the artwork, please view the Salmon at the Bay Art Auction Binder at the host station here in the brewery.  And, for all you out-of-towners, you can see a selection of the incredibly creative artwork here on the Boundary Bay Brewery website.  Cheers!