On The Road

September 27, 2009

There’s nothing fishy about conservation

Posted by Ashleigh Vogstad
Where: Salmon Festival, Vancouver

As a member of Team Power Smart I fancy myself a bit of a conservationist. Not to pat myself on the back, but I never leave home without my reusable bottle, I do not own a car, and I earn a living educating the public about electricity conservation.

One thing I have learned working as a Community Outreach representative though, is that no matter how much you do (and I’m sure you do a lot) the communities we serve have an endless supply of leaders who do even more. The passion of these individuals is contagious and inspiring; I always count myself lucky when I come across one of them.

One particular fearless leader of sustainability was Sasha who I had the privilege of meeting during the Salmon Festival down at Vanier Park in Vancouver. Now Sasha may be small – she’s only seven years old – but I guarantee she has a huge heart and the ability to make a difference.

I first met Sasha when she approached our tent carrying her newly created best friend, a salmon she had coloured and stuffed at the festival’s craft table. Her fishy friend had drawn my eye, since the creative masterpieces of all the other children were bright and featured terrific accessories like tissue paper and fancy feathers – but Sasha’s was the only one that actually looked like a real salmon.

When I inquired as to the reasoning for her realistic portrayal, Sasha explained to me that hers was a sockeye salmon and that she had worked hard to get it just right. She told me that sockeye salmon were her very favourite animal and that she had spent much of her summer camping along rivers volunteering with her family to protect and maintain salmon habitats. She explained to me the dangers of overfishing, the consequences of pollution and even, much to my astonishment, the benefits and shortcomings of aquaculture. Sasha is a leader in conservation because of her love for nature and all it offers.

When I asked her the name of her sockeye replica she simply stated “Sockeye”. In my confusion I said that I understood it was a sockeye salmon but I was inquiring after the particular name of that fish. I suppose I was expecting something like “Nemo”, “Fishy” or maybe “Flounder” but to my surprise she only politely repeated herself that her fish’s name was “Sockeye”.

Not only did Sasha teach me a lot about river habitat preservation and wildlife conservation but she inspired me to take action. If someone so tiny can have such a tremendous impact than why can’t I do the same? Why can’t we all?

I did have the good fortune of bumping in to Sasha once more before departing. She was coloring another paper salmon at the craft table in identical fashion to the first. She told me his name was “Sockeye 2”.

Ashleigh Vogstad is a Community Outreach representative based out of Burnaby and will be at community events throughout the fall.