2018

Fellow Volunteers,
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the loss of one of our founding and lifetime members, John Dunn. John was our oldest member at 92 years old. John had been battling ill health for some time, slipping away peacefully on 9th Feb.

He helped to build our hatchery 26 years ago and attended daily as a volunteer to help out with the maintenance, raising the coho and salmon and ensuring the smooth running of our hatchery.

John will be deeply missed by all and we pass along our sincerest sympathy to his wife, Erma, and their children. Please hold them in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Leonard “Squally” Squires was a passionate angler and devoted champion of Nass River salmon conservation. Leonard began his career with the Nisga’a Fisheries and Wildlife Department in 1992, the same year that the fisheries assessment program began. He worked on a great number of fisheries assignments, but sportfish monitoring and the Zolzap Creek Coho fences were his babies. Leonard took great pride in the smooth operation of these programs, often appearing on-site at all hours of the night to make sure everything was okay. It was at Zolzap Creek that he eagerly supported the Stream to Sea classroom education program. Anyone who has ever visited the Nass Valley to fish will remember Leonard’s smiling face and the passion he brought to salmon conservation. Leonard continued to fish and tag Coho well into December of 2017, before passing away in March 2018. He is sorely missed, but his great passion for all things salmon lives on through all those he touched.

Long time member, Clara is greatly missed. Clara was our resident expert on the grey areas of legal, policy, procedures and much more. A dedicated supporter of our Society she is remembered for her wonderful sense of humour, kind soft manner, and quiet strong way of moving us out of some "deep water" and letting us believe it was our idea initially.

Long-time Millard/Piercy Watershed Steward, Terry Kelly, passed away in March 2018. Terry was a very enthusiastic and dependable volunteer who was always willing to help out when asked. Over the years he worked on various projects such as smolt counting, stream surveys for spawning salmon and coho fry rescue. He loved to build things and, along with his volunteer buddy, Bill Kennedy, constructed and repaired smolt counting fences and holding boxes.

Terry was very well liked by his fellow volunteers for his friendly nature and wonderful sense of humour. He was a great family man and occasionally brought his young grandson out to see what Grandpa was doing with the salmon. Terry is greatly missed by other members of Millard/Piercy Watershed Stewards.