Outstanding Service Recognized | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Friends of Northwest Hatcheries President Receives Award

May 13, 2022

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A smiling, bearded man in a ballcap holds up a small carved salmon — Andy Jaynes, President of Friends of Northwest Hatcheries, accepts an outstanding service award, symbolized by a carved salmon.

For many non-profits, the past two years have been difficult. But for Friends of Northwest Hatcheries (FNH), it was a time for positive growth and change. That’s thanks to President Andy Jaynes, who received an award May 9 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for outstanding service.

He'd be quick to say any success FNH has had is due to lots of work from many people. He’s right; but without Andy’s leadership, good intentions and ideas might not have been carried out. Julia Pinnix, Visitor Services Manager for the Leavenworth Fisheries Complex and liaison with FNH, presented the award, a carved bone salmon, at the monthly meeting May 9.

Friends of Northwest Hatcheries is an organization dedicated to working with federal hatcheries in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Their mission is to support fish and wildlife conservation and education while engaging students and communities to be active stewards. They organize and lead the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival, support a variety of educational programs, and assist with improvements at the hatcheries.

Two men pose beside a colorful sculpture of a tribal fishing platform and leaping salmon — Andy Jaynes, President of Friends of Northwest Hatcheries, and Mat Maxey, Manager of Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, pose beside the newly-installed "giving tower," a model of a tribal fishing platform with a leaping salmon below it. This new donation box/artwork will raise funds for FNH.

As President since 2019, Andy has served in a variety of ways, from learning how to navigate the bureaucratic maze to allow FNH to receive federal funds, to creating an online library of Friends materials on Google Drive, to building a whole new website for the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival. His skills in social media and videography allowed FNH to step into a new, virtual world. He created a YouTube channel to house videos, working with the visitor services folks from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the directors of Salmon Fest to build up a library of educational and interpretive materials that has become an online destination. It is now part of the Wenatchee School District curriculum, used in the classroom to help students learn about salmon and local culture.

Andy is proud of what FNH has accomplished. While his term as president comes to an end this year, he is working to support the group while training other members to carry on the good work he has done. FNH welcomes anyone interested in supporting wildlife conservation and education. Get in touch at info@friendsofnwhatcheries.org. Visit the website at http://www.friendsofnwhatcheries.org/. Explore the YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3beFXGzHYqhuqrMRGaAE-g.