Recently, I applied to an internship called the Future Blue Youth Council, and was accepted to work with roughly 15 other youth activists to save the ocean. I wanted to include my answer to one of the questions I had to answer:

What is a social or environmental issue you’re passionate about and why?

My great grandfather used to tell me about his time visiting the Snake River. There were so many salmon that he had to be careful walking in the river. One missed step, and a flash of red could be wiggling under your toes. He always told that part with a smile, and I grin as I tell his story to a group of wide-eyed 6th graders. This is my fifth elementary school outreach this month. In a couple minutes, my friend will finish up the presentation and I will lead everyone outside for a game of Salmon Tag. By now, the young students already know everything they need to know for the game. I explained to the kids at the beginning of the presentation that four dams on the Lower Snake River are making it harder for salmon to return home to their spawning grounds. 137 other animals depend on the keystone salmon species. If their numbers move from endangered to extinct, the entire Northwest ecosystem of the United States would drastically change. I am a Youth Salmon Protector because I love the outdoors and want to preserve it for generations to come. This animal is integral to Idaho and its surrounding states, and my nonprofit group has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of this population dissipation issue. We have met with Mike Simpson, an Idaho Congressman who has put forth a plan called the Columbia Basin Initiative that will breach the four dams to help restore the salmon numbers. We have helped people write over a thousand postcards, and then delivered them to Senator Crapo and Senator Risch of Idaho. We have created t-shirts with a local artist, set up a meeting at my high school where Congressman Simpson visited, and attended a tribal summit in Washington. I am passionate about this species because if it is lost, the rivers in the Northwest will suffer heavily. I want to protect the waterways in Idaho, and I want to halt the endangerment of important animals. But more than that, I want to learn about how to preserve worldwide water ecosystems, and how to take more action than only in my state. By spearheading the YSP, I have been able to actually make a difference, but I know I am far from done.

If anyone would like to get involved with this organization, please comment and I can send information! Recently, a contest is occurring called the Ocean Awareness contest. The theme is "The Funny Thing About Climate Change" and submissions are due June 13th 2022. Any media is welcome and you can win cash.