Celebrating Salmon-Safe Suppliers!

 

Great news here at your Co-op!  All of us, as consumers can assist in the protection of our native salmon habitats by choosing to purchase products that carry Salmon-Safe certification. By now, you have probably begun to see this label in our Produce, Wine, and Dairy Departments, all leading up to our Salmon-Safe Saturday celebration! Salmon-Safe, now a program of Stewardship Partners, is a third-party eco-certification of farms, businesses, universities, parks, and more, that implements land management practices to protect Northwest stream banks. Started in 1996 in Oregon, the Salmon-Safe Program set out to help combat the growing numbers of wild salmon disappearance and death in our waterways.

Wild salmon have deep cultural and economic significance in the Northwest that goes back thousands of years. This fish is considered by scientists as a keystone and an indicator species, because 137 other species rely on its existence and salmon can tell us how healthy or sick our bodies of water are. The bodies of salmon represent a transfer of nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and carbon from the ocean to the forest ecosystem, affecting every species living in the regions they reach. Wild salmon has shaped the lives of our First People’s religious beliefs, trading activities, and traditional value sharing from generation to generation. Currently, much of our Northwest economy still relies on salmon fishers, sellers, and consumers and our region is the home to most of the last wild salmon on the planet. Agricultural development, dam construction, farmed fish operations, and overharvesting have contributed to dramatic reductions in the ability for these creatures to complete their natural runs, resulting in huge amounts of death and sickness in their population.

Salmon are born in rivers and streams, migrate to oceans to mature for 2 or more years, and then head back to the river they were born in. Those that make it there spawn and share their bounty with all the organisms that depend on their nutrients for survival.

But in addition to the hundreds of upstream miles of strong currents, rapids, and waterfalls, salmon now face toxic pollution, bacteria, and viruses not usually found in their habitat. They are weakened and killed before they are able to reach their destination and spawn. There are many organizations across the globe that are fighting hard to restore and preserve this vital, instinctual ritual, and Stewardship Partners is one of them. Look for the Salmon-Safe signs when you shop your Co-op between June 1 and June 12 and know you are supporting your local wildlife, economy, and endemic tradition.

Many different kinds of organizations businesses can be certified Salmon-Safe - from college campuses to urban developements to golf courses! Certification for winegrowers focuses on reducing runoff from hillside vineyards and enhancement of native biodiversity on vineyard sites. Certification for farms looks at practices that protect water quality and fish habitat - Salmon-Safe certified farms include both organic operations and growers using biologically-based integrated pest management.

We carry many products from Salmon-Safe certified farms, dairies and wineries and we even carry some beers that use Salmon-Safe Hops!! And, all produce from Organically Grown Company's LADYBUG Brand are Salmon-Safe.  Here is a list of some of the certified farms and other producers that you can find among the products on our shelves:

  • Oxbow Organic Farm & Education Center
  • Local Roots Farm 
  • Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm 
  • Full Circle Farms  
  • Nash’s Organic Produce  
  • Tahoma Farms  
  • Willie Greens Organic Farm 
  • Wilcox Farms 
  • Finnriver Cidery  
  • Lopez Island Vineyards & Winery  
  • Cooper Hill Winery 
  • A to Z Wineworks  
  • Evesham Wood Vineyard  
  • Abacela Winery  
  • Rex Hill Winery  
  • Alpenfire Cider  
  • Blue Mountain Vineyards  
  • Beresan Winery  
  • Bluebird Grain Farms

Central Co-op is celebrating Salmon Safe Saturday on June 4, 2016!
Look for in-store information and activity for kids! Also, at our 16th and Madison location, we will have:
- Special Guests from Stewardship Partners (with an appearance from Sal the Salmon)
- Samples of Salmon-Safe produce from Organically Grown Company
- Salmon-Safe certified wine from àMaurice Wine Cellars in our Adult Beverage Tasting from 3pm to 5pm in our deli seating area (21+ only, please bring id)

Tour a farm using Salmon-Safe practices!
We are organizing a tour of Wild Hare Organic Farm. They are a certified organic farm, and in the process of getting certified as Salmon Safe by Stewardship Partners! The tour will be on June 25 from 1pm to 3pm. Please RSVP! Find details by clicking here.

Date: Monday May 30, 2016

Category: In The Co-op

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