On Tuesday, March 27th, the Regional Fisheries Coalition (RFC) announced that its annual Paul G. Ancich Memorial Scholarship is again available for graduating high school seniors and college students. Applications for the scholarship are due June 1st.
The Ancich Scholarship was created in 2011 by the RFC as a memorial scholarship to commemorate the conservation efforts of Paul G. Ancich. Ancich served as the RFC chair and president and also was a member of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Lands Management Council. He was an early supporter of Gig Harbor’s Donkey Creek Chum Festival and of the community’s efforts to establish a chum hatchery. Ancich was a commercial fisherman who strove to prevent the decline of salmon and salmon habitat.
This perpetual scholarship is designed to support the aspirations of students with goals of a natural science profession within Washington State. In 2017, seven of the fourteen regional fishery enhancement groups (RFEG’s) participating in this scholarship opportunity are the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, Tri-State Steelheaders SEG, North Olympic Salmon Coalition, Sound Salmon Solutions and the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group. The scholarship will be awarded in the amount of $1400.
Eligible applicants must:
- Reside within one of the seven participating RFEG regions (map) and have an acceptance letter to a two or four-year college, or, alternatively, be a current college student within Washington State.
- Plan to study a natural resource-related field.
- As part of the application process, applicants must discuss participation in a community or personal project that enhances, protects, or restores salmon.
- Applicants must include an essay describing their perspective of wild salmon within the Pacific Northwest watersheds and how restoration activities may be beneficial.
For full application instructions and a map of RFEG regions, click here.
The Regional Fisheries Coalition represents 14 RFEG’s within Washington State. The RFEG’s collectively work to rebuild salmon populations, and restore and protect salmon habitat within their regions. Through federal, state, county, tribal and community partners, RFEG’s play an important role in local salmon restoration, monitoring and education.