Barb Anderson

How long have you been involved with Stream Watch? 7 years.

Why did you decide to join the Stream Watch team? Well, my husband had already been involved with Stream Watch for about five years so I knew about it and knew that when I retired I wanted to join too. Before that, we knew about it because a fisher friend of ours had been doing it for quite some time. I had also been with the Kenai Watershed Forum for many years. In general, we’d been using the river for so many years that we wanted to give back to the river system all of the joy it’s given us. When we first moved here before the program started it was just a mess and it’s been really heartening to see how much it’s changed for the better over the years and it’s been nice to be a part of that.

What do you love most about the program? I guess just being outside and being on the river and talking to different people. And of course part of it is spending time with my husband; going on the camping trips is always fun! But overall, spending the day outside. When we’re at the Russian River we usually hike up to the falls which is always a nice hike. I also love helping with Sally the Sustainable Salmon.

What are you most excited for this summer? The volunteer appreciation event because it’s always good to see all of the other folks who help out with the program. I see them twice a year - once at the beginning and once at the end, and it’s always nice to reconnect with them. Also, the beach clean-ups at Kasilof.