The Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association recently announced it has received a $30,000 grant from the Alcoa Foundation to kick off a new internship program. Interns in the new program, called the Future Leaders of Whatcom Waters, will take tools learned through their internship to find and define their career paths in the conservation field through real world application.

The grant was awarded by the Alcoa Foundation, through the coordination and support of local staff at Alcoa Intalco Works in Ferndale. Alcoa has historically supported the association, including staff attending community work parties, sponsoring environmental interns, funding the association’s new native plant nursery and volunteering financial support when the association’s old office was burglarized.

The association strives to recover salmon by engaging the community in restoration, education and stewardship.

The Alcoa Foundation invests in places where Alcoa Corporation has a presence, providing grants that contribute to environmental excellence, particularly in the areas of biodiversity conservation and climate change research.