‘Rock the Dock’
Dear Editor: I am writing this with the sincerest gratitude to our forest, our fishermen, and all of the wonderful people of this salmon-loving community, nestled here in the heart of the Tongass National Forest. “Rock the Dock for the Tongass,” held over Labor Day weekend, was an absolute success and it would not have been possible without the help of our partners, our local sponsors, and the talented artists and musicians throughout Southeast Alaska.
Thank you for understanding the importance of fish habitat protections to the essence and the future of the community of Sitka. More than 300 people took action for the Tongass that night and many more learned about threats to some of our most important salmon watersheds on the Tongass if the 2001 Roadless Rule protections are removed.
Polarization in politics is one of the most dangerous things that is happening to our communities and our country. Fish habitat protections are not a red or a blue issue; they are vital to the future of Sitka and healthy communities throughout Southeast. Salmon is a common ground that we all share in Sitka. Our community is reliant upon our salmon economy, our salmon watersheds and intact ecosystems.
This issue is now at our doorstep and it is time we link arms to hold ground in the face of these threats to our fisheries and our forest. We need more collaborative community events like “Rock the Dock for the Tongass” that bring us together to remind us what makes this place so amazing and why Sitka is such a wonderful community to be a part of. The energy that night was so electric the sky glowed green and I could not have asked for a more beautiful evening or more beautiful crowd of people.
Thank you to our major sponsors: Sitka Salmon Shares, SEARHC, Mean Queen and K&E Alaska. Thank you to our other generous sponsors: Sitka Sound Seafoods, Sea Mart Quality Foods, Zach Laperriere, Precision Boat Works, Sitka Flowers & the Chocolate Moose, Work and Rugged, Old Harbor Books, 57 Peaks, and Fish Baranof.
Thank you to Matt Hamilton of Creative Hustler Company out of Ketchikan for the killer poster and T-shirt design. You can find more of his work at LFS Marine. An extra special thank you goes to the people who helped to put this whole thing together. Thank you, Willow Moore of Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, as well as Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust and the Sitka Seafood Festival for all of the logistical support.
And thank you for organizing the family activities and the tote races and letting us collaborate together to create such a wonderful atmosphere for our community. Thank you to the staff at Centennial Hall and the Sitka harbor department for providing facility support.
Thank you to Hank Moore for opening the show and thank you to the Sitka Blues Band, Full Metal Honey Badger, and Shelterdog for your wonderful performances. Thank you to “Deke Dickerson and the Rockaboueys” and “Gamble and the High Costa Living” and all of the folks in both of those bands for making your way here to bring such wonderful energy to Sitka and headlining our show.
The dancing was amazing and pausing the music to point out the northern lights was exceptional. I will never forget when the stage lights got turned down and music slowed so folks could dance romantically on the dock under the northern lights. What a magical and memorable moment that was.
The music all night long was outstanding. Thank you to Reber Stein for organizing such spectacular musical talent and making it possible to bring rockabilly legend Deke Dickerson up from California, as well as the amazing 10-piece funk band “Gamble and the High Costa Living” from Juneau. You helped to take this event to the next level, and this would not been possible without you.
Thank you to Jean Stolberg and John Herchenrider for doing such wonderful sound work as always, and the long hours gathering and setting up and tearing down all of the equipment. Thank you to John and particularly Sharyn Ferrick for providing the stage and the lights and the sound equipment and for going above and beyond to help even though you needed to catch a plane the next day.
Thank you to Mary Magnuson of the Mean Queen for putting on the beer garden and helping to provide logistical support. We appreciate you and your hospitality for our Sitka Conservation Society events year round. Thank you to our food vendors for feeding our community and celebrating our local seafood, Julie of Captain Juju’s, Barbara Collacios (that salmon poke was incredible), Castaway, and Lou Primacio of Primo’s Teriyaki. I was told once long ago that the most dangerous thing a man can do is draw a hungry crowd, so thank you for feeding them!
Thank you to our amazing volunteers who helped with decorations, sign-making, salmon cutout-making, set up, decorating, and stage-building, teardown and cleanup. Thanks to those folks who helped in various ways during the event at the prayer flag-making station, providing security, checking IDs, greenroom and musician support, and helping inspire folks to take action for the Tongass.
Thank you to everyone in the community who came out to attend, to dance, to enjoy the company of your neighbors and to join together to celebrate our salmon and our fisheries and forest. It was all for the love of salmon and all for the love of Sitka. Thank you for being a part of it.
Heather Bauscher,
Tongass Community Organizer,
Sitka Conservation Society
