2001 Ecotrust Award
Honoree: David Hatch
David Hatch (Photo by Judy Kloos) Download a hi-res image: right-click here and select Save As (1mb JPEG)
"The ocean we see today is not the healthy ocean which belongs here."
—David Hatch
David Hatch is honored as a finalist for the 2001 Ecotrust Award for Indigenous Leadership in Conservation for his work to return the sea otter (elakha) to the Oregon coast where it has been extinct for nearly a century. David is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and lives in Portland, Oregon.
In his efforts to return sea otters to the Oregon Coast, David co-founded the Elakha Alliance. This organization represents a collaboration between the Oregon Zoo, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, University of Oregon, Portland State University, Oregon State University, Oregon's coastal tribal governments and others.
David is working hard to raise public awareness of the potential to restore both the sea otter to the Oregon coast and the natural biodiversity of the near shore ecosystem. In support of his efforts, the Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians recently passed a resolution that endorses the efforts of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians and the Elakha Alliance to restore the coastal ecosystem and the elakha population of the Oregon Coast.
David Hatch is a Project Engineer for the City of Portland Traffic Management Department. David previously worked as an Instructor at Oregon State University's Transportation Research Institute. He received a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University in 1978.
David has been a member of the Oregon Community Foundation's Howard Vollum Council since 1986. The council works specifically towards increasing the numbers of American Indian students entering and succeeding in the fields of science and engineering.
As a community volunteer, David has worked with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry on the Salmon Camp Project for American Indian middle school and high school students. He also serves on Oregon State University's Board of Visitors, a group dedicated to increasing the diversity of the university.
Two of David Hatch's articles, Oregon's Elakha and Who's Elakha, can be found online at www.tidepool.org/features/elakha.cfm. Also, read David Hatch's opinion piece, Is Your Principal Also Your Grand Marshall? as featured on OPB's Education Forum.
