After 37 years at the Kitsap Sun, I’m writing one last salmon story today as a member of the newsroom staff. I was offered an early-retirement package, and I decided to take it. But that does not mean I’ll soon be shopping for a rocking chair.
For one thing, I plan to continue writing this blog, and I intend to beef it up with even more original reporting. I’m also committed to completing the Kitsap Sun’s 10-part series called “Taking the Pulse of Puget Sound.” The series has examined every corner of our troubled waterway, taking clues from the Puget Sound Partnership’s “vital signs indicators.”
Beyond those projects, I will continue to work for the Sun in a freelance capacity. Editor David Nelson has asked me to do some in-depth writing about environmental issues that have not been fully examined. I’ll also be looking for some interesting projects outside the Kitsap Sun. If you have some suggestions, send them my way.
Although I’ll still be working, it might be a good time to pay tribute to those who have helped me along the way.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the relationships I’ve developed with many of you through my years of reporting, and I don’t intend to stop. I’m indebted to the thousands of dedicated people in our community and across the state who have taken time to help me understand complicated stories. They have taught me everything I know about the environment and allowed me to tell their stories.
I’m also grateful to those who thought to contact the paper after identifying a problem that needs public exposure. Sometimes, greedy or stupid people are to blame. More often, I think people just don’t understand the consequences of their actions. That probably applies to all of us to some degree.
For whatever success I’ve had, I could not have done it without the support of my editors and fellow reporters, photographers, graphic artists and others at the Sun. David Nelson, for one, saw the importance of local environmental reporting when other newspapers were severely cutting back their coverage.
Most of all, I’d like to thank the readers who have supported the Kitsap Sun, which continues to write important news stories while struggling through tough economic times. It is always a thrill when someone comes up to me and says, “I always look for your byline,” and then explains that he or she finds my stories interesting or worthwhile.
Anyway, I look forward to more flexible hours and working from home as long as I can. As always, I will continue to read my email and answer my phone, so please stay in touch:
Christopher Dunagan
Environmental Reporter
(360) 373-0276
ChrisBDunagangmail.com
Happy Trails, Chris. Keep up your interest in Hood Canal summer chum salmon and the folks in the region who care about them.
Congratulations on your retirement, Chris, and I’ll look forward to you digging even deeper into our relationship to the marine environment. Personally, I think L-112 still deserves some more of your careful inquiry… as do the ecological and economic connections between Southern Resident recovery and our enjoyment in western Washington of cheap electricity from the Columbia River dams.
Chris,
You are an outstanding reporter and educator. Thanks for all that you have done (and will do) for the Sound’s people, wildlife, and the environment we live in. All the best to you and yours.
Michael Maddox
Good luck with your transition Chris. Glad to know we’ll still be able to read your informative pieces occasionally.