Remember we told you about our long term Salmon Creek project? You know....how we're hand raising wild stock of native Chum salmon in Salmon Creek? How we just released 38,000 fry out to sea last Spring? How we're hoping to get enough back some day to introduce them into the depleted Chimacum Creek?
Well, stop the presses....this just in.
Over 800 fish returned this year! That means the return has DOUBLED over last year (which was double the number the year before). It was such a good return the state decided that this would be a great year to move fish to Chimacum. There are now eggs incubating on Salmon and Chimacum creeks.
Many factors are involved in the increased return. Reduced sport and commercial fishing the last two years has reduced the incidental catch of summer chum. Ocean conditions have also improved recently, up from historic lows. And, though we won't know for sure until the lab has looked for the otolith markings on the returned fish, we feel confident that the Wild Olympic Salmon hatchery played a key role in the increased returns. So if you're a Wild Olympic Salmon member, give yourself a big pat on the back.
Now that eggs are incubating on Chimacum creek, the challenge is to make sure the creek is ready for their return. It's been 12 years since a significant run of chum spawned in Chimacum creek and many of the factors leading to their demise are still present. Progress has been made towards understanding the important factors, and mitigating some of them. Fencing along the creek through the farmlands has greatly reduced the bank erosion caused from farm animals walking in and out of the creek. Plans are being drawn for a major push to improve the spawning grounds. To help contact the WOS office at 360-385-9329.
August was Big Quil month for the Jobs for the Environment crew. The banks of the Big Quil (by Rusty Corey's property) had been eroding and depositing fine silt into the river, choking salmon spawning grounds. The Jobs guys installed 3 log and rock barbs over a 600 feet distance. The barbs will catch debris upstream, deflect the stream, and prevent further erosion. Then the crew pulled all the banks back to 2-1 slope, seeded them with grass seed, and layed down matting of Coir cloth (made out of coconut fibers) to give seeds moisture and something to hold on to.
In just one month the Jobs crew reversed damage caused by years and years of erosion (which is more than those fancy Hollywood plastic surgeons can say). Thanks go to the Jefferson County Public Works, Federal and State Fisheries, and designer Bruce Heiner.
At last, here's a restoration project you get to see with your own eyes (if you can take them off the fries at Fat Smitty's on Hwy 101 by the head of Discovery Bay).
After being flooded for years, the residents by Snow Creek finally had it up to here (literally) and got a permit to do some major work on the stream. Built up sediments had raised the creek bed up several feet, creating a choke point that was flooding the entire area. One of the property owners, Zerr construction, excavated about 20,000 cubic yards of sediment over a distance of about half a mile.
The Jobs for the Environment crew went into the pools and riffles, putting in logs, stumps and root wads to create structures for salmon habitat. They also buried logs to help stabilize riffles, where the fish spawn. On both this and the Big Quil project, the Jobs guys will go back and do riparian planting with native vegetation.
Here's the latest in virtual reality games. Kids learn about the outdoors by going....well, outdoors! They hunt for 12 Dragon Tracks created by local artists that are hidden among the rocks, rivers,beaches and mountains of Jefferson County. The game is now being offered at Mar Vista by Deborah Daubner-Michel and Trina Steel . But we've got Do-It-Yourself books so anyone can play. Call Wild Olympic Salmon at 385-9329.
They can kiss all the babies, eat all the junk food, and press all the flesh they want. No candidate carries quite as much weight as Wild Olympic Salmon's 1280 pound ambassador FIN. The 25-foot salmon is scheduled to sashay her way across the country to DC, (and also MT, IL, MD, DC, PA, NJ, CT, RI, MA, NH, NY, WV, KY, MO, and KS.) That's more sightings than Elvis! Her stellar appearance will lend a fin to the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance.
This Fall, Carkeek park will get its first taste of Salmon, Chimacum style, as local artist and Wild Olympic Salmon member, Tom Jay unveils a gigantic ferrocement salmon slide.
The salmon is painted to look like a spawning Chum swimming into the forest. (Carkeek park actually has Chum salmon in its creek) The kids crawl up into the salmon's mouth and onto the slide that travels through the fish's belly and, what can we say, it's all downhill from there.
The project, which was funded by the Seattle Parks and Recreation Commission, is scheduled to open in early November. If you know of any upcoming salmon art projects, please let us know.