Have you ever seen a salmon spawn? For that matter, have you ever seen a live salmon? This fall, beginning in October, you can bring your family to see the salmon swimming and spawning at four sites along the Cedar River.
The salmon you will see began their lives in the Cedar or in a hatchery about four years ago, and since then they’ve had quite a journey. After hatching, they migrated from the river to Lake Washington, then to the ocean. They spent two to four years in the ocean, and then began their trip back to their birthplace by swimming through the Ballard Chittenden Locks into Lake Washington. These incredible creatures then found their way back to the Cedar River, because they can only reproduce in the fresh water in which they were born.
Why go see the salmon? According to Charlotte Spang, the Cedar River Salmon Journey program coordinator, it’s a great experience for the whole family.
“The salmon is an icon of the Pacific Northwest,” she said. “Salmon were one of the lynchpin species that sustained populations of humans for centuries. Seeing the salmon helps connect people to their own river and to their own environment.”
Volunteer naturalists not only teach about the salmon’s journey and lifecycle, but also about the native plants along the river and how these affect the salmon. The natural and human history of the Cedar River is discussed, as well, as information on current fish populations and other native wildlife.
“The salmon are charismatic and are often what brings people to the river, but the river itself is really pretty, too,” Spang said.
The Cedar, which flows from the cascades, through Maple Valley and Renton and then empties into Lake Washington, is used for drinking water in many areas of King County. The naturalists also share how everyday actions can affect the salmon and the river. A kid might just be excited to see fish swimming, but an adult or older child will come away with valuable information.
Naturalists will be at the sites on Oct. 11, 18, 19, 25 and 26, and Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each of the sites offers a different view of the salmon’s journey. Here are Spang’s recommendations:
• Landsburg Park: A 40-minute guided tour takes visitors up to the water diversion dam, and is good for ages 8 and above. Because the tour takes visitors up to part of the watershed that is usually closed to the public, the group must stay with naturalists for security reasons. This tour talks about water supply, in addition to salmon, and is an interesting one for adults and older kids. You even get a chance to see the “pescalator” in action! If you have younger children, Landsburg Park is a nice park, and you can still talk to naturalists and see fish without going on the tour.
• Cavanaugh Pond: Here you can take a 30-minute guided tour along the river. This location is also good for kids because there is a lot to see, a beaver dam, ducks, caterpillars and, of course, the salmon. If a younger child’s attention wanes, it’s easy to break away from the tour and explore on your own.
• Renton Library and Riverview Park: Good for kids of all ages. There is no guided tour at these sites, but naturalists are available to have a conversation, as long or short as you would like. The bright red and green fish are easy to see at these locations.
For directions to salmon-viewing sites, a schedule and more information, go online at http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/8/action/salmon-seeson/default.aspx
Tiffany Doerr Guerzon, a homemaker and freelance writer, lives in Maple Valley. She can be reached at homespun@reporternewspapers.com
