Politics & Government

Kirkland, County Seeking Salmon Watcher Volunteers

September training sessions for the Salmon Watcher program are offered in Seattle, Renton, Bellevue and Woodinville.

Salmon are beginning to return to their natal rivers and creeks, and both Kirkland and King County are seeking volunteers to count the fish in streams of the Lake Washington watershed.

Many Pacific salmon species have begun the final stretch of their remarkable migration from the open ocean back to the rivers and streams of their birth, where they will spawn then die as their offspring begin life in the gravel below.

Kirkland does not have any major rivers inside its boundaries and no major salmon runs. But remnant populations primarily of coho and sockeye exist in several local creeks that flow into the lake.

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"We don't have salmon in the same numbers you would find in Woodinville or Bellevue," says Betsy Adams, the city of Kirkland's environmental outreach coordinator. "But there have been sightngs of salmon in our creeks in the past, especially Juanita Creek."

Other Kirkland creeks where volunteers have watched for salmon in the past are Denny Creek in the Finn Hill area; Forbes Creek, which flows into Juanita Bay; and Yarrow Creek and Cochrane Springs Creek, both of which flow into Yarrow Bay.

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These creeks are also known to host spawning cutthroat trout, which spend most of their lives in Lake Washington and spawn in the winter.

Adams said about 10 salmon wachers in Kirkland have particpated in the past, but the city could use more with Denny Creek and the upper reaches of Juanita Creek now inside the city becasue of the recent annexation.

Salmon watchers spend about 15 minutes twice a week at a designated site along a stream to look for returning salmon during the fall. For a list of the streams monitored and the species seen in them, or likely to be seen, click here.

This volunteer work of monitoring salmon migration and spawning activities is an important part of fisheries management. The data collected are used by agencies and groups working to help restore weak salmon runs and improve habitat for all fish and wildlife.

For example, the at includes a major wetlands restoration project to provide critical sheltering habitat for salmon and other fish.

You can become a salmon watcher by attending one of four free classroom training sessions to learn how to identify salmon. Sessions are scheduled for:

  • Thursday, Sept. 15, Bellevue City Hall, Bellevue; 
  • Tuesday, Sept. 20, Renton Community Center, Renton;
  • Thursday, Sept. 22, Woodinville City Hall, Woodinville;
  • Wednesday, Oct. 5, Greenwood Senior Center, Seattle.

All trainings are from 7-9 p.m. Those interested in volunteering should arrive a few minutes early to sign in.

No experience is necessary, although past volunteers are always welcome. 

For more information about the Salmon Watcher Program, please contact ecologist Jennifer Vanderhoof, 206-263-6533, or jennifer.vanderhoof@kingcounty.gov, or find the program  on Facebook.


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