Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association
Help us bring wild salmon home.
Since 1991, neighbors, students, and volunteers have worked beside us to recover wild salmon in the creeks and rivers of Whatcom County. This is what local salmon recovery looks like.
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Fresh news from the creeks
What’s Happening at NSEA
What We Learned in Preschool
With the kickoff of summer, it also means the end of NSEA’s first preschool year! In September of 2025, we began our first official preschool class after five successful summers of Camp Keystone. Our…
Students for Salmon Returns for Another Year of Outdoor Education
At the end of last school year, changes in the funding landscape for nonprofits cast a shadow of uncertainty on the future of the Students for Salmon program. But teachers, community members and funders…
Volunteer, show up, get rewarded: a new community initiative from Backcountry Essentials
Backcountry Essentials is launching a new community initiative to celebrate folks who volunteer with local organizations. Participants simply volunteer, stop by their shop in downtown Bellingham to tell staff where they volunteered (show an…
35 Years Later, Volunteers are Dedicated to the Same Goal: Restoring Habitat for Salmon
NSEA’s community work parties, events where volunteers gather to work together and support salmon habitat restoration projects, began in the early 1990s due to the passion and determination…
Monitoring 20-year-old planting projects
The field crew has begun collecting data on NSEA’s legacy sites (restoration projects that are over 20 years old). In collaboration with Jim Helfield, a professor at Western…
Mark your calendar
Upcoming events
14th Annual Run with the Chums 5K Fun Run
Love the outdoors, community fun, stunning views, and celebrating salmon and water? This free, family-friendly event is open to all ages and speeds. The scenic 5K…
Salmon Spotters Training – Option 1
This training is open to anyone interested in learning a little more about salmon, especially how to tell the different species apart. It is also for…
Salmon Spotters Training – Option 2
This training is open to anyone interested in learning a little more about salmon, especially how to tell the different species apart. It is also for…
Our impact to date
Since 1991, together we’ve:
planted
500,000+
native trees and shrubs
created
1,400+
volunteer work parties
removed
170+
fish passage barriers
reopened
145+
miles of stream
taught
35,000+
students about salmon & creeks
Why we do this
Salmon are part of what makes Whatcom County home. They feed our rivers and forests, they carry deep meaning for the tribes who have fished these waters for generations, and a strong salmon run is one of the surest signs that a watershed is healthy.
Right now, our salmon need help. The streams they depend on have been blocked by old culverts, cleared of the trees that keep water cool, and worn down over the years. Putting that right is slow, hands-on work, and it only happens when neighbors show up for it. We’ve been doing that work since 1991, and we’re not done.
Our mission is to engage our community to recover wild salmon for future generations. Our vision is healthy watersheds that sustain abundant salmon.
Featured project
Kendall Creek, then and now
NSEA has been working on Kendall Creek since the late 1990s. The early work fenced livestock out of the water and planted the banks with native trees and shrubs, many of them planted by local students. Starting in 2001, crews replaced four culverts that blocked fish passage and placed large woody debris (logs with roots still attached) to create pools where juvenile salmon shelter. All told, more than a mile of Kendall Creek has been restored: 4,000 feet of livestock fencing, 6,000 native plants, and 300 pieces of large wood.
Get involved
Salmon recovery starts with you.
Have a free Saturday morning, a few dollars to spare, or a creek running through your backyard? There is a way to help. Come plant trees, chip in, or tell us about your stream.
Come to a work party
Plant trees and pull invasive weeds. Work parties run Wednesday and Saturday mornings. All ages welcome, and you don’t need any experience. We bring the tools, the gloves, and the coffee.
Chip in
Your donation stays right here in Whatcom County. It pays for the native trees, the volunteer opportunities, and the school programs that bring thousands of kids to the creek every year.
Have a stream on your land?
If you’ve got a creek or stream that needs help, tell us about it. We’ll come take a look and walk the banks with you, often at no cost.
Our funders & partners
The people and partners behind the work
Grants, local businesses, and partner organizations make salmon recovery possible.
