Salmon Bingo winners showing off their prizes at Whatcom Creek.

The fall season is the busiest time of year for our Stewardship Team. Not only were we working with our rockstar volunteers planting trees every Saturday, but we are also taking advantage of the best season to see salmon, spawning season. Salmon migrate back from the ocean to freshwater streams between September through December, and this is when the 20-40 pound, brightly colored fish are the most fun to watch (plus their 2-foot-long size makes them easier to see than when they are 3-inch fry). We hosted 10 salmon sighting events with over 600 participants that joined us in marveling at these scaly creatures as well as the other animals that look forward to this yearly migration like eagles and seals.

A harbor seal looking for salmon in Whatcom Creek.

As keystone species, salmon have a relationship with over 130 different animals in the pacific northwest, not to mention the countless native plants that use the marine nutrients that salmon bring back each year to grow big and strong. Having the opportunity to see these animals make their final journey home each year is special and being able to share that with our community is even better. Shout out to our partners that help make these events happen, Bellingham Family Partnership, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, Taylor Shellfish Farm, Whatcom Land Trust, the City of Bellingham, and the City of Lynden.

We also rolled out our brand-new program, Salmon Spotters, a citizen science project that will help us better understand when and where salmon are returning to local streams. Over 40 volunteers signed up to monitor creeks throughout Whatcom County and keep a lookout for salmon. More information about how our first year went and the data our dedicated spotters collected will be available at the end of January at www.n-sea.org/spotters.