Students getting ready to release their salmon in Chimacum Creek. Photo by NOSC staff.

This Giving Tuesday we are raising funds to purchase an aquarium set-up to raise salmon in the classroom at a local elementary school. This year we are welcoming 2 new schools from Port Angeles to our elementary program and need to purchase a full aquarium set-up for Roosevelt Elementary. This program now serves 8 public elementary schools in Clallam and Jefferson Counties. Learn more about Salmon in the Schools: Salmon in the Schools | North Olympic Salmon Coalition

Help us reach our goal of raising $2,000 for tank supplies!

A donation of...

$35 is one year of water treatments.

$50 supplies aquarium gravel & an aerator.

$150 provides tank cleaning and testing supplies.

$500 provides an aquarium & stand for one school.

$1000 provides an aquarium chiller and canister filter to keep water cold and clean.

or via our website at Donate | North Olympic Salmon Coalition

NOSC Staff show Chimacum Elementary School teachers how to clean their salmon tank using a siphon. Photo by Michele Moseley.

Photo by Jeremy Johnson.

Volunteer with NOSC on December 7th to plant native trees and shrubs to expand the riparian buffer at Snow Creek!

December 7th, 10am-12:30pm at Snow Creek Uncas Preserve

After completing the first stage of floodplain and large woody debris work in the summer of 2023, the next stage of this project is working to restore a healthy and diverse riparian forest on the shores of Snow Creek. We will plant native trees and shrubs from 10am-12pm. After planting, we will give a tour of the restoration project from 12-12:30pm.

We could also use a couple folks to help bareroot plants for the planting at our nursery on Friday, December 6th from 10am-12pm at Finnriver Farm and Cidery. Please contact Stewardship Coordinator, Nate Roberts at nroberts@nosc.org if you are available to help.

Volunteers have long been at the heart of the Salmon Coalition – it’s this community stewardship piece that allows our work to have such a large impact. This month, we’d like to recognize a group of volunteers that not only dedicate their time to restoration work in the here and now, but also the development of the future generation of stewards through volunteering with NOSC’s Real Learning Real Work program.

This fall, NOSC hosted almost 400 middle school students on field visits to local salmon streams over the course of 6 days. From Salmon Creek in Discovery Bay to the Dungeness River, 23 volunteers and partners dedicated over 200 total hours to helping students make observations, collect data, and discuss habitat quality. 

Left: 7th grade students from Blue Heron Middle School work with volunteers to collect data on the diversity and maturity of the riparian forest by taking a riparian transect. Right: Partners from WDFW show Chimacum Jr. High students how they monitor spawning salmon populations. Photos by NOSC.

Our education volunteers and partners play a crucial role in helping us keep group sizes small for these activities. Smaller group sizes increase student engagement in activities, allowing more students to share ideas in discussion, and provide more opportunity for students to ask questions. 

These students will spend the winter creating their own restoration project with the help of NOSC and their teachers. In the spring, they will visit the site again to implement their project. Along the way, they practice real-world engineering, science, and math skills that those in the restoration profession use daily. These students will grow up to become tomorrow’s restoration technicians, fisheries managers, engineers, community leaders, teachers, and decision makers. 

Thank you to our dedicated education volunteers and partners for your investment in the next generation. 

There are many ways to support NOSC’s education programs. Spring field trip season goes from March through May with elementary and middle school programs in both Jefferson and Clallam County. Look for volunteer sign ups starting in January. You can also support these programs by making a donation or becoming a member. Membership dues and donations help bridge the gap between grant funding and program expenses. Find out more at Donate | North Olympic Salmon Coalition.

Learn more about NOSC's education programs at Education | North Olympic Salmon Coalition.

This fall, NOSC partnered with the Jefferson Land Trust, Jefferson Conservation District, Jefferson Health Care, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Makah Tribe, and the Dungeness Fish Hatchery. Funding for Real Learning Real Work is provided by the Recreation and Conservation Office, Jefferson Community Foundation, private foundations, and donors like you!

Right: Sequim Middle School 7th graders work with volunteers to distribute mulch around newly planted trees and shrubs as part of their restoration project. Photo by NOSC.

In late October, the 2024 summer chum season on Chimacum came to a close. Each year, beginning in late August, Salmon Coalition volunteers survey the lower three miles of Chimacum Creek for spawning Hood Canal summer chum salmon—a unique variety of chum salmon that return to their spawning grounds several months earlier than most chum salmon in our region. Unlike other salmonids like coho salmon and steelhead, who swim into the highest tributaries to spawn, chum salmon generally spawn in the lower reaches of local rivers and streams. Due to this, surveying efforts take place in the 2-3 miles of stream below Irondale Road in Port Hadlock.

Hood Canal summer chum are listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and went extinct in Chimacum Creek in the 1980’s due to a number of factors. The proverbial ‘nail in the coffin’ was the failure of the Irondale Road culvert, which released several tons of fine sediment into their spawning grounds, suffocating the developing eggs and wiping out the run.

A NOSC volunteer taking scale samples from a recently deceased summer chum salmon. Scale samples get analyzed in a lab to give WDFW data about the genetic diversity of the run.

 Photo by Rick Allen.

Check out these book recommendations from our staff to you!

Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest

by David Moskowitz

What Maude has to say:

This is a must-have field guide for improving your natural history knowledge about local fauna, and for identifying any animal, bird, reptile, or insect tracks found on the Peninsula. There are beautiful color photos of animals and their tracks, life history information for most of the 180 species, and range maps. For those new to tracking, there is an accessible explanation of animal and bird foot morphology, descriptions of common track patterns and what they reveal about the animal’s speed of travel, and tips on what other types of animal sign to look for besides tracks. You are guaranteed to learn some amazing factoids, and reading this book will probably bring you into closer relationship with your non-human neighbors. 

Stronghold

by Tucker Malarkey

What Sarah has to say:

The book Stronghold is a captivating account of the fight to protect the planet’s last strongholds of wild salmon, weaving together Wild Salmon Center’s CEO, Guido Rahr’s, personal journey and the ecological significance of these fish. The book highlights the complex interplay of conservation, science, and human impact on these vital ecosystems.

Across the Olympic Mountains: The Press Expedition, 1889-90 by Robert Wood

What Lindsay has to say:

For those who like local history or have taken a walk in the Olympic Mountains, this book is a great depiction of the wild rivers, forests, and mountains of the Olympics prior to extensive development. I loved reading about the journey up the mighty Elwha River before the construction of the dam. Great to read on a rainy winter day accompanied by a map. 

The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout

by Thomas P. Quinn

What Nate has to say:

If you’ve ever had a question about Pacific salmon or trout, this book will have the answer! From the different stages of development, to homing and migration, to reproduction, Thomas Quinn does an excellent job translating a large amount of scientific data and information to the layperson, avoiding overly technical jargon that can often plague peer reviewed literature. Illustrations and diagrams are easy to understand, and each chapter also has a brief and very helpful summary of main points. This book will teach you all you’ve ever wanted to learn about our local salmonids, and then some!

Local Salmon Read!

If you're interested in learning more about our local Pacific salmon, check out the new book Circle Life: Salmon of the Strait of Juan de Fuca by local author and longtime NOSC volunteer, Susan McDougall! Learn about the local life history of each of the seven salmonids native to our local waters through seven essays that dive into biology, history, status, restoration efforts, and much more.

More at Events | North Olympic Salmon Coalition