"Salmon of the Pacific Northwest"

PHOTO JOURNAL

By: Mr. Donald Sprangers

**Reflections**

Washington Academy

Founded in 1792

Mission Statement
Washington Academy is an independent secondary school committed to the success of each of our local, national and international students.  Offering a comprehensive program of academics, athletics and the arts, we strive to create opportunities that will equip students socially and intellectually for their future endeavors and prepare them to become productive members of society.

A team of Earthwatch researchers records the species and size of living and dead salmon found in the Upper Hansen Creek.  Similar studies are conducted on many river sections on a weekly basis.

Pacific Northwest Rain Forest

This is a 700 year old Douglas Fir cut from the South Fork of the Stillaquamish River in1969.

Large-woody debris (LWD) provides habitat diversity and complexity to the river system.  Loggers were once instructed to remove all woody debris from rivers.  Today, efforts are being made to replace the woody debris.

A riparian buffer tree planting project like the one pictured here is common site on the lower reaches of the Skagit River and its tributaries.

The pacific salmon die after spawning.  Their decayed bodies add needed nutrients to the river and nearby riparian forest land.  The health of the young salmon population is dependant upon the nutrient load contributed by dead and decaying adults.  Death marks the end of the salmon’s life cycle, but is also vital to the beginning of a new generation of salmon.

Salmon on a marked redd.  This salmon was observed washing the gravel and preparing it’s redd.  An adult male lurks upstream of this female.  He periodically drops downstream to let the female know he is ready to fertilize the eggs.  I think this salmon is nearly completed its spawning ritual and will soon go upstream to die.

Barbara is wadding through the tall grassy banks of Colony Brook.  The presence of two or three beaver dams has caused the high water conditions.

Eight Chum salmon are trying to flank a 1.5-foot beaver dam on Colony Brook.  The pool below the dam was over 4.5 feet deep.  The high water conditions has caused water to flow around the dam thus attracting the salmon to go around the dam rather than over the dam.  The water fanned out into the tall grasses causing the salmon to beach themselves.  We found 7 dead salmon at this site.  This illustrates that beaver dams can be a lethal obstruction to the upstream migration of salmon.

Ralph assists the Chum salmon up and over the beaver dam.

The Earthwatch team received instructions and practical guidance with the methodologies of the Habitat Survey for Fish Passage Barriers used to determine the salmon's accessibility to spawning habitat on Shannon Creek.  Kathi, a fluvial geomorphologist, explains the research methods and data collection necessary for this study.

Large woody debris (logjam) on Shannon Creek, near Baker Lake.

This is large woody debris (LWD) on a reach of Shannon Creek that rises with a slope greater than 20%.  Salmon will have difficulty getting past this natural barrier.  This barrier may only be temporary if the LWD is washed downstream at a later date.  The decay of woody debris slowly provides nutrients to the river in balance with the aquatic ecosystem. 

Rick determines the depth of a plunge pool.  Salmon can jump a 2 meter high obstruction with no plunge pool.  Salmon can clear 3.7 meters if a plunge pool is present.

This hanging culvert is a man-made barrier to salmon passage.  The question to be answered is, “Should this culvert be placed on a priority list for immediate repair?”  The answer to this question is no, since we determined that there is a natural barrier just 900 feet upstream from the culvert.  The barrier is a reach of Shannon Creek that rises with a slope greater than 20% over a 100-meter distance.

This is the view from the top of Lower Baker Lake Dam.  This is obviously a man-made barrier to fish passage; too large for a fish ladder.  Migrating salmon are captured above and below the dam and then trucked around the dam.  This site is also host to a salmon hatchery.  The Lower Baker Lake Dam in conjunction with three additional dams upstream supply 30% of Seattle’s electrical power.

Rick takes tree core samples on the Old Growth Forest Test Plot.  Total age and 20-year growth will be determined for each tree in the plot.

Earthwatch Institute team members measure tree core samples.

The Fall 2004 Earthwatch group poses with a 10-foot diameter Pacific Red Cedar located outside of the Old Growth Forest Test Plot.  JoLeen and Ralph are not pictured.

Surveying the Old Growth Down Woody Debris is no easy task.  Teams measured the diameters at both ends of the log, its total length, direction of fall, and distance and direction to a given reference point on the plot.  Data will be used to determine recruitment of down woody debris to the forest floor and the river system.

On the surface of this down tree sprouts new life.  A new generation of trees begins life on a host tree known as a "nursery" tree.

This line of trees in the middle of the Old Growth Forest Test Plot is the result of a "nursery" tree that fell years ago and provided the necessary nutrients to sustain the growth of 9 new trees. 

Rick determines the azimuth reading on his compass in mapping the vegetative cover along the banks of the North Fork of the Sauk River.

Denise and Karl determine the back-azimuth to check the accuracy of Rick's work.  The tape measure is used to measure the distance along the river bank and to nearby reference points in the Old Growth Forest Test Plot.  Data will be used to determine the dynamics of the river as it cuts new channels.

Pike Place Market is a historic landmark in Seattle.  The fish at this market are known to fly, talk, and startle passerby's as they jump out at you.  This is the most entertaining fish market around.  It is a "must see" when you visit Seattle.

Artwork in the city reflect human ties to the fishing (salmon) culture of the Pacific Northwest.  Here, salmon adorn the walls of a city building, reminding people of the precious value placed on these resources.  The key now is to educate the public about the sustainable use of our natural resources.  Art can be used as a means of human awareness to deliver this message.

Mount Saint Helens and the Toutle River Valley

Notice the natural reforestation in the lower river valley.  This is part of the blast zone area of the 1980 eruption and it is being left to nature to restore itself.  Behind the photographer are mountains reforested by the Weyerhaeuser Company.  For miles and miles, and for as far as your eye can see, 15-20 year old trees blanket the landscape ...A good investment by Weyerhaeuser for the good of all mankind.

Mount Saint Helen's awoke on October 4, 2004 and has been erupting since October 11, 2004 when an earthquake caused the crater wall to open up.  Lava is currently flowing from the volcano at a rate of 1 dump truck load per second.  At this rate it will take 12-years to rebuild Mt. St. Helen's to the mountain it was before the 1980 eruption.  Currently, Mt. St. Helen's stands 8,365 feet tall.

Mount Hood, Oregon

Elevation:  11,239 feet

We also saw Mt. Rainier (14,411 feet) and Mt. Adams in our travels.  Because we were so far away from them, they did not tower over the horizon like Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helen's. 

The Skagit River Basin is protected by dikes along the river and coast.  This prevents the delta region shown here from flooding.  The soils are very fertile and prime for farming and forestry.  This picture shows a stand of very fast growing Aspen (Poplar).  These trees can be grown and harvested in 15 to 20 year cycles.  Urbanization (urban sprawl) threatens these lands from their current use.  Can we continue to loose agricultural lands to urbanization with the need to feed a growing population?

White Chuck Mountain in the Upper Cascade Mountain Range