Flying Coho at the Salmon Cascades
Story + Photography by Sara Montour Lewis
In a year filled with uncertainty in our world, as COVID leaves us shaken and unable to connect as deeply with our community, or even our closest friends and family, I stumbled upon a perfect moment of solidarity.
Perched on the rocky riverbed of the Sol Duc River in Olympic National Park with an ever-changing group of masked strangers, we joined together to heartily cheer on Coho Salmon as they made their attempts to defy gravity, leave the water and soar upstream and also winced together as their attempts fell short and the salmon returned to the lineup to rest and gather up the courage to try it again.
You can’t live in the northwest without seeing, and hearing, salmon seemingly touch every facet of life and culture. Their importance to the ecosystem can’t be overstated and even from afar it’s easy to see how essential they are to life in the northwest and how devastating the collapse of salmon populations in the region has been.
Sitting on the riverbed and watching their determination in front of your own eyes (or camera lens) is a different experience, though. It’s hard not to be humbled by their presence as you’re watching evolution at work and it’s easy to fully understand in that moment why there’s such a fight to preserve these wild runs.
This photograph is available as a print in our shop!
This photograph is available as a print in our shop!
This photograph is available as a print in our shop!
This photograph is available as a print in our shop!
CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES:
We’re right in the heart of salmon season around Puget Sound, so keep your eyes peeled as you’re walking near rivers that feed into the Sound for an opportunity to view salmon right in your backyard. There are also salmon recovery efforts all around our state and plenty of opportunities to be a part of helping these keystone species succeed!
King County — The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks has a great website with resources on where to find salmon and how to help with recovery efforts at kingcounty.gov/salmon.
Hood Canal — The folks at the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group are great at keeping us all up to date on salmon recovery and restoration efforts via social media.
Olympic Peninsula — Check out the efforts of the North Olympic Salmon Coalition
Whatcom County — The NSEA (Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association) is leading the charge in Whatcom County and has plenty of opportunities to get involved.
The Greater Pacific Northwest — Follow the Wild Salmon Center to stay informed about what’s happening with salmon recovery in the greater Pacific Northwest, including updates on the fate of Bristol Bay, which holds the world’s largest sockeye run and is in an ongoing battle to save those pristine waters from collapse due to the proposed Pebble Mine.
Items from this adventure in our shop:
