Celebrate Earth Day weekend at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

Celebrate Earth Day at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

All are invited to join Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) to celebrate Earth Day weekend with our juvenile Chinook salmon before they are released in May to begin their miraculous journey. The educational and fun packed event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 at the hatchery, located at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, 125 W. Sunset Way, Issaquah WA.

Tour the native plant garden, feed the rainbow trout and try your hand at salmon-themed arts and crafts projects. View the 4.5 million chinook smolts in the hatchery rearing ponds (raceways) and get answers to all your questions. Children and adults alike are invited to write a good-luck letter to the juvenile salmon before they are released into the wild, where they face many dangers such as predation and pollution. Visitors can even help with hands-on habitat restoration projects.

FISH also will share demonstrations and information about summer science camps for students, year-round guided tours and in-class education programs. Special hands-on exhibits will showcase ways that everyone can help salmon and the environment, such as biking instead of driving, reducing fossil fuel use with electric vehicles, and cleaning the streets with City of Issaquah vehicles. Local artists will set up a marketplace in the Watershed Science Center.

Visitors can take home their own Spring themed treasures from the FISHop gift shop, which usually is open only on summer and fall weekends. For this occasion, the shop will be stocked with pieces by local artists and special spring items such as mason bee kits. 

With a commitment to environmental education and ensuring our salmon return for future generations, FISH is celebrating it’s 30th anniversary, with expanded educational programs, events and opportunities to learn about the local heritage, culture and state of salmon recovery at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. The Earth Day weekend event is free to all, but donations to support FISH’s education programs are welcome. Support the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (issaquahfish.org)