storystroll

July 2, 2024

Phil Hamilton: Salmon Fishing is a Birthright

For Phil Hamilton of the Muckleshoot Tribe, salmon fishing is a birthright. He remembers when his grandmother was the tribal chair during the “fish wars” of the early 1970s, until the federal court Boldt Decision affirmed tribal rights to half of the harvestable salmon. He remembers how his father worked on the legal issues surrounding fishing rights guaranteed by 100-year-old treaties.

Today, after 43 years working with the Muckleshoot Tribe, Phil serves as a member of the tribal Fisheries Commission, overseeing management of the Fisheries Department. That includes raising salmon at tribal hatcheries as well as supporting the state-owned Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. The chinook and coho raised in Issaquah populate the Greater Lake Washington Watershed and historic fishing grounds for the Muckleshoot Tribe. Read more here

June 14, 2024

Three Generations of FISHing in Issaquah

When Jake Magill decided a couple of years ago to move back to the community where he grew up, it really was a homecoming.

After living in Seattle for several years following graduation from the University of Washington, he found just the house he wanted on Squak Mountain. “When I was looking for a house, I thought Issaquah would be my dream location,” he said, mostly because it would be closer to family and to nature. “I found this great house, and it’s in the forest, and it’s a 10-minute walk into downtown.” He put down the deposit.

June 6, 2024

A Salmon Journey: Story Stroll at the Hatchery

The story stroll is free and run throughout June.

The 55 kids at Fall City Family Co-op invite you to come for a story walk at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. These kids illustrated, wrote, and published their book, “A Salmon’s Journey: A Tale of Two Adventures,” after learning about salmon at their homeschool co-op. The story walk starts at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery fish statues and then travels around the whole campus. Just follow the arrows!

Join a salmon on its journey from Fall City, WA, to the ocean and back. Along the way, the salmon shares its perspective on various predators and environments it encounters. The salmon also meets a new friend who came from a different river (Issaquah Creek) and learns some unique parts of its journey.

June 5, 2024

Kokanee Education Day

Kokanee Education Day 2024 was brimming with sunshine, celebration, and service at Confluence Park. This year, the event was able to host 100 students in 4 classes from Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary School in Sammamish. The students explored a variety of topics among the stations including lake habitats, fish passage, anatomy, reciprocity, tribal connections, and more. It was heartening to see these students walk away with a sense of responsibility, pride, and excitement about the Kokanee.

The event is hosted annually by the Kokanee Work Group, comprised of a suite of local entities that are committed to the recovery of this magnificent species. This engaging and creative day for youth was designed to highlight stewardship of kokanee in the Lake Sammamish Watershed, increase awareness of actions residents and youth can take to support existing recovery efforts in their community, and celebrate new and ongoing contributions of the community and stakeholders toward the recovery of Lake Sammamish Kokanee. The organizations represented as stations and organizers include King County, Washington State Parks, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, Lake Sammamish Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership, Wolf Camp, FISH, US Fish & Wildlife, Trout Unlimited, Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, and the City of Sammamish. Huge thanks to Larry, Grace, Zeta, Mary-Beth, and Jenifer for their help!

June 5, 2024

Storming the Sound!

Over 1700 students from 24 schools in Federal Way descended on West Hylebos Park over the course of four days to release the smolts they raised in their classrooms and celebrate the lives of salmon. The collaboration between the city public works department and public schools creates an opportunity for students to dive deeper into the environmental, cultural, and economic significance of salmon to enrich the release of the ones they grew to know and love! We had the pleasure of introducing students to the ins and outs (literally) of coho salmon anatomy with a dissection. Alongside the students, it was a fantastic space for organizations to come together and connect. Just to name a few, some of the represented organizations included King County, Orca Conservancy, Long Live the Kings, Puget Sound Wildcare, among many others. Thanks to Katie, Grace, and Louise for their effort and support.

May 31, 2024

Salmon Story Stroll at the Hatchery

The story stroll is free and run throughout June.