Photos by Tony Overman/The Olympian
A chum salmon makes its way through shallow water Saturday morning in Kennedy Creek during the annual migration to spawning beds.

Mike Machowek of Aberdeen and daughter Eleanore, 2, watch migrating salmon work their way up Kennedy Creek on Saturday morning.

Salmon make final trip home

Spawning chum draw a crowd at Kennedy Creek

JOHN GRABER, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published November 4, 2001

"It's a good place for her to learn about life and death and the natural cycle." -- Pete Davis, 33, who brought his 4-year-old daughter, Ananda

MASON COUNTY -- Pete and Ginny Taylor couldn't help but take a trip to the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail on Saturday morning to watch the chum salmon spawning.

"It's always a wonderful sight," said Pete Taylor, 67. "It's very symbolic of the Northwest."

The Olympia residents have lived in the Northwest for 30 years, but they never get tired of watching the salmon spawn, they say.

"Do you ever get tired of seeing spring come?" said Ginny Taylor, 66.

A steady stream of spectators traveled along the half-mile trail, which was created last year and is maintained by the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group.

Members of the group were stationed at various viewing platforms Saturday to answer questions. Signs along the trail explain the mating process and the importance of protecting the fish's natural habitat.

When he first got to the trail around 9 a.m., Casey Dehe, 22, of Mason County got a glimpse of a female laying eggs on the creek bed and a male fertilizing them. He was still waiting to see it happen again at noon.

"The actual time they're spawning is only about 10 seconds, and I've been waiting for three hours to see it again," Dehe said while staring into the swift-moving water.

The fish could be seen the entire length of the trail, struggling upstream to the place where they were hatched three years ago. In some places, the water was so shallow that much of their backs were out of the water.

After spawning, the salmon die. Several bodies were scattered along the sides of the creek Saturday. The bodies will decompose and provide nutrients for the new fish as well as the rest of the ecosystem.

Thurston County resident Pete Davis, 33, took his 4-year-old daughter, Ananda, to see the fish spawn.

"I think it's a good place for her to ask a lot of questions," he said. "It's a good place for her to learn about life and death and the natural cycle. She asked about the dead ones. She asked why they die, and I told her it was part of the process, and there was a biologist who showed her the eggs and explained the process."

John Graber covers law enforcement and the military for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465.

If you go

The Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends through Dec. 2. It is off U.S. Highway 101 midway between Olympia and Shelton. Visitors can use the half-mile trail, viewing platforms and interpretive signs to watch chum salmon migrate and spawn.

From Olympia, turn west on Old Olympic Highway near milepost 356 of U.S. 101. Travel less than a mile and turn on a gravel road marked "Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail."

Weekday visits by schools and other organized groups are by reservation only. For more information, call 360-754-6464.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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