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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 3, 2006
Contact: Ann
Marie Finan, Thurston County Stream Team coordinator, 357-2491 ext. 6857
Thanksgiving
a great time to view salmon at McLane Creek Trail
OLYMPIA
– Thanksgiving weekend is one of the best times of year to see wild salmon
spawning at the McLane Creek Nature Trail. To get the most from your visit,
head to the nature trail over the long Thanksgiving weekend and visit with
Stream Team Salmon Stewards. The volunteers will be stationed at viewing spots
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Thursday, Nov. 23 through Sunday, Nov. 26 and
during the same hours every following weekend through Dec. 17.
To get to the McLane Creek Nature Trail, take
the Evergreen State College exit from northbound Highway 101. Exit at
Mud Bay Road
and turn left at the stop sign. Turn left onto
Delphi Road
. At 3.4 miles, turn right at the Department of Natural Resources McLane Creek
Nature Trail sign.
Each year, thousands of chum salmon make the long journey
home to McLane Creek to continue the cycle of life and death. The female chum
finds an area in the stream with plenty of gravel and sufficient water flow to
dig a series of nests with her tail, called a redd. The males vie with each
other to fertilize the eggs in each nest. The females stay close to their
nests as long as possible to protect the eggs from other females searching for
places to dig their own nests.
The chums’ remarkable journey home not only helps
sustain their population in south
Puget Sound
, but also benefits other fish, wildlife and the forests. Salmon carcasses
feed hundreds of animal species and fertilize the forest soils.
Chum salmon are the second largest species of
Pacific salmon, after Chinook.
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