If you have a pulse I believe it is beating lighter this morning. Time for some more uplifting news from Kitsap Washington.
Salmon run starting later than usual, but here’s where you can see them
Salmon are just starting to leap over beaver dams and swim upstream toward freshwater. The salmon run season seems to be starting a little later than usual, according to experts, but thousands of salmon in the Kitsap area are or soon will be on their way upstream to riverbeds to spawn.
Rain in the past week has invited the salmon into the rivers and creeks, but smaller streams aren’t yet filled with enough water to support the fish swimming toward their destination.
Jon Oleyar, Suquamish Tribal fisheries biologist, said a dry summer has caused many Kitsap streams to be relatively clear of salmon so far. Chico Creek, Blackjack Creek, and Curly Creek are beginning to flow with fish, however.
It’s splendid that some places still get enough salmon to celebrate. And guess how they look at their beavers by the way?
“The nice thing about salmon is they’re very evolved to these conditions. They’ll wait around in the saltwater until the right conditions,” Walbillig said.
The higher up a salmon can get in the watershed, the better the chance of successful spawning. Lower in the watershed, there is more of a chance for flooding, which could bring sedimentation or pollution to salmon as they’re trying to spawn.
Beaver dams can slow the salmon’s pace a bit, but overall they are beneficial and important to salmon health and habitat.
“Beavers and the salmon have coexisted for thousands of years and they’re good buddies,” Oleyar said the beaver dams aren’t an issue in the salmon’s crossing. “They do slow down the passage a little bit, but it’s actually beneficial because it gives the salmon a place to rest and wait for that rain.”
No one’s blowing up beaver dams in Washington I assure you!
When the rain comes down the streams go up, and the salmon can go around, through, or over the beaver’s barriers. The water is then also nice and deep for the salmon on the other side of the dam. Members of the public are encouraged not to remove beaver dams if it can be avoided, as they benefit the health of the watershed as a whole.
Walbillig said in low-water conditions with few salmon he’s visited a beaver bond full of coho. Deeper pools like that provide a rearing area for juvenile fish, he said.
“It’s a really symbiotic relationship between the two,” Walbillig said.
Nicely said, although to be honest symbiotic is probably the wrong word. Beavers don’t NEED salmon, any more than they NEED mergansers or woodducks or otters or dragonflies. It’s a one way street baby. Beavers need willow. They don’t really need any of you.
You’re welcome.
Last night, after the celebrations, we watched the Sound of Music. So we could see inspiring people get away from Nazi’s. With singing. May I say we highly recommend it.
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