Salmon Watchers Program

Volunteer for a unique northwest experience

The Salmon Watcher Program trains volunteers to identify and record species and numbers of spawning salmonids in streams in the Lake Washington Watershed.

The Salmon Watcher training sessions for 2011 are now complete. If you didn't make it to a training, there is always next year. Just contact Jennifer Vanderhoof, Ecologist, to say you want to be kept informed of 2012 training dates.

Want to do this type of volunteer work but live near Miller or Walker creeks in Burien? Check out the Community Salmon Investigation.

Online Site Maps. If you would like to see watch sites established in your area, you can use our site mapper to help find a site before the training -- but you don't have to. We can help you pick a site at the training session.

Attention - Coho PSM Contact! Special Request! If you are a volunteer and see coho prespawned mortalities (like we discuss in training), please email Steve Damm, USFWS, at Steve_Damm@fws.gov. Learn more about coho pre-spawning mortalities including a video (external link) showing normal and affected fish.

Training Slideshow! Want to review the "slideshow" we use in training? We've put it in a PDF for easy access. Download the Fish ID slideshow. Download the Data talk portion.

Seeing More Salmon. If you would like to find out more about getting out and seeing fish this fall, volunteering, or learning more about salmon-friendly living, check out Fall For Salmon (scroll most of the way down this page for the "Fall for Salmon" topic, which includes info on Salmon See-son and also other info on where you can watch salmon this fall).

This program is conducted in cooperation with the King County Water and Land Resources Division, Bellevue Stream Team, Redmond Stream Team, and the cities of Seattle, Bothell, Kirkland, Renton, Woodinville, and the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust, with financial support from the King Conservation District.