By James Day
It’s salmon season and the Marion Soil & Water Conservation has a series of events planned in the Santiam Canyon for August through October.
The district is organizing Salmon Watch field trips for school kids from Sept. 20 through Oct. 18 at Packsaddle Park just east of Gates on Highway 22. Packsaddle is a known spawning ground of spring Chinook salmon on the North Santiam River.
Volunteers are needed for the hands-on learning stations at the sessions, which run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on field trip days. To sign up to volunteer go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054eaba62aab9-fall2#/.
Volunteers are encouraged to participate in a 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. training session on Wednesday, Aug. 23 at Packsaddle. They will learn about water quality, salmon biology, macroinvertebrates and riparian ecology, the four stations that will be used on the field trips.
And, finally, the general public is welcome to participate in a free community Salmon Watch event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 at Packsaddle. Participants will be able to see salmon spawning in the North Santiam and learn about the salmon life cycle from experts.
For more information on the program email [email protected] or call 503-391-9927.
