The Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail is now recruiting volunteers to serve as docents for the
fall 2011 season. The Trail is administered and sponsored by South Puget Sound Salmon
Enhancement Group (SPSSEG) and Mason Conservation District (MCD) and is primarily
used as an outdoor salmon classroom for local students. Each year, over 5,000 people
visit the Trail to learn more about the salmon lifecycle and to observe their spawning and
courting behaviors.
Since 2000, SPSSEG and Mason Conservation District along with many other
community partners, have been working diligently to make sure that there is a place for
local students and our community to learn more about these iconic and wild northwest
salmon. Since the beginning, the Trail has grown into a local and regional destination for
salmon viewing. Media coverage ranges from the local Olympia area newspapers and
blogs, to regional magazines such as Sunset, and national exposure in the National
Geographic Traveler. The word is out about this excellent program and salmon viewing
at the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail.
The Trail is a community supported and volunteer based program. Each year over 40
volunteer docents donate approximately 600 hours specifically to the program. The Trail
is open to the general public every weekend day in November as well as Veteran’s day
and the day after Thanksgiving. During the week, the Trail is reserved for school groups
and classroom visits. Classes range from preschool through college. SPSSEG & MCD
provide the overall organizational support and coordination necessary to operate the Trail
safely and efficiently.
We are always looking for new volunteers! Interested community members attend a one
day training where they are taught about the salmon life cycle, habitat and tour the trail.
This year’s training date is October 22nd from 9 am – 4 pm. If you are interested in
learning about chum salmon, or have a desire to educate local school groups and/or
community members about this unique trail and salmon run, please contact Stephanie
Bishop at (360) 427-9436, ext. 22 or Stephanie@masoncd.org. For more information
about the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail, please visit www.spsseg.org or
www.masoncd.org.