Three Rivers Trout Unlimited - [Late] September 2024 Newsletter

Oct 12

Written with support from Dr. Jeff Jensen, Natasha Kacoroski, Dave Kyle Alix Lee-Tigner, and Jeff Norman

Chapter Awarded $9,500 to Revitalize Kokanee Fry Monitoring Program

Through Trout Unlimited’s Embrace A Stream (EAS) grant program, Three Rivers Trout Unlimited was awarded $9,500 to rebuild and grow the kokanee fry monitoring program. EAS grants match in-kind and monetary donations to support coldwater fisheries conservation work by Trout Unlimited chapters and councils. Grant projects must include both conservation and Trout Unlimited strengthening goals. The goals of the Kokanee Fry Monitoring Revitalization Project are to:

Reduce stream bed disturbance by updating traps to fit shallower stream beds and be easier to operate.
Provide better data to inform kokanee population models and fisheries management by updating traps to fit stream beds, launching a data collection app, and expanding volunteer training.
Increase community engagement in Lake Sammamish kokanee conservation by increasing data communication.
Understand the motivation of non-member volunteers that participate in the kokanee fry monitoring program to inform member and volunteer recruitment strategies by using at least two touchpoints to share information and receive feedback.
Increase member engagement by conducting a targeted outreach of members within 15 miles of each monitoring site (approximately a 30 minute driving distance) to encourage participation.

Stay tuned because in December we will also have the opportunity to gain additional funding through a match crowdfunding campaign. If you would like to learn more or support with this project, please reach out to natasha@threeriverstu.org. Thanks!

*Dr. Jeff Jensen Little Red Fish Found: New Insights on the Mysterious Snerka Salmon, photo by Natasha Kacoroski*

*Three Rivers Trout Unlimited Volunteers at Little Red Fish Found Talk Outreach Table, photo by Natasha Kacoroski*

Kokanee Connections and Salmon Watchers on North Lake Washington

On September 24th, Three Rivers Trout Unlimited member Dr. Jeff Jensen presented his latest research on kokanee around North Lake Washington during his talk Little Red Fish Found: New Insights on the Mysterious Snerka Salmon at the Bothell McMenamins. There was a great turnout with approximately 60 people in attendance, with Trout Unlimited volunteers Rebecca Lavier and Natasha Kacoroski staffing an outreach table. In addition, Mid Sound Fisheries Community Action Plan Student, Becca Bailey, finished their project exploring how to implement kokanee fry monitoring on Swamp Creek. Read more about her journey at https://storymaps.com/stories/ba52425ea57f4b46a33683d256a18f2c. Learn more about Dr. Jeff Jensen’s work and Salmon Watchers at https://jsjensenblog.wordpress.com/north-lake-washington-salmonwatchers-home/.

*Trout Unlimited volunteer Dave Kyle supporting visitor with kokanee catapult launch, photo provided by Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery*

Salmon on Sunset Community Outreach and Fly Casting Fun

On September 14th, Three Rivers Trout Unlimited (3RTU) partnered with the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) to teach fly-casting and talk about coldwater fisheries conservation at the 3rd annual Salmon on Sunset, FISH’s community event celebrating the salmon return. The late August rains brought a strong push of Chinook in Issaquah Creek, so the salmon viewing was excellent. With approximately 7,000 visitors, it was a great event to connect people to fish through recreation and spark interest in supporting our local native fish. People of all ages were excited to learn how to fly cast, especially families with young children, and launch the kokanee catapult. Thank you to volunteer fly casting mentors from Trout Unlimited (Jeff Norman, Penny Mabie, John Wharton, Austin Elliott, Dave Kyle), and Overlake Fly Fishing Club (Bill Mokin).

*Trout Unlimited volunteers teaching fly casting to visitors at Salmon on Sunset, photo provided Jeff Norman*

Lake Sammamish Noxious Aquatic Weed Removal Work

To support salmon, Trout Unlimited (TU) is exploring methods to control the noxious aquatic weeds plaguing the shallows of Lake Sammamish. These aquatic weeds occupy nearly all of the nearshore area of the lake, have direct impacts on water quality, and provide essential habitat for non-native warmwater gamefish, which love to eat juvenile salmon. The theory is that if we can reduce aquatic weeds in a significant way, we can improve water quality and reduce juvenile salmon predation.

Over the last few years TU has been able to demonstrate that removal of the weeds displaced nearly all these pesky predators from treatment areas. We have been working on treatment approaches for the aquatic weeds and conducting outreach for the project. In September we spent hours observing the effects of treatments completed this summer. Aquatic weed treatment in a basin the size of Lake Sammamish will be difficult due to the invasive nature of these weeds, however, it is likely one of the most important types of habitat restoration that has yet to pursued at this scale.

*James Bower (King County) measuring aquatic weed density and canopy levels in a control (non-treated) project area. The pole in his hand is 6ft in length. Photo provided by Dave Kyle.*

*One of our shoreline residents has been conducting aquatic weed abatement for several years, this picture captures the effect of consistent management. Photo provided by Dave Kyle.*

*Picture of a control area (no weed treatment) and nearly all fish observed during our surveys are not native, such as yellow perch and sunfish. Photo provided by Dave Kyle.*

Volunteer with the Lake Sammamish Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership

Fall is in full swing, and so is the excitement of salmon viewing! It's a perfect time to spot these amazing fish returning to our local waterways. if you’re looking to view salmon up close, check out King County’s Salmon SEEson map to find the best spots to see these incredible fish on their journey home. Kokanee salmon will be making their migration soon, and there are TWO great opportunities for you to join a Kokanee Salmon Tour on November 2nd! Get a front-row seat to nature’s show—be sure to sign up early (check out the link below).

There are still plenty of chances to dig in and get your hands dirty! It’s planting season across the watershed, so grab your gloves and join us in planting native plants to restore habitats for salmon and other wildlife. Green Issaquah Day is coming up on October 19th, where we’ll be at Anthology Open Space in Issaquah—help us plant native species and clear out blackberries while enjoying the great outdoors!

Let’s make the most of this beautiful season together—visit the Lake Sammamish UWRP events page for tons of ways to get outside!