“We will fight along with this little red fish until it is recovered” said King County Executive Dow Constantine in an address during the Release the Kokanee event on October 12, 2022. The ceremonial release of 150 young kokanee marked the culmination of emergency actions by the Snoqualmie Tribe, King County and and the Kokanee Work Group to keep the species alive. Click the link above for news and phots of the event.
Zackuse Creek Kokanee Spawning November 2021
After over 40 years of not a single kokanee salmon being observed in Zackuse Creek here are a few spawning! With the collective effort of the Lake Sammamish UWRP partnership and many wonderful community members, these historic spawning grounds are coming back to life.
Our Little Red Fish connects us to the water, land, and each other. We hope these amazing community members inspire you to participate in restoration efforts in the watershed and build on the sense of stewardship we all feel towards this beautiful place we call home. The land gives us life, and we need to give careful thought and take strong actions to protect, conserve and restore it.
Trees and Salmon are connected! Without our Little Red Fish we could lose our big green trees. Join the Lake Sammamish Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership efforts to save salmon, trees and our unique urban watershed.
Snoqualmie Connection to the Land & Kokanee
We live in a special place, a sacred place. The Lake Sammamish Watershed has significance, the Snoqualmie people have been a part of this sacred landscape for over 14,000 years. The recent increase in development and population growth surrounding Lake Sammamish is another testament to this place being beautiful, integral, and special. There is something natural that draws us to the area.
Thank you Mckenna for sharing your story and the Snoqualmie people’s story. There is power in knowing who you are and the lands that you call your home. The Lake Sammamish Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership hopes that the voice of the community can be used to advocate for better habitat in the watershed and to promote kokanee population growth.
The little red fish is and has been the center of the Lake Sammamish Watershed. It will take all of us to ensure that future generations will see runs of the kokanee in the hundreds to thousands like the generations before us. The combined efforts of the new residents, long-time stewards, and leaders in conservation will recover fish and the waters that define the Bellevue, Issaquah, Redmond, and Sammamish community.