Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail is “a Gem in Our Own Backyard”

Many local residents are likely already familiar with the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail. This trail, operated by the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, provides guides (in the late Fall) and interpretive signage to tell the salmon story. Observation platforms enhance viewing. Nearby, the Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve showcases Puget Sound estuary habitat, with shorebirds, waterfowl, and migrating salmon. Each year, nearly 5000 people flock to the Salmon Trail to witness chum salmon as they return home to spawn. The Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail truly is a gem in our own backyard. If you haven’t visited the Salmon Trail, you ought to make a point to do so, particularly around November. It’s located too close by to miss.
 
The interpretive trail is nationally recognized and  funded and coordinated by a partnership between Mason Conservation District and South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group. Of the 5000 annual visitors, approximately 2500 students and their teachers also visit the trail, incorporating this outdoor classroom into their regular lesson plans. Students from Steamboat Island Cooperative Preschool and the Griffin School District are regular visitors to the trail. Last year 41 volunteer trail guides participated in our training and contributed a whopping 327 volunteer hours during the month of November. Says Stephanie Bishop, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Mason Conservation District, “Kennedy Creek is a catalyst for behavior change, providing a crucial link between water quality issues in Totten Inlet and the general public who have the power to decrease certain non-point sources of pollution entering this waterway.”
 
This year the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail is experiencing a budget shortfall which could seriously impact this amazing program.
 
There are two opportunities to help support the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail. First, it’s easy to make a tax-deductible contribution to the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group. Click here to initiate a secure transaction and to get all the details necessary to include your gift on this year’s tax return.
 
Second, residents are invited to the 3rd annual “Kennedy Creek Salmon Splash” Sunday, August 22, from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. This “fun” fundraising event is held right at the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail and features live music and food.
 
$35.00 per person includes appetizers, shellfish, beverages, and dessert. All proceeds directly support the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Education Program. Every $35 raised at Splash will support 10 student visitors.
 
Click here to download a flyer for the Kennedy Creek Salmon Splash, with a reservation form for you to use to purchase tickets to the event.
 
Please RSVP by August 19.
 
For more information, email LanceW@spsseg.org at the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group.
 
Click here for more information about the fundraising drive to support the Salmon Trail.
 
Click here for information regarding the Salmon Trail, on the web site of the Mason Conservation District.
 
Many thanks, too, to Taylor Shellfish, for their support of this year’s Kennedy Creek Salmon Splash.

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