Big sockeye return expected to draw plenty of Cedar River Salmon Journey visitors

One of the largest sockeye salmon runs in a decade means Cedar River salmon watchers are in for a real treat this fall. It also means a big year for the Cedar River Salmon Journey, a free program that provides visitors terrific salmon-viewing sites and information about natural history of the bright red salmon.

The Cedar River Salmon Journey program will offer trained volunteers stationed at four different salmon-viewing locations on Oct. 23, 24, 30 and 31, and Nov. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They tell visitors about the natural and human history of the river, the life cycle and habitat needs of the fish, and what everyone can do to help ensure the return of the salmon.

King County Cedar River Naturalist Coordinator Polly Freeman is thrilled with the big return – an estimated 403,000 sockeye returned to Lake Washington last summer, or more than 50,000 over the state's escapement goal. Most of the fish have long since entered the Cedar River and other streams feeding the lake. But Freeman cautions that a good year doesn't mean wild salmon are on the rebound.

"Wild salmon production fluctuates from year to year, but has been consistently on the decline for many decades. So while it's thrilling to see the Cedar River sockeye return in such numbers, it doesn't mean we can let up in our efforts to protect salmon runs overall," said Freeman.

The four locations include the Renton Library, Riverview Park, Cavanaugh Pond and Landsburg Park. Due to limited parking at each site, carpooling is strongly advised.

For more information about the Cedar River Salmon Journey and directions to the salmon viewing locations, call 206-296-4511 or visit the Cedar River Salmon Journey Web site.