The streams surveyed in the Lake Washington Watershed were grouped into the following basins: Big Bear Creek, Cedar River, East Lake Washington, Issaquah Creek, North Lake Washington (split into North Lake Washington tributaries and Sammamish River tributaries), West Lake Sammamish, and West Lake Washington (Figure 1). In 2000, a total of 121 sites on 52 streams were surveyed in the Lake Washington Watershed by 106 Salmon Watcher Program volunteers. Results are presented below in basin groupings. Maps are presented for each basin and depict observations of sockeye, coho, chinook, and kokanee identified during the survey. Chum and trout species were not mapped.

Additionally, streams were surveyed in some Central Puget Sound drainages, including Boeing, Pipers, Longfellow, Fauntleroy, Miller, and Des Moines creeks. Data for Central Puget Sound Drainages may be found in Appendix A.

In previous Salmon Watcher Program reports (Ostergaard 1998; Vanderhoof et al. 2000; Vanderhoof 2001), the unique Site ID numbers that correspond with each survey site were not reported. In order to differentiate between survey sites, river mile designations (RM) were used previously. However, because ascertaining an accurate river mile for a site is sometimes difficult, and different sources of RM data present differing measurements, a site’s RM may change over time as measuring techniques are refined and possible mistakes are corrected. Site ID numbers are included in this report alongside the RM. A site, with its unique ID, will always have the same data associated with it, regardless of refined RMs.

In 2000, 45 out of 106 volunteers (42.45 percent) in the Lake Washington Watershed were returnees (Figure 3). Of the 45 returnees, a total of 6 volunteers have surveyed every year of the program and 4 more have been involved with the program since it began in 1996 but did not survey one season during either 1997 or 1998.

Volunteers watched from the end of August 2000 until the beginning of February 2001. Because some training sessions were not held until mid-September, many volunteers did not begin watching until mid to late September. Volunteers were asked to watch at their sites until the end of December; some stopped watching sooner and some continued watching into 2001 (Figure 4).

Salmonids were found in four of the eight streams observed in Big Bear Creek Basin. The most common salmonid species observed by volunteers was sockeye, which was found in Big Bear Creek (in the greatest quantity) and Cottage Lake Creek. Chinook and kokanee were also seen in those two creeks. Coho were seen in Big Bear Creek, Mackey Creek, Cottage Lake Creek, and an unnamed tributary to Bear Creek. No adult spawners were observed in Struve, Daniel’s, or Rutherford creeks, or in Tributary 0127 to Cottage Lake Creek.