EASTSIDE AUDUBON AT SALMON DAYS 2023

Executive Director Amanda Leon and volunteers at the EAS booth

October 7th and 8th , 2023, saw the return of salmon to Issaquah Creek and the hatchery. That can only mean one thing…the return of Salmon Days!

If you are not familiar with Salmon Days, this festival brings vendors, arts and crafts, food, live music, and around 200,000 visitors together to celebrate the return of the salmon to the Issaquah Creek Hatchery. It is one of the largest festivals in Washington State. If you have never been to Salmon Days before, you owe it to yourself to check this massive event out when it comes back around in October 2024. But take my advice, get there early to find parking. I was fortunate to be one of the folks that volunteered to staff the Eastside Audubon table. This was my first Salmon Days, and nothing could have prepared me for the scale of this event. Parts of Sunset Way and Front Street were blocked off to vehicle traffic and lined with tables selling homemade items and food and providing free giveaways or just information. When I did have the chance to break away from the table and walk around, I felt like a salmon moving around in the sea of people that filled the streets. It was pretty awesome to see so many people participating in a community event that celebrates the return of the salmon. And yes, there are several opportunities to see the celebrities of this event by viewing the spawning salmon in Issaquah Creek!

The Eastside Audubon table was located on the Hatchery grounds, with several other nonprofit organizations as well as a few state government booths. The stars of our table were the four bird mounts we brought including a Barn Owl, Bufflehead, Pileated Woodpecker, and the most popular, the Red-tailed Hawk. Adults and children alike were thrilled to see what these birds look like up close. Children were especially excited when we would hit a button to play the call of the Red-tailed Hawk. Over the course of both Saturday and Sunday, we raised $113 in donations and signed up five new members. Thirty new folks signed up for the Corvid Crier and might even be reading this article right now. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us by donating and becoming involved in our mission of protecting, preserving, and enhancing natural ecosystems and our communities for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people!

I would also like to thank the sixteen volunteers that made this event possible by staffing the table and doing a phenomenal job in representing Eastside Audubon! They took the time to answer questions, talk about our work, and offer folks a chance to sign up and become more involved. Our volunteers really are at the heart of our work, and I want to thank everyone who helped out on Salmon Days and everyone who has ever helped us by volunteering for any event or program. If you would like more information on how to become more involved in volunteering with Eastside Audubon, please reach out to me at president@eastsideaudubon.org

-Jeremy Lucas

President