Skagit River Salmon Festival 2018

SKAGIT RIVER SALMON FESTIVAL

SALMON FESTIVAL

Saturday, September 8 • 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Edgewater Park, Westside Mount Vernon

SkagitRiverFest.org

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD AND ANACORTES AMERICAN

Festival Dials Up Fun For All Ages

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elcome to the Skagit River Salmon Festival! Edgewater Park is a beautiful spot to spend the day celebrating the mighty Skagit River and return of the salmon. The Festival has a terrific mix of new activities and entertainment you won’t want to miss, with something for every interest— young or old.

Visitors won’t want to miss the Sardis Raptor Center’s Hunters of the Sky raptor program offering close up views of magnificent birds of prey— eagles, hawks, falcons, owls and more.

Sardis is dedicated to helping rescue, rehabilitate, and release some of our most amazing wild birds found in the Northwest.

For family-fun, we have Caspar Babypants joining us with music for the very small and their parents that will have everyone singing and dancing along. We also have the talented Seattle-based groups Industrial Revelation with their jazz-soul sound, and the Brazilian roots flavored rhythms of the EntreMundos Quartet. To round things out, Bellingham’s Polecat band brings an interactive and high energy show that offers an eclectic blend of Americana, Celtic, rock, reggae, and world music.

Our Kidz Zone, hosted by the Children’s Museum of Skagit County, is here with lots of fun and goofy activities for the younger crowd to do. The face painting artists from We Paint Faces will be bringing happiness and fun designs to little faces.

For the adult crowd, we have our beer and wine garden with Farmstrong Brewing Company pouring handcrafted pints and ciders. Over in vendor row, artisans have created a variety of beautiful jewelry, apparel, handcrafted soaps and more to entice you.

But most importantly, be sure to take part in the Festival’s “Passport” activity. Learn about our amazing Skagit River watershed and ways you can help protect its resources, with 30 environmental agencies and nature groups onsite providing a wealth of fun facts, free materials and information.

Answer a question at a booth and have your Passport stamped. Once your Passport is filled, turn it in to become eligible for a host of great prizes.

On behalf of the board of directors, our Festival planning team, sponsors, vendors and volunteers, we thank you for your support and participation in the Skagit River Salmon Festival. Enjoy the day!

Kevin Tate Board President Skagit River Salmon Festival

is a proud SPAWNsor of the

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Skagit River Salmon Festival

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CONTENTS 2

Festival Dials Up Fun For All Ages

4

Removing Barriers to Salmon Migration

7

This Skagit Life

16 Bugs in My Yard - Why that’s a good thing 19 Tips on Collecting Rain Water 21 2018 Festival Artist

10 Learning About Our Source Water

22 Passport to Prizes!

12 Festival Map

23 Skagit Valley Herald Coloring Contest

13 Festival Entertainment Schedule 14 Recycle Right! Seeing the Bigger Picture

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Proud SPawnSor of the Skagit river Salmon feStival October & November Events and Volunteer Opportunities • Salmon Spawner Survey Training • Salmon Sightings • Streamside Planting Parties

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All Ages welcome!

For more information: www.skagitfisheries.org

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Removing Barriers to Salmon Migration Alison Studley | Executive Director, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

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mproving passage for salmon in streams is an important restoration action necessary to recover salmon throughout Washington State. Fish passage barriers can prevent salmon from migrating upstream to access otherwise valuable habitat. Human-caused fish passage barriers are most commonly associated with culverts under roadways, but in some cases may also Davis Slough before and after restoration. include dikes, dams, weirs, and other infrastructure. migration needs. Young salmon need Culverts are pipes that are installed to be able to swim freely in streams as to allow streams to flow under roads well as returning adult salmon. Young, and driveways. Many older culverts juvenile salmon can spend up to two have water flows that are too strong years rearing in freshwater before and fast for younger and older fish to they migrate to the sea. During this swim through because the culvert is too time, young fish need access to smaller narrow. These culverts were built unstream and wetland areas where they der former methods that did not reflect can grow and evade predators. Replacthe current understanding of salmon ing culverts with larger, wider culverts

or bridges allows creeks to flow more naturally under the roadways and enables juvenile and adult salmon to access habitat upstream of these culverts.

Across the state, public and private entities are working hard to restore declining salmon and steelhead trout populations by replacing culvert barriers with new structures that allow fish

PRoud SuPPoRteRS oF the 2018

Skagit RiveR

Salmon FeStival

Community Partners Since 1955 1799559

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East Fork Silver Creek before and after restoration.

to migrate into the upstream habitat.

Here in the Skagit watershed, surveys document more than 600 known barriers to salmon and steelhead, which blocks fish from accessing miles of high quality habitat. A partnership between Skagit County, the local Tribes, and the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is working to better identify which of these culverts are blocking the most

habitat for salmon and steelhead. Together, the partners are prioritizing the replacement of those culverts creating salmon migration barriers with either larger culverts or in many cases bridges that allow for streams to naturally flow under roadways.

Roads with culverts are located throughout out watersheds on public

and private lands, and therefore it takes this type of unique partnership to ensure all culverts have been inventoried.

While it is the responsibility of the culvert landowner to ensure that salmon can safely swim through the culvert to reach habitat upstream, there are many grant and cost-sharing programs avail-

MIGRATION Cont. on page 6

THE CITY OF

MOUNT VERNON

IS PROUD TO BE PART OF

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THE SKAGIT RIVER SALMON FESTIVAL

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Silver Creek before and after construction.

MIGRATION Cont. from page 5 able to public and private landowners to help replace these undersized culverts. Replacing a culvert under a road or driveway can often be a win-win

situation for landowners and salmon.

Undersized culverts frequently cause other issues besides blocking salmon migration. Some culverts may not be large enough for the stream during high

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flows causing erosion of the road, and making it difficult for humans to utilize roads to cross streams and access their property. Climate scientists predict that stream widths will likely increase as climate change impacts are realized, so replacing small culverts now helps to prepare landowners for the future as well.

The Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group has helped a variety of landowners replace culverts that were causing fish passage barriers with new structures, which provide salmon and steelhead unimpeded access to upstream habitat. These landowners are generally thrilled with the opportunity to have salmon back on their property as well as have a brand new structure crossing their stream. Landowners with culverts range from individual homeowners and farmers, to neighborhood associations, to small industrial forestland owners, to cities and counties. If you have a culvert on your property that you believe is blocking salmon or steelhead migration, contact the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group to conduct a site visit. Skagit Fisheries can provide information on programs that might be available to help upgrade infrastructure and get salmon back on your property.

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within the watershed. That’s because as individuals we each have a different history and context for living, working,

By Richard Brocksmith, Executive Director, and playing here that has shaped our sense of this place and our community.

Skagit Watershed Council To celebrate that diversity, the Skagit Watershed Council has launched This kagit County is known far and wide Skagit Life. It is an innovative approach for its productive agricultural lands, to collect and share individual’s stories its vast peaks, a mighty river, emerald to a broad audience through multi-megreen islands, and its salmon. There are dia presentations, in order to encourage as many reasons to preserve this amaz- dialogue towards building community ing area as there are perspectives heard and a deeper understanding of our

This Skagit Life

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shared hopes and dreams.

For instance, family and tradition are words one hears often when talking with local, Native American tribal members about the importance of this place. Marilyn Scott, Vice Tribal Chair for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, noted that: “It’s just so special when you hear some of the stories that are passed down from generation to genera-

SKAGIT LIFE Cont. on page 8

The Skagit River’s abundant salmon and trout resources are integral to our cultural heritage and economy. The 41 member organizations of the Watershed Council and hundreds of volunteers are working everyday to ensure our grandchildren enjoy and benefit from them as we have. You can help too!

For more information about salmon, the work of our members, and ways to get involved, please contact us or visit our website.

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Photo credit: Pat Buller

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SKAGIT LIFE Cont. from page 7

perfect example with his great-grandfather homesteading 40 acres in 1886, tion. You can bring your family out to just west of Mount Vernon. He believes a creek and go fishing and have that the area is extremely unique in that it experience that is shared as part of your story.” To not have access to those nurtures deep roots, cooperation, and resources could be devastating to a fam- optimism in the community, which in turn provides the ability for farmers to ily’s quality of life and relationship to handle the struggles that inevitably pop the land. up. And the valley’s natural beauty and Another important part of our com- productivity are integrally tied to the munity is the agriculture sector, with Skagit River. “It’s the lifeblood of this the early pioneers settling here five valley,” Youngquist said. generations ago. Mike Youngquist is a

Upper Skagit Indian Tribe is a Proud Sponsor of the 2018

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As much as anything, the Skagit Valley is also defined by forests and forestry, with most of the upper watershed covered in trees. Mark Hitchcock, a local, lifelong forester, grew up and spent his career in the deep woods of Washington. He sees the Skagit as “special because of the juxtaposition of all of its natural resources from forest to saltwater and the islands,” including “the interface with our use of the land.”

Hitchcock shared that he “loves seeing the swans and the snow geese” in the fields and it “makes me realize that we [humans] are still part of the natural environment and we do live in a very glorious place.”

Saul Weisberg, Executive Director of the North Cascades Institute, has been bringing youth and adults in the community together to share experiences in the Skagit since 1986. “We may not always be in agreement, but we share experiences because we live here together, and that is really powerful,” Weisberg said. One gets the sense from Weisberg that our different experiences are like the thousands of headwater streams of the Skagit, all flowing down in a lifelong journey to join together to form our creeks and then finally the mighty Skagit itself. And that this epic, life-giving, metaphoric waterbody both supports and depends on our community for our common good.

So, what do these folks all have in common? They have each expressed, in their own way, that to preserve what we love about the Skagit River, we

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sometimes must challenge ourselves and the perspectives we find ourselves in to come together as a community and work together. Scott Schuyler, the Natural Resources Policy Representative of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe says, “We have so many resources in this valley, but if we are not working together – the agricultural, the tribal, and citizens in general – we are going to all be impacted” by their loss. Similarly, Youngquist explained, “If we’re harming the salmon, that’s one issue – we

can’t do that … we all have to work together to make it work.”

We can achieve a common goal of a prosperous valley; including prosperity in our economy, quality of life, and salmon restoration by working together, listening to one another, and strengthening our ties to a sense of place within the Skagit. We are stronger together, and can have a lasting effect, if we are willing to collaborate. Please join them, join us, and challenge yourselves to see

other’s perspectives as we work together towards a common goal of preserving the Skagit River and its communities.

As part of a community building exercise, the Skagit Watershed Council has set out to document what community members love about the Skagit in a project called This Skagit Life.

You can see much more from these community members and others on their blog at www.skagitwatershed.org.

Check it out!

fresh catch

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Proud SPonSor of the

2018 SKAGIT RIVER SALMON FESTIVAL

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Learning About Our Source Water

Judy Reservoir

Community Outreach Program Aims to Teach Value of Water

W

ater is one of life’s most precious elements. We have the same amount of water today as we did when the Earth was formed.

Many people take for granted the

simple act of turning on a faucet and get- before it’s piped out to 70,000 people in ting a cold glass of water. Through com- Skagit County. munity and school group tours of Skagit Taking Science Outside Public Utility District’s Judy Reservoir, visitors can now discover how their As a way to create greater awareness water is cleaned and made safe to drink around the value of water, Skagit PUD offers area schools a unique science and social studies opportunity called The Story of Drinking Water. The program is an exploration of water’s role in our environment and society, with an emphasis on the importance of a safe and reliable water supply.

The Story of Drinking Water program covers subjects and activities such as the hydrologic cycle, forms of water, water supply, water treatment, water distribution, conservation, weather, ecosystems, waterborne diseases, and more.

Smart Water Matters

“All activities adhere to science curriculum, and many include math, social studies and language arts,” Skagit PUD Community Relations Manager Kevin Tate said.

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To help teachers take science outside the classroom setting, Skagit PUD also offers free field trips that include a tour of Judy Reservoir, the Water Treatment Plant, and a visit into the watershed.

Transportation reimbursement is available for schools served by Skagit PUD water.

Contact Your Local Authorized Badger Meter Distributor

Erik Twenge, Account Manager 425-766-3034 etwenge@nationalmeter.com www.badgermeter.com National Meter & Automation is a wholly owned distributor of 1799584

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Protecting Water Resources Constant use and pollution threaten water resources. Experts estimate that nonpoint pollution, that is, agricultural and urban runoff combined with pollution by individuals, threatens our water resources more than industrial pollution.

Each of us has a role in keeping water safe to drink. It’s important to take action to conserve and protect our water resources every day.

Students explore an interpretive sign at Judy Reservoir.

Interpretive Displays Colorful interpretive displays are installed inside and out at Judy Reservoir and the Water Treatment Plant for visitors to enjoy.

From learning about the different phases in the water cycle to identifying the varied wildlife found in the Cultus Mountain watershed, the displays

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visually reinforce many of the concepts and processes discussed during tours of the facility and a visit to a source water stream,� Tate said.

Visitors learn about the sources of their water, plus the processes of coagulation, flocculation, filtration, and disinfection that drinking water must go through before distribution.

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Skagit PUD hopes The Story of Drinking Water school program and community tours encourage an appreciation for this precious resource and inspires the adoption of personal conservation measures to protect our waters for future generations. For more information about community group and school tours, please visit SkagitPUD.org or call (360) 424-7104.

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Festival Map MAIN ENTRANCE

Information Booth & Merchandise Conservation Alley

Volunteer Check-in

First Aid

Food

Vendors

Kidz Zone

Sardis Raptor Program

Beer & Wine Garden Fidalgo Fly Fishing

All Ages Dining

Main Stage

WEST ENTRANCE

Vendors Adoeete Northwest Wood Artistry Bouncyhouse.com Chris’ Roe’n Boutique Color Street Delightful Dahlias Dragonfly Hollow Studio Friday Harbor House of Jerky Heavenly Soaps Joy Pesaturo Lichenology Orcas Oasis Jewelry Polli’s Pretties & Cascadia Country Renewal by Anderson Vinyl By Panch

FOOD AND BEVERAGE Vendors Amigo Rigo’s Tacos Auntie Annie’s Pretzels Big Scoop Farmstrong Brewing Company Java Jo’s On the Go Ma & Pa Kettle Corn Rosie’s BBQ Salmon

Conservation Alley Bats Northwest Department of Natural Resources Eco-Lógica Magazine Explorations Academy Fidalgo Fly Fishers

EVENT NOTES - Festival Admission: $5/Adults; Kids FREE (17 & under).

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North Cascades Institute Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Orca Network Pacific Mammal Research Puget Sound Energy Skagit Watershed Council Skagit Conservation District Skagit County Marine Resources Committee Skagit County Noxious Weed Control Board Skagit County Public Works Skagit County Solid Waste Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group Skagit Land Trust Skagit Public Utility District

- Be sure to pick up your Passport to Prizes at any booth in Conservation Alley and bring your completed passport page to the Kidz Zone for a chance to win prizes.

Skagit Valley College Department of Environmental Conservation Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Dept of Environmental Protection The Nature Conservancy The Whale Museum Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Washington Water Trust Whale Scout Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehab.

Center WSU Skagit Co. Extension - Master Gardeners and Shore Stewards

- Festival T-shirts, hats, key chains and commemorative posters are available for purchase at the Information Booth.

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On Stage at the Skagit River Salmon Festival Caspar Babypants | 11:15 a.m. – Noon

Caspar Babypants

Enjoy fun family tunes with Caspar Babypants (a.k.a. Chris Ballew from The Presidents of the United States of America). Caspar makes music for the very small and their parents that is simple fantastical stories and sing along songs.

Industrial Revelation | 12:10 – 1:40 p.m.

D’Vonne Lewis (Drums), Evan Flory-Barnes (Bass), Josh Rawlings (Keys) & Ahamefule J. Oluo (Trumpet), Industrial Revelation is a supergroup that Industrial Revelation defies convention.

They’re jazz, they’re post-jazz, they’re neo-soul, they’re rock ’n’ roll, but most importantly, they are masters of creating passionate music.

Lewis descends from multiple generations of serious musicians; Oluo has played with Hey Marseilles; Flory-Barnes, who has composed symphonies, recorded with Macklemore; and Rawlings has toured with Allen Stone and Macklemore. Their live shows are sweat-inducing jams with big horn crescendos, rapid bass solos, lightning strikes of keys and rolling-thunder drums.

The Sweet Goodbyes | 1:50 – 2:20 p.m. & 3:55 – 4:25 p.m.

Amber Darland and Lisa Harmon have The Sweet Goodbyes been performing individually throughout the Pacific Northwest for many years. In the spring of 2015, the two Bellingham-based singer-songwriters discovered a kindred voice in each other and decided to launch the folk duo The Sweet Goodbyes. This collaboration has revealed strength beyond the sum of its parts. With intricate melodies, weaving harmonies and lyrics that are both political and deeply personal, The Sweet Goodbyes offer their audiences a chance to witness something rare. Amber Darland and Lisa Harmon wear their hearts on their sleeves and together their voices blend flawlessly. You can’t help but feel good when you watch this duo perform live. The Sweet Goodbyes are full of charm and talent - sure to prick the ears and put a shiver up the spine.

Entremundos Quarteto

EntreMundos Quarteto | 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.

EntreMundos Quarteto is an electrifying Seattlebased band who bring to the stage an uplifting and kinetic mix of deep Brazilian roots flavored with world rhythms—a deft blending of funk, jazz and soul melding with the classic sounds of samba and bossa nova.

EntreMundos means “between worlds,” and the group’s mélange of seductive sounds embodies their name, stirring a personal and uncommon blend into a sound with universal appeal.

With the elegant and lilting vocals of Adriana Giordano, the superbly versatile Eric Verlinde on piano, and the locked-in rhythm section of Jeff Busch on drums and percussion and Dean Schmidt on bass, EntreMundos Quarteto deliver the goods: Seductive, sparkling and substantial, light as a feather but with a deep, earthy groove, and guaranteed to move the hips and lift the soul!

Polecat | 4:35 – 6 p.m.

Sardis Raptor Center

Sardis Raptor Center 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m.

The Sardis Raptor Center presents the Hunters of the Sky raptor show with an introduction to birds of prey. It’s a chance to see these magnificent birds up close and learn about their natural history, species identification, environmental issues and the roles raptors play in our watershed. goskagit.com

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Polecat Polecat has brought the stomp all over the Pacific Northwest, with over 700 appearances and four albums in eight years. Their unique instrumentation and smart song arrangements enable them to seamlessly blend genres including Americana, Celtic, rock, reggae, and world music into their sound. The general appeal of Polecat comes from their unique take on roots music, eclectic recordings, and their interactive and high energy live shows.

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Recycle Right! Seeing the Bigger Picture Callie Martin | Waste Reduction/Recycling Education Specialist, Skagit County Public Works-Solid Waste Division

Do you put plastic in your recycling bin simply because it has a recycling symbol on it?

Do you put items in your bin that you’ve heard aren’t recyclable here, but wish were?

Do you put items in your bin that you know aren’t recyclable here, but hope that somewhere down the line someone will recycle them?

You’re a good person, but you’re a wishful recycler.

Myth Bust The recycling symbol on plastic is just a symbol created by the plastics industry to help identify what type of plastic it is. It doesn’t mean it’s actually recyclable where we live. Other recycling symbols on packaging are just the manufacturer encouraging you to recycle that product, if you can. In sum, just because something has a recycling symbol on it, does not mean that it is recyclable. Meanwhile, aluminum cans, cardboard boxes, clean paper, steel and glass remain straightforward and easy to recycle. The complexity in recycling comes in the form of disposable plastics, found around every corner we turn. In 2013, The Washington Post newspaper reported that more than 300 million tons of new plastic is produced annually and less than 10 percent is recycled. And over the past five years, that amount has only increased.

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Why It Matters

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When you put your items that you wish were recyclable into the bin, hoping that someone down the line might recycle, you’re just relocating your trash and giving yourself a pat on the back for being a really good recycler.

That recyclable that you threw into the bin with high hopes is actually considered ‘contamination.’ Once sorted out at recycling facility, that item may cause good recyclables to get tossed. This also means a lower price paid to the recycling haulers, who transport recyclables to their end destinations, reducing both efficiency and feasibility.

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Bigger Picture We know our garbage gets trucked away to a landfill, so we think that’s the problem. The problem is in the parts of the world we don’t see. In countries like India, waste pickers sort through the trash to find the pieces that are most valuable—thicker plastics and metals.

The remainder becomes landfilled or incinerated, creating a health crisis for communities. Local waterways act like conveyor belts, sending excess plastic straight out to sea. Where does it all go?

According to the 5 Gyres Institute, eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. By 2050, it is estimated that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, by weight.

What We Can Do: Reduction Next time you’re at the store, seek out less packaged items. Refuse the top five sources of single-use plastic: plastic bags, water bottles, to-go containers, takeaway cups and straws. Use a reusable water bottle or shopping bag to start a conversation with your friends and family about the impact of single-use plastics. If single-use plastic is unavoidable, choose to support brands that commit to recycled packaging.

Consider supporting legislation that helps prevent single use plastic from being commonplace. Write to city council members, and state representatives to

ask them to support plastic bag, straw, and cup bans city and statewide. Talk to local businesses about their use of single use plastics, and suggest alternatives.

These small, extra efforts will eventually make a huge impact on the amount of trash pollution going into our waterways.

When you do recycle, adhere to recycling guideline sheets and signs as closely as possible, especially with regard to plastics. Typically, the only plastics that are always recyclable are jugs, bottles, cups and tubs. Items like clamshells (anything with a hinge), wrappers, lids, or trays, are not considered to be recyclable and should be avoided from purchase or thrown in the trash. If in doubt, throw it out!

Water = Life

Except for the air we breathe, water is the single most important element in our lives.

It’s too precious to waste.

Use it wisely.

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For simple water-saving ideas you can use at home or work, visit www.SkagitPUD.org.

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Bugs in My Yard – Why that’s a good thing

By Brenda Cunningham WSU-Skagit County Master Gardener

But all of them are very important to the birds using those plants.

to bird life than do non-native plants.

This is not something you have to travel to a park to observe. You can Native plants are better witness it out your back door. Researchers compared caterpillar abunfor birds dance on native and non-native plants, Native plants are experiencing a finding more caterpillars on the native heyday in popularity for a variety of A time of gathering species. They also tracked the behavreasons. They are adapted to our soils ior of chickadees and documented If you have ever gathered wild and climate, making them attractive preferences for foraging and nesting foods, like rose hips or nettles, you to those wanting to help the environon native plants. Many of us think may have been surprised at how many ment and spend less time on fertilour backyard songbirds depend on the insects you accidentally collected at izing and watering. Native plants have the same time. These hangers-on sud- co-evolved with our native pollinators, seeds we put out for them. But these same birds rely heavily on insects for denly appear on the counter-top or making them attractive to gardeners the calories needed to get through the in the kitchen sink as you clean your and farmers who need crops pollicold months and to raise their young in harvest. Their great abundance on nated. Native plants are also important the spring. Even Anna’s Hummingbird, native fruits and leaves illustrates how to the lesser known bugs out there, remarkable for expanding its winter these plants are interconnected with which in turn, are the mainstay for our range to include the Pacific Northwest, the animal world. Many of the bugs, birds. will feed on insects throughout the like the tiny spiders, are harmless to Newly published research (Biologi- winter. If you enjoy seeing songbirds the plant, just using it as a platform for cal Conservation September 2017) afin your yard the best thing you can do their own foraging. Others, like aphids firms what we have suspected – native is plant native species. and caterpillars, may damage leaves. plants harbor more insects important

The enjoyment of birds in your yard

Proudly Fueling Life in the Pacific Northwest Shell’s Puget Sound Refinery is more than an oil refinery – it’s a place where Puget Sound generations of area residents have found jobs, built careers, supported families, Refinery and made a positive impact on our community. We are proud to be a part of this community, and it’s a privilege to live, recreate and operate in such a special place.

In 2017, we presented a $250,000 grant to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation for killer whale research and conservation.

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DiD you Know?

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What about the bad bugs?

Insects do feed on our garden plants, damaging leaves in the process.

But healthy plants can tolerate a little damage. And by making your yard hospitable to birds you are hosting your best ally when it comes to insect control. Chickadees, bushtits, hummingbirds and all sorts of warblers will glean insects from the most inaccessible places high in your trees, doing a more thorough job than any groundbased chemical application. By forgoing the use of pesticides and tolerating a little damage on some plants, you are attracting nature’s own pest control service to your yard. And what a treat A Chestnut-backed chickadee relies on bugs and insects for its year-round sustenance. Photo by that it comes with beautiful songs.

Are some native plants better than others?

The most important factors to consider when choosing native plant species are the conditions you have in

Visit www.haggen.com/recipes for Chef Bryan’s Grilled Salmon

J.B. Smith.

your yard. Just as with cultivated species, native plants must be chosen with care to match culture requirements with site conditions. Many native species tolerate our wet winters and

dry summers, yet consideration must still be taken when siting the plants relative to sun, shade, drainage and

BUGS Cont. on page 18

salmon season

SuStainable Su ainable • Wild • Fresh We deliver exceptionally high-quality salmon thanks to our long relationships with our fishers, the expertise and experience of our seafood buyer, and our commitment to sourcing only sustainable fish. Stop by your Haggen seafood department today and check out the catch of the day. Our seafood experts will gladly recommend recipes, fillet a fish or tell you more about the health benefits of adding seafood to your diet.

Sign up online for our weekly flyer emails and other special offers!

Haggen Food & Pharmacy • www.haggen.com Burlington • Mount Vernon goskagit.com

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BUGS Cont. from page 17 available space.

Choose both evergreen and deciduous species for your yard. Adding diversity will ensure that spiders and insects will be available for the birds much of the year. The Audubon Society has launched an initiative to encourage people to plant native species for the benefit of birds. A visit to the website www.audubon.org/nativeplants/ will lead you to a list of plants appropriate for your area. Information about plants includes which species host caterpillars and which birds they are likely to attract. Refine your selection further by visiting the landscaping section of the Washington Native Plant Society website (www.wnps.org) for information about the culture requirements for each plant species. Be sure to consider the space you have available.

tive plant society chapters and conservation district sales. The growing popularity of native plants has resulted in more being available in nurseries.

Please support this trend by shopping in the local nurseries.

When you have your native plants established, the table is set. Sit back, listen and watch the birds enjoy the feast.

RESOURCES: Audubon. Native Plants Database. www.audubon.org/native-plants/ Narango, Desiree L, Tallamy, Douglas W. and Marra, Peter P. Biological Conservation Sept. 2017, Vol 213.

Native plants improve breeding and foraging habitat for an insectivorous bird.

Tallamy, Douglas W. 2007. Bringing Nature Home.

Washington Native Plant Society. www.wnps.org Once you have a plant species wish list, search your local nurseries, na-

Test Your Knowledge 1. The Skagit River supports the largest wintering population of what bird in the continental United States?

A. Trumpter Swans B. Snow Geese C. Seagulls D. Bald Eagles 2. How much water flows through the Skagit River every day?

A. 10 million gallons B. 10 billion gallons C. 1 billion gallons D. A lot.

3. Can you name the five salmon species found in the Skagit River?

4. The Skagit River basin has supported human populations for how long?

A. 400 years B. 2,000 years C. 11,000 years D. A long time 5. Can you name the hydroelectric dams located on the Skagit River?

6. How many different kinds of wildlife species live in the Skagit River watershed?

A. 50 B. 102 C. 276 D. 400 7. True or False: The Skagit River is the longest river on the west coast of the United States?

A. True B. False ANSWERS ON PAGE 21

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Tips on Collecting Rain Water

By Jane Billinghurst WSU-Skagit County Master Gardener

A self-sufficient gardening practice

R

ain barrels are a low-cost, lowmaintenance way for you to reduce your water bills and be more self-sufficient in your gardening practices.

Rain might seem to be absent in the Skagit valley over the summer, but Mount Vernon, for example, averages a little under one and three-quarter inches each month from May to September. If you have 1,000 square feet of roof draining into rain barrels, this comes to about 1,000 gallons of rain water for each of these months—more than enough to fill an array of 55-gallon rain barrels around your house.

To put that into perspective, if you want to apply an extra inch of water to 500 square feet of garden each month in summer (in addition to rainfall), that will take just over 300 gallons of water a month or about half a dozen rain barrels’ worth, which means that one rain barrel is good, but multiple rain barrels are even better.

Site your rain barrels next to downspouts, then divert the downspout so the water flows directly into the barrel.

Bear in mind that the barrel might overflow, which you definitely don’t want happening right next to your house.

Therefore, you want to attach a hose pipe to an overflow spout at the top of the barrel and have it empty in a safe place (at least 15 square feet of porous ground is recommended at a minimum of 10 feet away from foundations or hard surfaces such as driveways or sidewalks and 5 feet away from neighboring property or rights of way).

into the barrel. When the barrel is full, the diverter shuts off access to the barrel, and the rainwater flows down the spout once again.

Once you have decided where you want to place your rain barrels, what next? A 55-gallon rain barrel full of water weighs over 400 pounds. You need a sturdy base to support such a heavy weight and keep it level. The barrel also needs to be elevated enough that you can fit your watering can under the spigot and enough to provide water pressure if you are using a hose to empty the barrel.

The Skagit Public Utility District website listed at the end of this article includes some tips on connecting a series of rain barrels together to increase the amount of rainwater you can store.

Other sites offer options, as well.

Make sure you put a mesh guard on

top of your rain barrels to keep mosquitoes from laying their eggs in them, and remember to clean off the guard

RAIN WATER Cont. on page 20

Proud SPonSor 2018 Skagit RivER Salmon FEStival

HDR EnginEERing

Alternatively, you can install a downspout diverter that temporarily diverts rainwater from the downspout goskagit.com

Rain barrels connected at the base (note that overflow pipe should be directed to a safe place for any excess water to disperse). Photo with permission from Gardener’s Supply Company.

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RAIN WATER Cont. from page 19 regularly to prevent it getting clogged with debris that gets washed down the downspout.

Use a clean, food-grade-quality container to ensure you are starting out with a barrel free of pollutants. The container should be opaque to keep out sunlight and discourage the growth of algae inside.

As you won’t be irrigating your plants in the winter (they won’t be growing and they will be getting lots of rain anyway), take the opportunity to rinse out your barrels. If you store them upside down, you won’t have to worry about them collecting water and freezing over winter, which might cause Downspout flowing directly into a rain barrel with a mesh guard on top to keep debris and them to crack. You can set them up mosquitoes out of the barrel. Photo with permission from Gardener’s Supply Company. again in March or April when temperatures warm, plants start to grow, and off your roof. These include your loca- or algae. WSU publication FS280E, there’s still lots of rain to catch. tion, the composition of your roof, and “Potential Contaminants in Residential There are a number of factors that Rain Barrel Water” (see resources at whether your roof has recently been affect how clean the water is coming treated with chemicals to control moss the end of this article) goes over these issues in detail. To be on the safe side, avoid irrigating vegetable gardens with rainwater collected from roofs. Reserve it instead for ornamental plants in your yard and containers.

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A number of online sites have useful resources on rainwater collection for our region. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a page on rainwater and health. Washington State Department of Ecology covers rules for collecting rainwater. Skagit PUD has information on constructing, installing, and maintaining rain barrels. Washington State University Extension goes over potential contaminants in rain barrel water, and US Climate Data gives rainfall averages where you live in case you want to calculate for yourself just how much rainwater you might collect be able to collect (use the formula 0.623 gallons x square footage of the catchment area x inches of rain per month or year, depending on the length of time you are interested in).

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2018 Festival Featured Artist: Joy Pesaturo

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nacortes artist Joy Pesaturo is the 2018 Skagit River Salmon Festival’s featured artist. Pesaturo says she was drawn to the “natural beauty and colors of the spawning salmon.” This, combined with the story of their journey back to their home waters to continue the life cycle, gave Pesaturo the inspiration to begin her Journey series.

Pesaturo primarily works in acrylic; however, she also dabbles in water color and collage work. Her use of a vibrant contrasting and complimentary color palette of red, orange, blue, turquoise, and shades of green are striking. The Journey paintings are both visually and physically textural. Pesaturo says she uses a several step wash and glazing process to create the watery background. The salmon are created primarily with a palette knife applying several layers of color.

“My salmon are more impressionistic than realistic as I am an abstract artist at heart,” Pesaturo said. “I am working to have them be somewhat physically accurate.”

Pesaturo sells her works via the online galleries VANGO and SAATCHI Art. She currently teaches art to 400 elementary students at Fidalgo Elementary in Anacortes.

“I love creating new and interesting lessons for my students and teaching them about the art of lesser known artists both current and past,” Pesaturo said.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (pg 18): ANSWERS 1. D. Bald eagles feed on Chum and Coho salmon that have returned to the Skagit and its tributaries to spawn.

The eagles arrive in late October or early November and stay into February.

2. B. 10 billion gallons of water is drained every day from over 2,900 streams in the Skagit River watershed.

Enough to fill 500,000 swimming pools.

3. Chinook (King), Coho (Silver), Pink (Humpie), Chum and Sockeye (Kokanee, Red). The Skagit is the only large river system in Washington that contains healthy populations of all five native salmon species and two species of trout—steelhead and cutthroat.

4. C. People have lived in present-day Skagit County and its environs for over 11,000 years. Today, there are over 118,000 people living in the county including the Indian tribal communities of the Swinomish, Upper Skagit, Sauk-Suiattle and Samish.

5. The Diablo, Ross and Gorge hydroelectric dams, which are built above a natural barrier to salmon, supply about 25 percent of the city of Seattle’s power demands. Puget Sound Energy’s Upper Baker and Lower Baker Dams are located on a tributary of the Skagit River. The dams’ reservoirs, Baker Lake and Lake Shannon, are fed by runoff from the flanks of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan.

Is a Proud Sponsor of the 2018 2015

7. B False. The Skagit River is more than 160 miles long and the third largest river on the West Coast after the Columbia and Sacramento rivers. It provides about 30 percent of the fresh water flowing into Puget Sound and it’s a main source of our drinking water for Skagit County residents. It’s also home to about 30 percent of all salmon entering Puget Sound.

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6. C. Not including humans, the Skagit watershed is the home to approximately 276 wildlife species—25 fish, 17 amphibians, 10 reptiles, 73 mammals & 174 birds.

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Passport to Prizes!

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ou could be the next winner! Enter to win fantastic raffle prizes at the Skagit River Salmon Festival by visiting nine participating conservation booths, getting your Passport stamped, and completing a Passport to Prizes entry card before turning it in. Passports can be found on-site at the Information Booth and at participating conservation booths. Passport to Prizes raffle drawings will be held throughout the day in the Main Stage area.

Winners can claim their raffle prize at the Main Entrance Information Booth.

Raffle Prizes Donated By Our Community Partners:

~ Grand Prizes ~ Whale watching for two aboard Island Adventures and a salmon wood carving by local artist John Wells.

Bats Northwest - A bat house to provide roosting habitat.

SALMON FE

STIVAL

Big 5 Sporting Goods - $25 Ticket to Shop eCard.

Passport to Prizes Raffle Drawing Times 1:40 p.m.

2:20 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

Grand Prizes at 6 p.m.

Dick’s Sporting Goods - $20 Bonus Certificates for in-store purchases.

PASSPORT to PRIZES

North Cascades Institute - NCI trucker hat.

Visit at least nin e booths to ear When you hav n a passport sta e at least nine mp. stamps, fill out return the bac and k page of thi s Passport boo Information Boo klet to the th for a chance prize. One ent to win a great raf ry per person fle .

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission - NWIFC sweatshirt and hat.

Orca Network - Fragile Waters DVD. Pacific Mammal Research - Hat. Skagit Conservation District Reusable grocery bags.

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group - Two tickets to Skagit Wild & Scenic Film Festival.

Skagit Land Trust - Skagit Land Trust water bottle.

Skagit Public Utility District Home Water Retrofit Kit, which includes—WaterSense high-efficiency chrome showerhead, faucet aerators, and plumber’s tape.

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Whale Scout - Pack of killer whale trading cards.

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“The river is alive. It is an essential part of our lives. When it is vibrant and healthy, our well being is preserved. We must heal and protect this precious resource, not just for our own tribal treaty rights, but because it’s a wise and respectful thing to do for everyone who lives here.”

Skagit Watershed Council Canvas tote with Skagit Watershed Council hat and t-shirt, and Reaching Home book by Natalie Fobes.

Wolf Hollow - Logo hat and mug.

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Skagit Valley Herald. Must be 14 years or younger to enter.

Coloring page art created by Skagit River Salmon Festival featured artist, Joy Pesaturo.

Submit your entry to Skagit Publishing, (1215 Anderson Rd., Mount Vernon, WA 98274) via mail or in person prior to Friday, September 7, 5pm. Winning entries will be printed in the

Phone or Email:__________________________________________________________

Age:__________

Name:_________________________________________________________________

SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD COLORING CONTEST

SKAGIT RIVER SALMON FESTIVAL

Spawnsors Silver Level Sockeye Level Steelhead Level

Badger Meter/National Meter Automation • City of Anacortes • HDR Jerry Smith Chevrolet - Kia • Samish Indian Nation • Sierra Pacific Foundation Skagit County • Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians • Upper Skagit Indian Tribe

Humpy Level

Adventures NW Magazine • Natural Systems Design • Port of Skagit Puget Sound Energy • Skagit Valley Food Co-op

Chum Level

SALMON FESTIVAL

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Fidalgo Fly Fishers • Skagit Land Trust • Trader Joe’s WSU Skagit Extension Master Gardeners Special thanks to Howard Anderson at Anderson Electric Inc.