Our community salmon release on June 5 proved popular with all ages, from toddlers holding parents’ hands to a 95-year-old elder who needed only a cane to assist.
A total of 79 people flocked to the release bridge in Fauntleroy Park to put 120 coho fry into Fauntleroy Creek. The robust fry were the last of those reared by volunteer Jack Lawless for Salmon in the Schools classes that had major die-off or preschools that didn’t rear their own. Release volunteers Dennis Hinton and Tom Trulin let the remaining 80 fry go in the lower creek.
With the pandemic on the wane, the event closed a nearly normal release season. In addition to the community event, we hosted 460 students and 167 adults on 15 field trips. Now, 1,627 fry must find enough food and protection to survive a year in the creek before heading to saltwater.
Photos by Tom Trulin