Informational Plaques on the “Save Our Salmon Mural”
📍 SPUD Fish & Chips - Juanita Beach Park - Kirkland, WA
Installed April 2022
Educational Plaques on the Mural
Learn about kokanee salmon and Juanita Creek by reading the informational plaques on the mural. Learn why kokanee in particular are at the heart of restoration efforts, and how you can be a good steward supporting Juanita Creek.
Written by Dr. Jeff Jensen - UW biology professor and founder of North Lake Washington SalmonWatchers.
Read the Plaques
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The goals of this mural are to brighten up the community with vibrant art and to raise awareness about stream health and salmon restoration. Juanita Creek is one of the dozen North Lake Washington tributaries classified as a salmon-spawning stream. Coho, chinook, and possibly sockeye salmon migrate up Juanita Creek to spawn, and cutthroat trout live in Juanita Creek all year. This mural features kokanee salmon, a type of sockeye salmon that does not migrate to the ocean and was once abundant in Juanita Creek. With your help, perhaps it will be again.
While we typically think of sockeye, chinook, and coho when we think of salmon in Lake Washington, prior to the completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal the most abundant salmon in Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish were kokanee. Kokanee mature in lakes, and migrate up small streams like Juanita Creek to spawn. Native Americans actively harvested kokanee (in Lake Washington, and early settler accounts refer to “thousands of ‘Little Red Fish’”.
Unfortunately, many changes – including urbanization and pollution – occurred in Lake Washington during the 20th century. By 1956, only a few kokanee inhabited Juanita Creek – with salmon productivity considerably affected by septic tank effluent and “heavy demand for the waters of this creek for garden and lawn irrigation.” By the end of the 20th century, most biologists considered native kokanee to be locally extinct from the lake.
In recent years, there have been hints that kokanee might have survived, including angler reports of catching “kokanee” in Lake Washington and occasional reports of kokanee-like fish spawning in the Sammamish River and its tributaries. These fish were generally thought to be part of a non-native sockeye population that had been introduced to Lake Washington in the 1930s. However, in 2020 researchers at the University of Washington, Bothell, determined the kokanee were in fact genetically distinct from introduced sockeye. Even more interesting, the research revealed the population was similar to, but distinct from, native Lake Sammamish kokanee. It appears native Lake Washington kokanee survived after all! The UW Bothell’s North Lake Washington SalmonWatchers program is excited to continue its research with a goal to restore native kokanee using streamside egg incubators. Of course, key to this effort is the participation of citizens in learning about and caring about Juanita Creek and the life it sustains.
How can you be a good steward supporting a healthy stream? There are a few simple steps you can take to support local salmon:
Recognize and realize we live next to salmon. Many people are not aware of the fact there are salmon in Juanita Creek. If you haven’t already, explore the North border of Juanita Beach Park and check out a glimpse of Juanita Creek. Coho and chinook salmon migrate through Juanita Creek in the fall, and the creek can be explored and followed from Juanita Beach all the way through Edith Moulton Park.
Reduce your pollution footprint. Consider reducing fertilizers in your lawn or using alternative modes of transportation such as biking or walking.
Volunteer or donate to local organizations making a difference. You can volunteer to become a SalmonWatcher yourself, or help fund projects that UW students and SalmonWatchers are bringing to life.
To learn more about Juanita Creek, and how you can be involved with the North Lake Washington SalmonWatchers program email uwbkokanee@gmail.com
This information is provided by the University of Washington, Bothell, North Lake Washington SalmonWatchers program and the Kirkland Storm and Surface Water Division.
Visit the Juanita SOS Mural in-person!
Read more about other Save Our Salmon Mural locations…
