Follow the salmon up the Cedar River this fall

Tens of thousands of colorful sockeye salmon are migrating up the Cedar River to their spawning grounds this fall, and Cedar River Naturalist Program volunteers will be on hand to help visitors learn more about this amazing fish’s lifecycle.

Volunteers will be stationed from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 14, 21, 22, 28, 29 and Nov. 4 at four prime fish-viewing locations: Renton Library, Riverview Park, Cavanaugh Pond and Landsburg Park.

Carpool if you can – these sites have limited parking. For a flyer with directions or to get more information, call 206-245-0143 or visit www.cedarriver.org/about/cedarriversalmonjourney.shtml.

The Cedar River Salmon Journey is sponsored by the Seattle Aquarium, King County, Seattle Public Utilities, Friends of the Cedar River Watershed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the City of Renton Surface Water Utility.

The adult sockeye salmon that are returning to the Cedar River this year began their lives four years ago as the offspring of the 2002 return. After hatching and emerging from the river bottom gravel, the fish will make their way into Lake Washington where they will feed and grow for up to two years before migrating through the Ballard Locks to Puget Sound and finally the Pacific Ocean.

They reverse their migration as 4-year-old fish, returning to the same stretch of river where they were hatched, to spawn and complete the lifecycle, which ends with their death.

If you can't make it out to the Cedar River, follow these tips to protect our water quality and help salmon thrive:

• Compost. Enrich your garden with compost in place of chemical fertilizers.
• Avoid pesticides. Instead of pesticides use native plants, rotate your crops and learn to use "friendly" insects that naturally control harmful bugs.
• Conserve water. Water the yard infrequently but deeply and conserve water in your home.
• Use a car wash. Don’t wash your car in the drive way or on the street. Take it to a car wash where water is treated and recycled.
• Control oil. Fix engine oil leaks and recycle oil rather than throwing it out.
• Scoop poop. Dispose of pet waste properly and fence larger animals away from streams.
• Don't get hosed. Use a broom instead of a hose to remove dirt from sidewalks and driveways, which both protects and saves water.
• Plant a tree. Plants and trees help control and slow water runoff.