The 18^th annual Return of the Salmon Festival will held at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery (NFH) on October 20, 2007.  This wonder-filled festival has been celebrated at the Coleman hatchery since 1991 as a way to increase the visibility of the hatchery's contribution to California's fishery resources.  And it seems to have worked.

During the one-day festival over 10,000 visitors are treated to the spectacle of large numbers of fall Chinook salmon returning to Battle Creek and the hatchery.  In addition, they can observe all aspects of day-to-day hatchery operations such as spawning, egg incubation, and juvenile rearing.

Many Federal, State and private exhibitors also participate in this event providing a wide array of natural resource information to the public. Visual information sites are located on the hatchery grounds to provide a narrative for visitors who wish to learn more about salmon life history, habitat requirements, and other biological information.  The festival has been featured on California Public Television's California’s Golden Parks series produced and hosted by Huell Howser  http://www.calgold.com/ .  

The Coleman National Fish Hatchery was established in 1942 to mitigate the loss of natural salmon to historic spawning areas and raises Fall Chinook salmon, Late Fall Chinook salmon, Winter Chinook salmon, and Steelhead trout.  The hatchery is located in 20 miles southeast of Redding in Anderson (Shasta County), California, on the north bank of Battle Creek approximately three miles east of the Sacramento River. Battle Creek flows through a valley from the east to the west along the south edge of the hatchery property and enters the Sacramento River five river miles to the west of the hatchery. .