North Olympic Salmon Coalition

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-03-21 09:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
7th-8th Grade Real Learning Real Work – Planting Project Implementation

Students will be executing the planting plans that they have spent this winter developing in the classroom after conducting a site assessment last fall. Volunteers will help groups of 4-6 students follow their planting plans on their restoration plot. This involves helping students follow their plans and getting your hands dirty planting with them! Sequim, Chimacum, and Clallam will also be doing some site maintenance that may include invasive species removal, installing protective blue tubing, and mulching. Students will also talk to career professionals in field ranging from restoration to ecology to fisheries.
A NOSC volunteer helps students assess their restoration plot. Photo by Charles Espey.
March 14th & 15th – Serenity Lane along Dungeness River
March 21st & 24th – WDFW Salmon Creek Site in Discovery Bay
April 13th – Pysht River Conservation Area
Tentative timing of these field trips is from 9am-2pm.
Sign up HERE

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-03-24 09:00 - 14:00 | Salmon Creek in Discovery Bay, W Uncas Road

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-04-11 09:00 - 14:00 | WA
7th-8th Grade Real Learning Real Work – Planting Project Implementation

Students will be executing the planting plans that they have spent this winter developing in the classroom after conducting a site assessment last fall. Volunteers will help groups of 4-6 students follow their planting plans on their restoration plot. This involves helping students follow their plans and getting your hands dirty planting with them! Sequim, Chimacum, and Clallam will also be doing some site maintenance that may include invasive species removal, installing protective blue tubing, and mulching. Students will also talk to career professionals in field ranging from restoration to ecology to fisheries.
A NOSC volunteer helps students assess their restoration plot. Photo by Charles Espey.
March 14th & 15th – Serenity Lane along Dungeness River
March 21st & 24th – WDFW Salmon Creek Site in Discovery Bay
April 11th – Pysht River Conservation Area
Tentative timing of these field trips is from 9am-2pm.
Sign up HERE

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Salmon in the Schools Release Day
2023-04-18 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Elementary Salmon in the Schools – Release Day Field Trip

NOSC staff and students observe macroinvertebrates (salmon food!) from Chimacum Creek. Photo by Mae Wolfe.
Students have spent the last couple months raising coho salmon from eggs and now will get a chance to release them into a local waterway. They will also participate in several other activities such as macroinvertebrate studies, salmon life cycle games, art, and habitat tours.
April 18th & 20th – HJ Carrol Park on Chimacum Creek. Tentative timing is from 10am-2pm.
April 21st – Dungeness Fish Hatchery on Dungeness River. Tentative timing is from 8:30am-1:30pm.
Sign up HERE

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Salmon in the Schools Release Field Trip
2023-04-20 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Elementary Salmon in the Schools – Release Day Field Trip

NOSC staff and students observe macroinvertebrates (salmon food!) from Chimacum Creek. Photo by Mae Wolfe.
Students have spent the last couple months raising coho salmon from eggs and now will get a chance to release them into a local waterway. They will also participate in several other activities such as macroinvertebrate studies, salmon life cycle games, art, and habitat tours.
April 20th & 24th – HJ Carrol Park on Chimacum Creek. Tentative timing is from 10am-2pm.
April 21st – Dungeness Fish Hatchery on Dungeness River. Tentative timing is from 8:30am-1:30pm.
Sign up HERE

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Salmon in the Schools Release Day
2023-04-21 08:30 - 13:30 | WA

Earth Day Mulching Event 2023!
2023-04-22 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Are you hoping to spend this Earth Day doing something that will having a lasting impact on our local environment? Come join us for a fun, community-filled day of mulching (and possibly planting) on the wild & scenic Dungeness River.

This winter, over 200 volunteers and students and our Washington Conservation Corps crew dedicated their time to plant and mulch nearly 7,000 trees and shrubs at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Caldero Side Channel Project. These trees and shrubs will grow to be a future forest that will support salmon and the many species of wildlife that depend upon these floodplain corridors.

So much of the work has been completed by our amazing community so far, but we still have more mulching to do and a few more plants to get in the ground!
Event Date/Time: April 22, 2023, 10-2 PM
Event Agenda:

10:00-10:15am Welcome and orientation
10:15-12:00pm Mulching/Planting
12:00-12:30pm Break time with a bonfire, hot drinks and treats
12:30-1:30pm Mulching
1:30-2:00pm Project site tour w/ NOSC or Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe staff

Merchandise: NOSC merchandise will be available at the beginning of the event, during the midday break, and after the site tour by cash or check only. You may leave early if you wish, but time flies when you’re planting with NOSC!
Please bring: warm, waterproof clothes and boots, water, and a lunch. You are also welcome to bring your own wheelbarrow, or other mulching tools.
Register Here

About the Caldero Side Channel Project:

The Caldero site was acquired by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in 2017 and is named after the former landowner. The Caldero Side Channel Project created nearly 1,000 feet of off-channel habitat for both spawning adult salmon and rearing juveniles.
Side channels such as the one at Caldero are critical refuges for salmon during flood events. This is particularly the case for juveniles, who can be easily overcome by swift flows. Off-channel habitat can also be important spawning areas for returning adults. In fact, since project completion in October, staff have seen adult Coho spawning in the new channel!
PHOTO CAPTION: A VOLUNTEER SHOVELS MULCH AT CALDERO, PHOTO BY ÆLFHILD WIKLUND.

Fin Swims the Rhody Grand Parade!
2023-05-21 09:00 - 14:00 | WA
Fin in her finest attire for the 2014 Rhody Festival. Photo courtesy of Brian Clark
Join us on Saturday, May 20th in Port Townsend for the 2023 Rhody Grand Parade!
Fin the Migrating Salmon – all 2,500 pounds of her – will be traveling back up the streets of Port Townsend once again this year!
We need your help! Prior to the parade, help us get Fin decorated and ready to impress.
We will be gathering at our assigned location and time. Please RSVP or email lmccord@nosc.org if interested so we can let you know when and where we will be meeting.
If you can, please bring:

cedar boughs
rhododendron flowers
other natural/native decorations

Want to walk with Fin and NOSC during the parade? Wear your NOSC gear or a salmon-themed outfit. Interested in purchasing a NOSC t-shirt for pick-up during Fin decoration? Please email lmccord@nosc.org with your t-shirt size for color availability.
RSVP or email lmccord@nosc.org to stay in the loop about our assigned staging location and time.

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-05-25 09:00 - 14:00 | Salmon Creek in Discovery Bay, W Uncas Road
7th-8th Grade Real Learning Real Work – Site Maintenance & Career Connections

Students work to install protective blue tubing around their plants. Photo by NOSC Staff.
Students will be assessing plant health and conducting a mortality study, while executing maintenance tasks such as installing blue tubing and removing invasive species. Students will also talk to career professionals in field ranging from restoration to ecology to fisheries.
May 25th – WDFW Salmon Creek Site in Discovery Bay
Tentative timing is from 9am-2pm.
Sign up HERE

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-06-09 09:00 - 14:00 | WA
7th-8th Grade Real Learning Real Work – Site Maintenance & Career Connections

Students work to install protective blue tubing around their plants. Photo by NOSC Staff.
Students will be assessing plant health and conducting a mortality study, while executing maintenance tasks such as installing blue tubing and removing invasive species. Students will also talk to career professionals in field ranging from restoration to ecology to fisheries.
June 9th – Pysht River Conservation Area
Tentative timing is from 9am-2pm.
Sign up HERE

Volunteer Spawner Surveys Training
2023-08-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Finnriver Farm & Cidery, 124 Center Road, Chimacum, WA, 98325
It’s hard to believe, but salmon spawner survey season is just around the corner, and we are seeking survey volunteers!
The Salmon Coalition has been conducting surveys of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed Hood Canal summer chum salmon on Chimacum Creek since their reintroduction to the creek in the mid-1990’s. Collected data helps the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife assess the health of Chimacum Creek population and is also used to inform future management decisions. With populations having rebounded across their range in recent years, there’s been talk of their potential de-listing, which, if it were to occur, would mark the first salmonid ever removed from the ESA list! Last season we counted nearly 1,200 fish, the most recorded in the watershed since 2016, and a step in the right direction toward future delisting.
This years’ survey training will be held on Wednesday, August 30th from 10-12 at Finnriver Farm and Cidery in Chimacum.
If you’re interested in getting up close and personal with this amazingly resilient species, click below to register. We hope to see you there!
If you have questions or would like to find out more information, please contact Stewardship Coordinator, Nate Roberts, at nroberts@nosc.org.

Orca Recovery Day
2023-10-14 10:00 - 12:30 | WA
Come join us again in celebrating Orca Recovery Day as the Jefferson County Conservation District, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, and Jefferson Land Trust team up for a planting event at the Snow Creek Estuary! This estuary is important habitat for Endangered Hood Canal summer chum salmon. Recent studies have shown that when Chinook salmon, the preferred prey of Southern Resident Orcas, is in short supply, they’ll supplement their diet with other species, including chum salmon.
Please bring the following:

Gloves
Water Bottle
Snacks
Layers for fall weather

31 Fairmount Road Port Townsend, WA 98368

*POSTPONED EVENT* Native Plant Nursery Expansion Work Party
2023-12-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Finnriver Farm & Cidery, 124 Center Road, Chimacum, WA, 98325
We are expanding our nursery in partnership with Jefferson County Conservation District to make room for more riparian plants along our waterways! Come work alongside our Washington Conservation Corps crew as we break ground on the new expansion and prep the site for installment of potted trees and shrubs.
Event will take place from 1:00-3:00pm at Finnriver Cidery.
Refreshments, gloves, and tools will be provided.

*CANCELLED EVENT* MLK Jr Day of Service at the Caldero Restoration Site
2024-01-15 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
* Cancelled due to inclement weather *
Are you hoping to spend this Martin Luther King Jr. Day doing something that will having a lasting impact on your local community? Come join us for a fun, community-filled day of mulching and planting on the wild & scenic Dungeness River.
Last winter, over 200 volunteers and students and our Washington Conservation Corps crew dedicated their time to plant and mulch nearly 7,000 trees and shrubs at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Caldero Side Channel Project. This year, we are moving on to Phase 2 of the planting to completely reforest the site. These trees and shrubs will grow to be a future forest that will support salmon and the many species of wildlife that depend upon these floodplain corridors.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.

**Cancelled due to snow and ice** Caldero Side Channel Phase 2 Planting Party
2024-01-20 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Come join us for the final phase of the Caldero Side Channel planting!
Last winter, over 200 volunteers and students and our Washington Conservation Corps crew dedicated their time to plant and mulch nearly 7,000 trees and shrubs at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Caldero Side Channel Project. This year, we are moving on to Phase 2 of the planting to finish reforestation of the site. These trees and shrubs will grow to be a future forest that will support salmon and the many species of wildlife that depend upon these floodplain corridors.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.

Caldero Side Channel Phase 2 Planting Party
2024-01-27 10:00 - 14:00 | WA

Snow Creek Uncas Tree Planting Party
2024-02-09 10:00 - 14:00, 2024-02-10 10:00 - 14:00, 2024-02-17 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Come join us as we plant a forest along the banks of the newly restored Snow Creek Uncas Preserve Reach!
We have nearly 9,000 trees and shrubs to plant this winter to reforest the Snow Creek Uncas Restoration project area. A tour of the restoration project will be included after the planting.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.

Parking is limited and there will be an attendance cap.

Snow Creek Uncas Volunteer Planting
2024-02-16 10:00 - 14:00 | WA

Native Plant Nursery Potting Party
2024-02-27 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Come join us as we pot up plants for future riparian restoration projects. We recently expanded our native plant nursery in partnership with the Jefferson County Conservation District and now we get to stock it up with trees and shrubs that will eventually become future forests along our local creeks and rivers.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.

Salmon Release Field Trip
2024-04-12 08:30 - 13:30, 2024-04-17 10:00 - 14:00, 2024-04-19 08:30 - 13:30, 2024-04-25 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Students have spent the last couple months raising coho salmon from eggs and now will get a chance to release them into a local waterway. They will also participate in several other activities such as macroinvertebrate studies, salmon life cycle games, art, and habitat tours. Volunteers help NOSC staff lead activities, set-up and take-down supplies, and ensure students rotate through activity stations safely.
Sign up to Volunteer HERE!

Solstice Salmon Days
2024-06-22 - 2024-06-23 | WA
Celebrating Summer Solstice & Salmon!
Saturday & Sunday, June 22-23rd
An all-ages gathering of salmon education and celebration!

Booths, games, crafts! Meet Fin the giant Salmon in the yard.
With Salish Sea Makers Market on 6/22 from 12-5pm
All events are open to the public with donations to benefit salmon and marine education on the Peninsula as well as local Indigenous revitalization projects.
Participating partners include Chemakum Tribal Services, Longhouse for the People, North Olympic Salmon Coalition, Marine Science Center, Jefferson Land Trust, Northwest Watershed Institute, Jefferson Co. Conservation District.
View Schedule Here.
Sign up to volunteer HERE!

Spawner Survey Volunteer Training
2024-08-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Finnriver Farm & Cidery, 124 Center Road, Chimacum, WA, 98325
It’s that time of year! The Salmon Coalition is preparing for its annual Summer Chum surveys on lower Chimacum Creek and is seeking volunteers to collect data.
This year’s training will be held on Friday, August 30th from 10am to 12pm at the Haybarn at Finnriver Farm and Cidery. (124 Center Rd, Chimacum, WA 98325)
This tends to be one of our most popular volunteer activities, so register soon by clicking the button below. There is a cap on the number of volunteers that can participate.
What to expect as a spawner survey volunteer: All needed equipment is provided. Conducting a spawner survey requires volunteers to walk over uneven and slippery terrain, through water, and over and around logs. Spawner surveys are conducted on Tuesday mornings from about 10am to 12:30pm from September through early November. After completing the training, volunteers can expect to receive between 1 and 3 opportunities to conduct spawner surveys, depending on availability, interest, and number of participants.
If you have questions or would like to find out more information, please contact Stewardship Coordinator, Nate Roberts, at nroberts@nosc.org
Photo of volunteers Mike Marson and Joanna Labaw on lower Chimacum Creek. Photo by Peter Jacobsen.

Volunteer Opportunity: Youth Education Field Trip
2024-10-08 08:30 - 14:00, 2024-10-10 08:30 | Salmon Creek in Discovery Bay, W Uncas Road
It is that season again and we are gearing up to get our middle school students out in the field to start off their restoration design project. We have several field trips coming up in Clallam and Jefferson Counties this fall and are in need of volunteers to help guide students of their first field trip of the Real Learning Real Work program. This field trip they will be performing site assessments to identify habitat quality concerns for salmon and collecting data on their restoration plots.

What to expect as an education volunteer:
There are several roles for you to help with! Please communicate with me if you are not comfortable in one of the roles.

Setting-up & cleaning up: this involves transporting equipment to different areas of the site such as tape measure, bins of work gloves, tables, and rain gear.
Activity Co-leader: With another volunteer educator or staff member, facilitate an activity for a group of 12-18 students. You will be provided with a facilitator guide that will serve as a quick-reference step-by-step to walk the students through the activity in their journal. Each group of students will have an adult chaperone or teacher from the school with them who will handle all behavior management.
Floating Guide: float between groups of 4-6 students and help guide them to carry out their assigned tasks, answer questions, and help with task such as measuring, using a compass, identifying common plants, etc.
Equipment/Gear: check out tools and equipment to students, help them find work gloves that fit, ensure they return tools/gloves in a clean(ish) and organized fashion.

I will send out an updated schedule and any facilitator guides you might need the week before the field trip. We will meet 30-45 minutes before the students arrive to answer questions, go over the schedule, and make sure you feel prepared.

Dates & Locations:
Sequim is our largest school we work with and they split their trip into 2 days, ½ the 7th grade class on each day. This is our greatest need for volunteers – the more volunteers we have, the smaller we can keep student groups. Students get way more out of the experience if they are able to work with small groups.
October 8th – Blue Heron at Salmon Creek Wildlife Area
October 10th – Chimacum 7th & 8th at Salmon Creek Wildlife Area (FULL)
October 16th – OCEAN 6th/7th/8th at Salmon Creek Wildlife Area (FULL)
October 17th – Sequim 7th at Dungeness River
October 18th – Sequim 7th at Dungeness River
Please sign up HERE.
Feel free to reach out to lmccord@nosc.org if you have any questions!
Image courtesy of Charles Espey.

Volunteer Opportunity: Youth Education Field Trip
2024-10-17 08:30 - 14:00 | Dungeness River
