Welcome to the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail!! Trail Etiquette

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4 Welcome to the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail!! Trail Etiquette Here at the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail, Chum salmon complete a migration of thousands of miles. As they enter fresh water, they no longer feed. All of their stored energy is used to swim upstream and spawn. Kennedy Creek is a living laboratory for scientists and students whose studies will help salmon thrive. Following these rules will protect their research and preserve chum salmon and their habitat. Stay out of the stream and off the gravel bars. Fragile salmon eggs incubate in streams and even under gravel bars during low winter flows. One footstep could destroy hundreds of eggs. Please stay on the trails and in designated viewing areas. Off-trail travel breaks down stream banks and causes erosion, which in turn may release sediment that can smother salmon eggs. Approach the stream quietly and slowly. Sudden movements, loud noises and rock throwing will disturb salmon. This area is for walking only. Bicycles, horses and motorized vehicles will damage the trail. Please leave them in the parking area. Leave dogs at home or in the car. They frighten spawning salmon. BEWARE: Eating dead salmon can kill your dog! Chum salmon fishing is not allowed here. This area is a preserve for healthy, wild salmon runs.

5 Site #1: Kiosk Themes Trail Etiquette (see handout) Orientation to the trail Native American history of the trail area Chum salmon life cycle Background information Orientation to the trail: The trail is located on 5 acres owned by the Taylor Family (Taylor Shellfish). In 1998, they signed a 20-year lease with the Kennedy Creek Management Committee and the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group (SPSSEG) to develop an interpretive trail for public use. The Simpson Timber Company and Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) own most of the land upstream in the Kennedy Creek Watershed. Native American background From interpretive sign: Many years ago, another trail passed this way. It began nearby in the Sawamish/T Peeksin village, which stood near the mouth of Kennedy Creek. The villagers, ancestors of today s Squaxin Island Tribe, called the creek the Place of Singing Fish for the many frogs that sang there on spring nights. They used the old trail to hunt, pick berries, and collect basket-making materials. The trail led to nearby Summit Lake, and was a part of a network of trails connecting to other villages on southern Puget Sound and the Pacific Coast. Salmon were one of the most important foods for this village and other Puget Sound tribes, as millions of fish returned each year to northwest streams. In The Place of Singing Fish, chum were the main salmon run, just as they are today. The Sawamish/T Peeksin people built rock weirs at the mouth of the creek to catch the fish, which they preserved by smoking. The abundant oil in the chum was also used as a lubricant to help slide large logs used to build canoes and houses. Each village celebrated the arrival of annual salmon runs in their own way. The Sawamish/T Peeksin villagers viewed the salmon as kin. Today s Squaxin Island Tribe continues the traditions of the ancestors each year during the First Salmon Ceremony.

6 Chum salmon life cycle This is the life of a Kennedy Creek chum salmon, the most common species in the creek. In Kennedy Creek In the estuary In the ocean Late October Adults return to Kennedy Creek. November and early December During spawning, females create depressions in the gravel, deposit eggs as males fertilize them, then cover the eggs with gravel eggs from 1 female Adults die 5-10 days after spawning. Carcasses provide food for animals, insects and juvenile fish. December and January Eggs incubate in gravel. Clean water flowing through gravel enriches eggs with oxygen and carries away wastes. January and February Eggs hatch into alevins with an attached yolk sac. Alevins wiggle away from each other, going deeper into the darkness of the gravel. March and April When the yolk is absorbed, fry swim up and out of the gravel. Aquatic insects and birds feed on eggs and alevins fry emerge from 1 female Schools of chum fry move downstream right after they emerge from the gravel. In a week or two they reach the saltwater estuary at the mouth of the creek. April Smolts stay in the estuary for a few weeks, adapting to saltwater. They hide among the aquatic plants growing near the low tide line, eating abundant tiny plankton smolts from 1 female survive to begin migration Late spring Smolts migrate through Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean. For food and protection, they follow nearshore eelgrass beds and rest in other estuaries. They migrate farther from shore as they grow. In the North Pacific Ocean, maturing chum follow ocean currents and feed on small fish and invertebrates for 3-4 years adults from 1 female survive to begin migration Mature chum swim thousands of miles to return to south Puget Sound. Fall rains bring the unique scent of Kennedy Creek s vegetation and sediments to help guide them home. 2 4 adults from 1 female survive the fishery and spawn

7 Site #2: Fiscus Creek ~ Theme Salmon carcasses Background information Chum salmon die after spawning. Their bodies, or carcasses, drift downstream until stopped by a branch, logjam or shallow water. Full of nutrients brought back from life in the ocean, the carcasses provide food for many animals. Birds tear at the flesh; raccoons, bears and other large mammals drag the carcasses to the stream banks to eat. Tiny mice & shrews nibble on the remains. Young fish and aquatic insects feed on small bits of salmon flesh remaining in the stream. When finished with their fishy meals, animals and birds wander away and leave their droppings on the forest floor. The droppings decompose, releasing the nutrients carbon, nitrogen & phosphorus that are absorbed by the roots of trees and plants. Streams carry sediment, nutrients from the soil, and fallen trees to the ocean. Tiny young salmon follow this flow. They return much larger and stronger. When they die, their bodies replenish the watershed where they hatched. In the Fall of 1996, a record run of approximately 85,000 salmon entered the creek, which translates into about 850,000 pounds of dead fish nearly 425 tons of nutrients!

8 Site #3: Themes Salmon spawning behaviors (best ADA accessible site for watching) Riparian Zone Background Information Spawning behaviors Nosing. The female noses the stream bottom, as she is searching for a place to deposit her eggs, with clean gravel and ample water flow. Excavation. To dig a depression, or pocket, for the eggs, the female turns on her side and flexes her body vigorously over the gravel. This action creates a suction that lifts the gravel into the current. Altogether, the female will dig several pockets in one area. This group of egg pockets is called a redd. Aggression. Males and females bite and chase each other as they compete for spawning opportunities. Courting. While the female digs, the male courts her by quivering, or vibrating his body slightly as he swims alongside her, and crossing-over, in which he swims from side to side over her back. Gamete release. The female lowers herself into the egg pocket. The dominant male pulls alongside the female. Both fish open their mouths wide. From a small opening near the tail, they release their gametes (eggs and sperm) into the egg pocket. Less dominant satellite males may rush in at the last minute to fertilize some of the eggs. The eggs sink into the pocket and are covered with gravel as the female excavates another egg pocket just upstream. Guarding. After egg deposition is complete, females hold position over the redd for several days until they die. They may chase other females who try to spawn over their redd. The male usually moves on, in search of other females, until he also dies. Carcasses. Salmon carcasses become food for animals, insects, and young fish. What is the riparian zone? Near the stream, water spreads underground along the watercourse and high flows fill wetlands and low spots. This moist streamside area is called the riparian zone. A dense growth of trees and shrubs flourishes here. Shade from riparian vegetation keeps the stream cool for salmon. Roots stabilize the stream bank. Some of the trees fall into the stream, forming pools where fish feed, rest, and hide from predators.

9 Site #4: Themes Salmon & stream channels Large woody debris (log jams) Background information Salmon and stream channels Salmon need variety. They rest in slow-moving pools during upstream migrations. They spawn in swift, oxygen-rich riffles. When stream flows are high, salmon move out of the main current to slower water in side channels and along stream banks. High water flows create variety in the stream channel. The stream surges over gravel bars and cuts into banks, sweeping gravel and sediment into the flow. Water spreads into the floodplain and side channels. When the flow subsides, fine sediment will settle in the floodplain and in pools, instead of clogging the gravel in riffles where salmon eggs incubate. New gravel deposits will be used by next year s spawning salmon. Large woody debris Fallen trees and large branches become large woody debris (LWD) when they collect in logjams or lodge against the stream bank. Obstructions formed by woody debris slow the stream, so that the current doesn t scour the streambed and wash away salmon eggs. Note the biodiversity of trees here; they vary in size and age providing many benefits to many other species of life. Due to their proximity to the creek, chances are several will become LWD when they fall or blow over from a high wind.

10 Bridge over Fiscus Creek Look for spawning salmon (depending on timing and water level in the stream) and salmon carcasses. Site #5: Fiscus Creek overlook Themes Tributary streams Watersheds Erosion Background information Tributaries This stream is a tributary of Kennedy Creek. It flows into Kennedy Creek a short distance from here, contributing its clean, cool, nutrient-rich water. Tributary streams carry fallen leaves and small particles of decomposed leaves too. These become food for tiny aquatic insects, which in turn, are food for fish and several kinds of birds. Watersheds The hills, valleys and streams that shed water to Kennedy Creek make up the creek s watershed. Because the flow of water unites all the streams in the watershed, even the smallest stream is important to salmon. Erosion Prior to this area becoming an interpretive trail, it was used by dirt bike enthusiasts. Notice the revegetation project that has taken place here to help heal the erosion that was caused by the dirt bike trail.

11 Site #6: Forest overlook Themes: Forests and the water cycle Nurse logs and stumps Background information Forests and the water cycle When rain falls on the forest, millions of drops accumulate on tree branches. Almost half of the drops evaporate. The rest drip to the ground. Trees and plants take up what they need, and slow the flow of water over the forest floor. Some water sinks into the soil and is stored as groundwater. In this way, forest and soils throughout the watershed intercept and store rain. This reduces flooding in the stream, and helps keeps salmon eggs from being washed away. In the dry months of summer, stored groundwater is released to the stream, providing plentiful flows for fish and thirsty forest animals. Nurse logs and stumps Fallen trees and old stumps play an important role in the forest ecosystem: they become the nurse logs that serve as nurses to the new plants. As a nurse log or stump decomposes, it slowly releases its nutrients to small trees and shrubs that grow on or next to the log. The nutrients the old tree had taken from the ecosystem are then returned back to the forest (recycling of nutrients). The old rotting wood also acts like a sponge in providing a consistent supply of water to the new vegetation. This gives the new vegetation a leg up in competing with other plants in the area.

12 Site #7 Theme Change creates new habitat Contrast between riparian zone and upland forest Background information Change creates new habitat In front of you is an old stream channel, where Kennedy Creek once flowed. During a flood event the stream carved its present channel a hundred feet away. Today a few small ponds and this old stream bank are the only clues that salmon once migrated past this spot. Plants and shrubs have sprouted in the former stream channel. Across the old channel, shrubs and trees flourish in the low-lying floodplain. This area provides shelter to many different animal species: salamanders, frogs, birds, bats, martens, river otter, mink, raccoon and many species of birds. Contrast between riparian zone and upland forest Near the stream, water spreads underground along the watercourse and high flows fill wetlands and low spots. This moist streamside area is called the riparian area. A dense growth of trees and shrubs flourishes here. Shade from the riparian area keeps the stream cool for salmon. Their roots stabilize the stream bank. This riparian vegetation thrives in moist soils and often survives flooding or occasional standing water. Notice the alder trees. They are a colonizer in the process of succession in the riparian zone. Compare the differences in plant species in this zone and the upland forest behind you.

13 Sites #8 & #9: Getting to Know Chum These two sites are located at the stream s edge. Please approach the stream quietly and slowly. Sudden movements, loud noises and rock throwing will disturb the salmon. Please do not go past Site #9 onto the streambed. Themes Characteristics of Chum Salmon Chum/Salmon Spawning Behavior Background information Characteristics of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) Male: Purplish-red vertical streaks and bars Hooked mouth Teeth larger than female Hump on back Usually larger than female Female: Less colorful than male Dark horizontal band Teeth smaller than male Body usually smaller than male After spawning, the tail is often white from digging. Male in mimicry: Satellite males mimic females so that dominant males won t chase them away. They develop a female-like dark horizontal band, and the vertical reddish streaks and bars are subdued. Spawning behaviors Nosing. The female noses the stream bottom, as she is searching for a place to deposit her eggs, with clean gravel and ample water flow. Excavation. To dig a depression, or pocket, for the eggs, the female turns on her side and flexes her body vigorously over the gravel. This action creates a suction that lifts the gravel into the current. Altogether, the female will dig several pockets in one area. This group of egg pockets is called a redd. Aggression. Males and females bite and chase each other as they compete for spawning opportunities.

14 Courting. While the female digs, the male courts her by quivering, or vibrating his body slightly as he swims alongside her, and crossing-over, in which he swims from side to side over her back. Gamete release. The female lowers herself into the egg pocket. The dominant male pulls alongside the female. Both fish open their mouths wide. From a small opening near the tail, they release their gametes (eggs and sperm) into the egg pocket. Less dominant satellite males may rush in at the last minute to fertilize some of the eggs. The eggs sink into the pocket and are covered with gravel as the female excavates another egg pocket just upstream. Guarding. After egg deposition is complete, females hold position over the redd for several days until they die. They may chase other females who try to spawn over their redd. The male usually moves on, in search of other females, until he also dies. Carcasses. Salmon carcasses become food for animals, insects, and young fish.

15 Site #10: FORESTRY Themes Salmon spawning habitat is often located in areas with multiple uses. Considering impacts of natural resource use. Background information Much of the Kennedy Creek watershed is managed for timber harvest. In order to protect water quality and the opportunity for salmon to reproduce, a special effort is made to consider how resources are used in these areas. State Forest Practices Rules help landowners minimize impacts on water quality and fish and wildlife habitat when harvesting timber. Both small acreage landowners and large companies work with resource specialists from the Washington Department of Natural Resources to plan each timber harvest. Protections provided by forest practices rules: No-harvest buffers next to streams and wetlands reduce erosion, keep water cool and provide better fish and wildlife habitat. Improved road and culvert systems prevent sediment from entering streams and provide passage for fish. Timber harvest is limited on unstable slopes. Some trees are left in clear-cut areas to enhance wildlife habitat.

16 Site #11: Culverts Themes Well-designed culverts allow salmon to travel beneath roads and to continue upstream to spawn. The relationship between human and wildlife needs. Background information In wet places like the Pacific Northwest, roads often cross streams. Adult salmon swim through culverts underneath roads while traveling upstream to spawn. Juvenile salmon use culverts while migrating within the stream and down to the ocean. Some older culverts block salmon migration. This culvert was replaced in the 1990 s. It allows adult salmon to reach spawning habitat further up Fiscus Creek better than the previous culvert. Problem culverts block about 4,500 river miles of historic salmon habitat in Washington. Replacing these culverts is an important tool for restoring wild salmon runs.

17 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum Kennedy Creek Chum Salmon Lifecycle Subject Materials Setting/Duration Science pencil & worksheet Classroom / 1 hour Objectives The student will (1) learn the stages of the salmon lifecycle, (2) be able to correctly label the lifecycle chart to include the habitat needs of salmon at each stage, and (3) identify negative and positive human impacts at each stage. Activity 1. Begin your activity by reviewing the salmon lifecycle as described in the Background section. Ask the students to take notes. Refer to the illustrations in the following pages. 2. After reviewing the salmon lifecycle, ask students to complete the Kennedy Creek Chum Salmon Lifecycle chart. They can do so independently or in groups. Discuss the results as a group, possibly completing a large version of the chart on the chalk board. 3. Consider demonstrating the salmon lifecycle by drawing on the chalkboard, using puppets, acting out plays or making dioramas. 4. This activity works well paired with the Trees to Seas game activity. Wrap Up Activity 1. As a class, discuss answers to the What can we do? section from the Lifecycle activity. What suggestions for realistic activities do your students have? Following are some additional ideas for projects: Paint storm drains with Drains directly to Stream signage. (This will increase public awareness that rainwater flowing untreated into storm drains flows directly into creeks and streams. It will encourage people to be thoughtful about what they allow to enter storm drains). Collaborate with a salmon recovery or conservation group on a project. (Contact South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, or Mason Conservation District). Build bird nesting boxes or worm composting bins. (This will enhance wildlife habitat and/or create a valuable compost to add to the soil rather than more trash. Plans for both are available from the Mason Conservation District) Create a brochure on protecting streams for students to share with their neighbors. (Educate neighbors to create a stewardship community ). 2. As a class, read and sign the salmon pledge included with this activity. Post these pledges somewhere visible to remind students of their commitment! Follow up to see who actually completes a pledge task. Page 1 of 6

18 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum Background In Kennedy Creek In the estuary In the ocean Late October Adults return to Kennedy Creek November and early December During Spawning, females create depressions in the gravel; deposit eggs as males fertilize them, then cover the eggs with gravel. 3,000-4,000 eggs from 1 female. Adults die 5-10 days after spawning. Carcasses provide food for animals, insects and juvenile fish. December and January Eggs incubate in gravel. Clean water flowing through gravel enriches eggs with oxygen and carries away wastes. January and February Eggs hatch into alevins with an attached yolk sac. Alevins wiggle away from each other, going deeper into the darkness of the gravel. March and April When the yolk is absorbed, fry swim up and out of the gravel. Aquatic insects and birds feed on eggs and alevins fry emerge from 1 female. Schools of chum fry move downstream right after they emerge from the gravel. In a week or two they reach the saltwater estuary at the mouth of the creek. April Smolts stay hidden in the estuary for a few weeks, adapting to saltwater and feeding. They hide among the aquatic plants growing near the low tide line, eating abundant tiny plankton smolts from 1 female survive to begin another migration. Late Spring Smolts migrate through Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean. For food and protection, they follow nearshore eelgrass beds and rest in other estuaries. They migrate farther from shore as they grow. In the north Pacific Ocean, maturing chum follow ocean currents and feed on small fish and invertebrates for 3-4 years adults from 1 female survive to begin migration. Mature chum swim thousands of miles to return to south Puget Sound. Fall rains bring the unique scent of Kennedy Creek s vegetation and sediments to help guide them home. 2-4 adults from 1 female survive the fishery and spawn. Page 2 of 6

19 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum KENNEDY CREEK SALMON PLEDGE I Pledge to Protect Salmon and Water Quality by: A Planting a native bush or tree. A Picking up my pet s waste and putting it in the garbage can. A Watering the lawn less than once a week in the summer. A Washing the car at a car wash or on the lawn. (NOT on the pavement where soapy water drains to the storm drain) A Volunteering with a community group that protects salmon. A Other idea: Name: Grade: Teacher: School: Signature: KENNEDY CREEK SALMON PLEDGE I Pledge to Protect Salmon and Water Quality by: A Planting a native bush or tree. A Picking up my pet s waste and putting it in the garbage can. A Watering the lawn less than once a week in the summer. A Washing the car at a car wash or on the lawn. (NOT on the pavement where soapy water drains to the storm drain) A Volunteering with a community group that protects salmon. A Other idea: Name: Grade: Teacher: School: Signature: Page 3 of 6

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22 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum EALR Information Kennedy Creek Chum Salmon Lifecycle Component Benchmark Assessment 1.1 Communication Pay attention while others are Students will listen and take Focus attention. talking. notes on a lecture about the 1.1 Science Identify, describe, and categorize living things based on their physical characteristics. 1.5 Science Understand that interactions within systems cause changes in matter. 4.1 Science Use listening and observing to obtain scientific information. Identify physical characteristics that are used to classify living organisms. Recognize the salmon lifecycle as a cyclic event. Obtain scientific information by listening to a lecture. salmon lifecycle. Students will complete the Salmon Lifecycle Chart. Students will complete the Salmon Lifecycle Chart. Students listen and take notes on a lecture about the salmon lifecycle. This activity was produced with funding from the Puget Sound Action Team Page 6 of 6

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25 The following diagrams were created by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and are available online at Development of the Chum Salmon Embryo from Early Stages Through the Alevin Stage (From Bakkala ) Chum salmon embryo after 45 days of development. Chum salmon embryo after 50 days of development. Chum salmon embryo at 11 mm. stage, after 64 days of development. Chum salmon alevin at hatching: length 20.5 mm.; 122 days of development. Chum salmon alevin at 27 mm, stage, 18 to 22 days after hatching. Chum salmon alevin at 31.3 mm. stage, 44 days after hatching. 1 Bakkala, R.G Synopsis of biological data on the chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum) FAO Fish. Synop. 41, U.S. Fish. Wildl. Serv. Circ. 315, 89 p.

26 Chum Salmon Juvenile Stages During the First Year in Salt Water (From Phillips ) Drawings are not to exact scale. Chum fry (30-35 mm total length). At this stage, fry emigrate from freshwater to estuaries. Chum smolt/ fingerling (~65 mm total length). After approximately days feeding in nearshore areas, the chum fingerling move into deeper, offshore waters. Chum smolt/fingerling (~95 mm total length). At this size, most juvenile chum will have migrated to the open ocean. Chum juvenile ( mm total length). From 3 months to the end of the first year in salt water, juvenile chum are silvery and have lost their parr marks. This color pattern will remain until the development of spawning colors as a mature adult. 1 Phillips, A. C Key field characters of use in identifying young marine Pacific salmon. Fish. Mar. Serv. Tech. Rep. 746: 13 p.

27 Chum Salmon Adult Stages Ocean bright chum salmon. Sexes can be difficult to distinguish at this stage. Adult chum size ranges from 17 to 38 inches and average weight 9 to 11 pounds. Female (top) and male (bottom) chum salmon in spawning condition. Ocean bright chum: The Life Cycle of Pacific Salmon. Canadian Fisheries and Oceans. 8 p. Chum spawner pair: Emmett, R. L., S. L. Stone, S. A. Hinton, and M. E. Monaco Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in west coast estuaries, Volume II: species life history summaries. ELMR Rep. No. 8. NOAA/NOS Strategic Environ. Assessments Div., Rockville, Md. 329 p.

28 Assumed Migration Route of North American Fall Chum Salmon

29 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum Subject Geography, Science What is Kennedy Creek Watershed? Objectives The student will (1) be able to define and explain what a watershed is, (2) label the watershed diagram with the appropriate natural features, and (3) identify human land uses in watershed and add these to the illustration. Materials Art supplies Setting/Duration Classroom / 1-2 hours Background A watershed is the land drained by a system of connected rivers, streams, and tributaries. The land surrounding Puget Sound is a large watershed. The Kennedy Creek basin is a smaller watershed within the Puget Sound Watershed. A watershed can include rivers, streams, and tributaries, but it also includes all the mountains, hills, forests, wetlands, farms, houses, and other natural or manmade things within its boundaries. All of this land drains towards the same place in this case, Kennedy Creek, and eventually, Totten Inlet. Activity 1. When introducing watersheds to your students, ask them if they know which direction water flows. When they say down, explain that this is the most important thing to remember when studying watersheds. Water runs downhill. The What is Kennedy Creek watershed? worksheet gives the definition of a watershed for the students. 2. Using the Sample Watershed illustration, ask the students to color in and label the two distinct watersheds on the Sample Watershed. Ask them to select one color for one watershed and a different color for the other watershed. This will clarify where the boundaries of each watershed lie. Label the watersheds using the words listed at the bottom of the Sample Watershed page. 3. The attached maps of Kennedy Creek Watershed illustrate the watershed where the Salmon Trail is located. Select a map to duplicate for the students you can choose from two topographic maps, a water resources map, and a land use map. The extra maps can be used as appropriate to enhance your activities. Duplicate the Map of Puget Sound for your students as well. 4. Ask the students to compare the watershed map you selected with a regular map of Mason County. Ask them to locate and label the natural features listed on the worksheet, What is Kennedy Creek Watershed? Discuss the role of the various natural features. Page 1 of 5

30 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum 5. After labeling the natural features, discuss the human land uses that affect the Kennedy Creek Watershed. Ask them to label their watershed illustration with the human features listed on the What is Kennedy Creek Watershed? worksheet. Encourage students to consider and illustrate additional human land uses as well. 6. Look at the maps of the Puget Sound and the Ocean migration Route. On the Map of Puget Sound, ask the students to locate Totten Inlet and the Pacific Ocean. Add in any features that you feel are important. Ask the students to draw a migration path Kennedy Creek Chum Salmon might take through the Puget Sound to get to the Pacific Ocean. Discuss what possible obstacles the salmon might encounter on this path. 7. Wrap-up Activity: ask the students to write a paragraph on the importance of watersheds. Have them include three ways in which human land use decisions affect a watershed. As an alternative, give them a scenario to describe: imagine a large housing area is built between Summit Lake and the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail. What might the positive and negative impacts be for salmon? For humans? EALR Information What is Kennedy Creek Watershed? Component Benchmark Assessment 1.2 Geography Recognize spatial patterns in the earth s surface and understand the processes that create them. Locate major physical features on the map. 2.2 Geography Describe the patterns that humans make on places and regions. 3.1 Geography Identify and examine people s interaction with and impact on the environment. 1.5 Science Understand that interactions among and within systems cause changes in those systems. Observe and describe the human characteristics of the local area. Identify different ways that people use the environment. Explain a watershed and the components that describe it. Students will work independently to complete the worksheet with physical features of a watershed Students will orally communicate human impacts on the watershed. Students will draw human impacts on the watershed illustration. Students will work independently to write about watersheds and human impacts on them. This activity was produced with funding from the Puget Sound Action Team Page 2 of 5

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33 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum What is Kennedy Creek Watershed? A watershed is the land drained by a system of connected rivers, streams, and tributaries. The land surrounding Puget Sound is a large watershed. The Kennedy Creek basin is a smaller watershed within the Puget Sound Watershed. A watershed can include rivers, streams, and tributaries, but it also includes all the mountains, hills, forests, wetlands, farms, houses, and other natural or manmade things within its boundaries. All of this land drains towards the same place in this case, Kennedy Creek, and eventually, Totten Inlet. Natural Features Totten Inlet Stream (Kennedy Creek) Tributary (Fiscus Creek) Stream (Schneider Creek) Lake (Summit Lake) Salt marsh / Estuary (Oyster Bay) Waterfall (Kennedy Falls) Basin (the land/water between 2 ridges) Ridges Mountains Hills Soil Forest Wetland Human Features Highway 101 Highway 8 Old Olympic Highway West Gravel road to the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Oyster beds Culverts Tribal fishing areas Houses Cars Farms Boats Timber areas What else can you add? Page 5 of 5

34 Kennedy Creek Watershed O _ # Miles 40' Contours

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36 Kennedy Creek Watershed _ O # Miles

37 Map of Puget Sound Seattle Tacoma Olympia This map is modified from DeLacy, Miller and Borton s Checklist of Puget Sound Fishes, Seattle Division of Marine Resources, University of Washington, 1972.

38 Bellingham Map of Puget Sound Teacher Key Everett Seattle Hood Canal Bremerton Oakland Bay Totten Inlet Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Eld Inlet Olympia Tacoma This map is modified from DeLacy, Miller and Borton s Checklist of Puget Sound Fishes, Seattle Division of Marine Resources, University of Washington, 1972.

39 Teacher Guide for the Scavenger Hunt at Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Below you will find clues for the Scavenger Hunt. The stations listed below indicate which answers can be found at which station. Some questions are a matter of observation, while others have specific answers. For those questions that have specific answers, they are also listed below. Some of the activities ask students to describe sensory observations using sight, sound, and smell. Use this data for activities when you return to the classroom, such as writing poetry, metaphors, or short stories about student experiences at Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail. Station 1 This is the place to learn about the people of the water on the signs. The People of the Water were the maritime people who originally lived along the shores of the south Puget Sound, including the Squaxin Island Tribe. They used a wooden trap to catch salmon, a large example of which is located at this station. Station 2 Here students can find out about other creatures that live at Kennedy Creek. Read the signage with them. Creatures include bears, raccoons, birds (gulls, kingfishers, sparrows, etc), amphibians (frogs and salamanders), insects, river otters... Station 3 general observations Station 4 general observations Bridge Overlook This is a great place to look for spawning behavior and examples of male and female chum. Station 5 This is the place for students to learn about tributaries. A tributary is a small stream that flows into a larger stream or river. At the Salmon Trail, Fiscus Creek is the tributary that joins Kennedy Creek. Station 6 Here students learn about the relationship between salmon and woody debris. Read the signage with them. Trees absorb and slow down the flow of rainwater. They fall into streams and slow the stream flow down, providing places for fish to rest and hide. They drop nutrients into the water, provide cooling shared, and filter pollution coming from stormwater runoff. Station 7 general observations Stations 8 & 9 These are two great stations for observing salmon spawning behavior and examples of male and female chum. Station 10 general observations Station 11 general observations

40 Scavenger Hunt at Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Draw a picture of the leaf of a native shrub or tree. Can you identify it? Collect Sounds: Close your eyes and listen. List the sounds you hear. Find a female chum salmon. Describe or draw what she is doing: Collect Colors: Open your eyes. Write down the colors you see. Find a male chum salmon. Describe how he looks physically different than a female chum: Collect Odors: Stop and close your eyes. Inhale deeply. Describe the odors that you smell: List or draw creatures other than salmon that might find a home at Kennedy Creek: Photos from Inland Fishes of Washington by Whitney and Wydoski, copyright 1979 University of Washington Press. Reprinted by permission of the University of Washington Press.

41 Scavenger Hunt at Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Who are the People of the Water? Draw a picture or describe a fishing tool they used: How many salmon carcasses can you count at this station? Write three adjectives (descriptive words) about the carcasses. For example, gray, old, battered... Can you see or hear any birds near the creek? Where? What are they doing? Can you tell what kind of bird it is? Collect Verbs: write a list of action words (verbs) to describe what the salmon are doing. For example, splash, bite, dig What is a tributary? What is the name of the tributary that joins Kennedy Creek near this station? How do trees and plants help salmon?

42 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum Check off the spawning behavior that you observe at Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail! C Male Chum Salmon C Excavation Digs C Male Aggression C Crossover C Gamete Release C Female Chum Salmon

43 Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail Curriculum Observe Salmon & Their Spawning Behavior Male Chum Characteristics A hump on his back A hooked snout, or kype Large teeth Vertical bars Excavation Digs A female chum salmon uses her tail to dig, or excavate, a nest for her eggs. The nest is called a redd and can hold thousands of eggs! Male Aggression Male salmon defend females from other competing males. You can see bite marks, torn fins, and other scars from aggressive behavior on male chum salmon. Crossover A male salmon crosses back and forth over the female s back as she digs a nest. He is defending her as until they can spawn. Gamete Release The female salmon releases her eggs and the male releases his milt. Both salmon open their mouths, or gape, during gamete release. Female Chum Characteristics No hump on her back Horizontal stripe of color Smaller size

44 name The Great Estuary Sign Challenge Your mission is to learn as much as you can at the Kennedy Creek/Oyster Bay estuary! The title of each sign is in bold letters, followed by the questions for that specific sign. You MUST answer every question. Short answers are fine, you do not need to write in complete sentences. (U.P.Q. NOT required.) Put this paper in your Kennedy Creek folder and give it to your teacher at the end of the day. For accomplishing this task, you will earn the respect and admiration of your teachers as well as a good grade on this science assignment. People and the Estuary 1. Which Native American tribe lived near this estuary? 2. When did settlers arrive to this area? 3. Why is it important to protect this salt marsh in the present time? The Estuary is a Refuge For Shorebirds 1. Explain what shorebirds use the mudflats for. 2. List at least 3 predator species that live in this area. 3. List at least 3 prey species that live in this area.

45 The Estuary is a Gateway For Salmon 1. Explain how adult salmon use the estuary when they are returning to Kennedy Creek to spawn. 2. Explain how juvenile salmon (smolts) use the estuary before heading out to sea. Some Like it High. Some Like it Low 1. Explain why high tide in an estuary is important. 2. Explain why low tide in an estuary is important.