LINCOLN-
Hundreds of people enjoyed the free, 5th Annual Salmon Celebration at McBean Park.The festivities were hosted by a non-profit group, Wildlife Heritage Foundation.
Children enjoyed free fishing lessons, face paint, balloon art, and salmon education.
Organizers hoped to educate people to be good stewards of the Auburn Ravine, and educate people about the current situation with the local salmon population.
The species is faced with low, warm water, and tough spawning conditions, mainly caused by the ongoing drought.
“It’s the difference between going to the park and going to your back yard,” President of Trout Unlimited Sac Sierra Chapter, Dan Brosier said. “The park has a lot of places to play, and places to cool off.”
Scientists said if the salmon don’t flourish, neither do we.
“Salmon are a keystone species, which means that the nutrients that they supply helps the entire ecosystem on Auburn Ravine,” wildlife biologist, Amber Parmenter said. “It helps the plants, it helps the animals. And without them, we, the humans, are going to suffer”.
The State has announced it will be installing $1 million emergency chillers to cool parts of the Sacramento River to help the local Chinook Salmon spawn. But there are also many other things we can do every day to help.
“Stopping pollution, picking up after yourself, and you wouldn’t believe that the gallon and a half of tank in your bathroom will have much effect on the stream behind you, but it does,” Brosier said.
