There are three different volunteer opportunities working with the salmon in Carkeek Park – Imprint Stewards in the winter and spring, Salmon Stewards in the fall and Salmon Survey volunteers also in the fall.

Salmon Imprint Stewards

Each winter and spring, 21 volunteers feed the Chum salmon fry held in the imprint pond, three times a day seven days a week. Imprint Stewards also educate visitors about salmon life cycles and water quality issues as well as other related topics. Each volunteer (or in some cases a group of volunteers) takes one shift a week. Early in the season, volunteers usually only spend 15-30 minutes per shift at the pond. Later in the season , when the fry are bigger and the number of park visitors increases, it is not unusual for Imprint Stewards to be present upwards of an hour per shift.

The Imprinting program and pond are managed by the Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project (CWCAP). To find out more about the pond and imprinting visit the CWCAP Imprinting website. If you wish to volunteer, check out the CWCAP volunteer page or email salmonprograms@carkeekwatershed.org.

Salmon Stewards

A decades-old community program maintained in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Parks & Recreation, the Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project, and the greater Seattle community. Salmon Stewards can be found along Piper’s Creek in Carkeek Park on Saturdays & Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., from early November to early December each fall during the salmon run. Their goal is to provide members of their community the wherewithal, motivation, and experience necessary to change their everyday behaviors in pursuit of healthy area salmon and salmon habitat. Each season, on the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, Salmon Stewards host the annual Piper’s Creek Salmon Celebration, also from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

You can follow the Carkeek Park Salmon Stewards on FaceBook.

Salmon Survey Volunteers

The Salmon Survey Volunteers are a group of citizen scientists that walk Pipers’ and Venema creeks every Saturday from late October through early December while the salmon are returning. The survey crew counts all of the live and dead salmon, identifying the species and sex of each. They measure and cut open the dead salmon to determine if they have successfully spawned. The crew is made up of four to ten volunteers that spend 3 to 6 or more hours, depending on the size of the crew, the number of salmon and the weather and creek conditions, in and along the creek.

The salmon spawning survey is conducted by the Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project (CWCAP). To find out more about the survey visit the CWCAP Survey website. If you wish to volunteer, check out the CWCAP volunteer page or email salmonprograms@carkeekwatershed.org.