Lead educational hatchery tours for schools visiting the hatchery in the Fall and manage community outreach events for Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH).
Fall is the busiest time of year for the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery! Chinook salmon begin to arrive in the Issaquah Creek in late August and early September and they continue to arrive along with coho salmon until mid-November. The salmon are returning to their birthplace to spawn and complete their incredible life cycles! During spawning season, FISH leads an average of 9,000 visitors on educational tours throughout the hatchery grounds. In early October, the hatchery will be a focal point of Issaquah's Salmon Days, celebrating the annual return of the salmon to Issaquah Creek.
FISH docents are needed for our fall tour season. Volunteers are needed for the following tasks:
- Weekday school tours
- Weekend fall tours
- Assisting Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff with egg collection and fertilization
- Attend outreach events
*Volunteers are able to help out in whatever positions interest them. FISH has opportunities to meet all schedules and passions! TO GET STARTED: email volunteer@issaquahfish.org
About Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH)
The Issaquah hatchery is the most visited of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s hatcheries, with thousands of visitors every year. As the region grapples with change to the natural environment, Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) highlights the presence of salmon in Issaquah Creek to cultivate a sense of wonder about these remarkable fish.
We strive to tell the story of salmon here in such a way that fosters a natural, life-long commitment to their well-being.
NEXT STEPS: We hold volunteer information nights the first Wednesday of every month from 6-7pm in the Watershed Center at the Hatchery. You can also email volunteer@issaquahfish.org for more information on send in an interest form from our website: www.issaquahfish.org/become-a-fish-volunteer.
REQUIREMENTS:
Volunteers must be at least 16 years old to volunteer, with parental consent. All volunteers must pass a background check. Tour guides must be able to stand/walk for an hour at a time - tours are approximately 45 minutes long and require the tour guide to walk around the hatchery. Hatchery grounds are ADA accessible. All volunteers must attend the volunteer orientation on September 7th, 2019.
