1320 A St NE
Salem, OR 97301
USA
The Willamette River and its tributaries are teaming with a myriad of native fishes. While many people know about iconic fish species like salmon, steelhead, and rainbow trout, few are familiar with the redside shiner, dace, northern pikeminnow, or sculpin. While sometimes referred to as “trash fish”, these fish play a vital role in the stream ecology of the Willamette River Basin. The presentation by Karen Hans of ODFW will cover the 25 species of native Little Brown Fishes that live in the Willamette Valley. Topic will include the basic ecology of these fish, the challenges they face from habitat changes and introduced fish species such as bass, bluegill, and gambusia, and what people can do to make rivers and streams better for these native fishes. The Saturday morning field trip will be to Waln Creek in SE Salem, the site of an active restoration project. We will tour the creek, talk about the restoration project, and attempt to capture some fish with seine nets. The class is held at the Straub Environmental Learning Center (1320 A. St. NE) from 7:00-8:30 p.m. with a field trip to be arranged for the following Saturday. Cost for the class is $5 and cost for the field trip is $10. For more information go online to salemee.org or contact Jon Yoder at joyoder@wildblue.net