World Salmon Council

As we look back on this year, we’re grateful for every student who stepped into a river, every moment of wonder sparked by wild salmon, and every supporter who made it possible 💙
Because of you, kids from underserved communities experienced the outdoors in powerful, hands-on ways, building connection to salmon, clean water, and the environment we all share.
As we head into the final days of the year, all donations are being matched, doubling your impact for kids, rivers, and wild salmon. If you’ve been thinking about giving, now is the time to do it.
✨ Give before the year ends and make your support go twice as far.
🔗 Link in Bio

This Giving Tuesday: Make TWICE the impact for the next generation of environmental stewards. 🌲🐟
EVERY dollar given today is matched 100%.
Your support gives kids hands-on learning in salmon habitats, experience in ecosystem science, and the joy of being outdoors.
You’re also helping more students from underserved communities experience the rivers, salmon, and wild places that shape our region.
Double your impact for kids, for salmon, for the environment we all share.

This year, thousands of kids traded screens for streams — and discovered what it means to be caretakers of their environment. 🐟💧

Through Salmon Watch, they waded in streams, tested water quality, and watched wild salmon fight their way home. They learned how salmon connect forests, rivers, and communities — and why protecting them means protecting all of us.

Big love to our amazing volunteers, teachers, and partners who make these moments happen. You’re helping raise the next generation of salmon stewards — curious, confident, and ready to care for the world around them. 💚

What’s a Redd? The Salmon’s Nest with a Purpose 🐟

When it comes to the incredible journey of Pacific salmon, most people think about their upstream swim to spawn. But fewer know about the final act of this journey: the creation of a redd.

What is a redd?
A redd is a shallow nest that a female salmon digs in the gravel of a river or stream bed. Using powerful strokes of her tail, she displaces fine sediment and digs a small depression. This clean, oxygen-rich gravel is the perfect spot for laying her eggs.

Why is it important?
Once she lays her eggs, the female covers them with more gravel for protection. These redds serve as incubators for the next generation of salmon, keeping the eggs safe from predators and strong currents. A single female may lay thousands of eggs and may dig multiple redds in one area.

Signs of a redd:
Clean, light-colored gravel (compared to the darker surrounding riverbed)
A pit or mound shape near shallow water
Often found in clusters during spawning season

What can we do?
Redds are fragile! When walking near rivers in the fall and early winter, stay out of the streambed and avoid disturbing gravel bars. Even stepping near a redd can crush the eggs beneath the surface.

Boots on, nets ready — it’s Salmon Watch season once again! Every day in October and November, we’re out by the rivers with 4th–12th grade students experience salmon and the wild ecosystems that make the Pacific Northwest forest the perfect place for these crucial creatures. 🐟
A huge thank you to our incredible volunteers — you make this season possible! 💚