Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

Bowman Bay Discovery Day: Celebrating Restoration
2024-06-28 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Bowman Bay, 4402 Bowman Bay Rd, Anacortes, 98221, United States
Join us on Friday, June 28th for Bowman Bay Discovery Day! This brand new event is a partnership between Skagit Fisheries, the Skagit Marine Resources Committee, the Northwest Straits Foundation, the Salish Sea School, and the Salal Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society, funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and WA State Parks. From 10-1 we will enjoy a day packed with fun, from a beach seining demonstration to native plant ID activities. We hope to see you there!
Note: Discover Passes are required to park at Deception Pass State Park, and parking will be VERY limited so we recommend carpooling as much as possible!
RSVP here: https://nwstraitsfoundation.salsalabs.org/bbddjune28/index.html

Trivia Night at District Brewing
2024-07-10 18:15 - 20:00 | District Brewing, 520 Main Street, Mount Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
Join Skagit Fisheries, in partnership with District Brewing, for another trivia fundraiser!
Wednesday, July 10th, at 6:15pm Clay Christofferson (District’s usual trivia host) will be hosting trivia with $1 from each pint sold going to Skagit Fisheries to further our mission of restoring salmon for future generations.

Fall 2024 Education Volunteer Training
2024-09-19 09:00 - 15:00 | Sedro-Woolley Library, 110 W State St, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284, United States
Would you like to teach kids about salmon and watersheds? Join our volunteer training September 19, 9am-3pm to help with classroom lessons and field trips this this fall. You’ll learn about our Salmon in Schools and Kids in Creeks programs, and how to lead activities in and out of the classroom. This is a great opportunity for those looking for teaching experience, or just an opportunity to get outside and have fun!
We’ll start with an overview of our school-based education programs and then head to the creek to learn about field trip lessons and coordination.
Sign up to help with one or more classroom lessons or field trips through December.
Requirements:

Must have weekday availability between 8am and 3pm
Willing to be outside in inclement weather
Physically able to walk on uneven ground, possibly in streams
Able to carry up to 30 pounds
Pass a background check done by SFEG and with school districts

Register HERE!
*A second training will be held in early 2025 to train for spring field trips.

Skagit Fisheries Presents: The 2024 Wild and Scenic Film Festival
2024-10-10 18:00 - 21:00 | Lincoln Theater, 712 S 1st st., Mt Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
The Wild and Scenic Film Festival is returning to the Skagit for its second year in a row! Join us on October 10th, 2024 for a night of films and fun.
BUY TICKETS HERE!
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival returns to the Lincoln Theater!
The Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is excited to bring the Wild & Scenic Film Festival back to the Historic Lincoln Theater for one night only on Thursday, October 10th. This evening of short films will kick off with a reception starting at 6 pm, followed by the film showing at 7pm. Come early and join the fun!
The Film Festival will feature short films that will delight the senses, inform our minds and help us appreciate nature and the struggles to protect it. Films will be selected from a collection of over 100 films shown at the annual film festival held in Nevada City, CA. These films capture the spirit of varying environmental movements across the globe and the relationship that they have to humanity and that humanity has to them. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival works with environmental groups across the globe to host On Tour events as a way to outreach into different communities and bring together a diverse audience.
We are seeking SPONSORS for this event to help us bring it back bigger and better than ever! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please click here!
Thank you to our local sponsors: Herrera Environmental Consultants, Puget Sound Energy, Whatcom Educational Credit Union, Maul Foster & Alongi (Peak Sustainability Group), the Rotary Club of Burlington, Tito’s Vodka, Anthony’s, and the Skagit Watershed Council!

A Benefit for Skagit Fisheries
Skagit Fisheries is thrilled to be selected as a host organization for this amazing film event for the 7th year and hopes the Film Festival will inspire a greater connection with our own Wild and Scenic Skagit River, as well as providing an evening of engaging fun.
Skagit Fisheries is a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging the community in restoring wild salmon populations for future generations. Salmon habitat enhancement is accomplished through habitat restoration, monitoring, and a wide variety of community outreach and education programs. Skagit Fisheries offers free educational programs to over 1,500 students each year. These opportunities get students out of their classrooms and learning hands-on real science and watershed exploration which otherwise would not be available and affordable to local schools. Funds raised will go towards supporting these important education programs. They will also enable the program to continue to be offered free of charge to local schools.

Watch the trailer for the 2024 event HERE:
https://www.skagitfisheries.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Wild-and-Scenic-2024-Trailer_SOCIAL_1x1_122923.mp4

Make A Difference Day Planting Party
2024-10-26 09:00 - 12:00 | Carey’s Slough, 48°31'48.3"N 121°59'15.7"W, Sedro-Woolley, 98284, United States
Join us in celebrating Make A Difference Day by planting trees to enhance habitat for salmon and all the species that benefit from healthy salmon runs! RSVP HERE
WHEN: October 26th, 2024, 9am-noon
WHERE: Little Carey’s Wetland – The site doesn’t really have a proper address, so to find it, just enter 48°31’48.3″N 121°59’15.7″W into your navigation app/Google and it will direct you to a site off Walders Rd. Parking will be off Walders as well, and it will be a little bit of a walk from the parking site to the planting site. Follow posted signage for directions to our tent site!
Google map
We will provide gloves, tools, and light snacks. Dress for the weather, we recommend lots of layers and some boots you don’t mind getting dirty!

Planting Party at Skagit River South Fork
2024-11-16 09:00 - 12:00 | WA
Join SFEG and Skagit Land Trust to help restore habitat for salmon and many other species along the Skagit River on Saturday, November 16, 9am-noon
Please dress for the weather, and wear shoes that can get muddy.
All ages welcome! We’ll provide gloves, tools and hot drinks/snacks!
The site is located south of Mount Vernon along the Skagit River at the intersection of Stackpole and Dike Rd: Google map
Register HERE
Contact us at 360-336-0172 with questions!

Children's Museum Salmon Release
2024-12-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Northern State Recreation Area, 25625 Helmick Rd, Sedro-Woolley, 98284, United States
In February of 2024, we placed 200 coho eggs in the fish tank at the Children’s Museum of Skagit County. We released a good number of these babies into the wild throughout the year, leaving us with about a dozen coho fry left at the museum. Now these salmon babies are ready to venture out into the unknown, and we’re going to give them a proper sendoff to make way for a new round of eggs in the tank! On Monday, December 9th at noon, join Skagit Fisheries in releasing these fry into their natal watershed at Northern State Recreation Area, at 25625 Helmick Rd in Sedro-Woolley release a salmon, enjoy the park, and help us get ready for another great year of raising our salmon babies!

MLK Day Planting with the Skagit Land Trust
2025-01-20 10:00 - 13:00 | Day Creek Forest Conservation Area
Join us and the Skagit Land Trust in planting trees to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20th from 10-1pm!
Register HERE!

2025 Annual Meeting - Postponed
2025-02-06 17:30 - 20:00 | Sedro-Woolley Community Center, 703 Pacific St, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284, United States
Due to icy and snowy road conditions the annual meeting has been postponed, most likely to Thursday March 6. Stay tuned for updates!
Join us on February 6th, 2025 for our Annual Meeting! We will be celebrating habitat restoration wins of 2024 with a salmon barbecue. REGISTER HERE!
We are excited to host a silent auction that will benefit our intern program. Here you will be able to bid on items such as wine glasses etched by wildlife artist Jerry Raedeke, a rafting trip, sporting clay shooting for 4, and MORE!

Upper Day Slough Work Party (First out of 2 weekends)
2025-03-01 09:00 - 12:00 | Upper Day Slough, 32569 South Lyman Ferry Road, Sedro-Woolley, WA, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284, United States
Join us at our first of two plantings at Upper Day Slough on March 1st! From 9am-12pm, we’ll be planting native trees and shrubs to enhance riparian habitat at this site. RSVP here!

Riverfront Park Planting Party
2025-03-15 09:00 - 12:30 | Riverfront Park, 901 River Road, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284
Join us on March 15th 2025 at Riverfront Park where we will be planting native trees and shrubs to enhance riparian habitat! We planted over 1,000 trees at this site with volunteers last year, but there is still more work to do. Sign up here!

Potting Party at our Native Plant Nursery!
2025-03-22 09:00 - 12:00 | SFEG Native Plant Nursery, 21109 Kelleher Road, Burlington, WA, 98233, United States
We need help getting plants into pots where they can grow large enough to be used in future restoration projects! On March 22nd, we will be at our native plant nursery from 9am-12pm getting as many plants into pots as possible to prepare them for next year’s planting efforts. RSVP to join us!

Salmon Sightings: Cumberland Creek
2025-09-27 12:00 - 15:00 | 34183 South Skagit Highway
Join Skagit Fisheries and Skagit Land Trust at Cumberland Creek from Noon-3pm on Saturday, September 27 to see if we can spot some pink salmon! Staff from Skagit Fisheries and Skagit Land Trust will be on hand to answer questons about salmon, and the restoration work done on this SLT property. SLT staff will be offering guided walks of the site, and other activities.
No need to register, but check back in case of any weather-related changes or cancellations.
Parking is ex-stream-ly limited, so please carpool!
How to Get There
From the South Skagit Hwy Park & Ride in Sedro-Woolley off of Route 9, take the S. Skagit Hwy 12 miles east. Follow directions for address 34183 or using the Google map link below. Look for parking area in front of locked gate on the left side of the road. Boardwalk and Skagit Land Trust signs are just beyond gate. Park in front of the gate and walk in. A good place to meet for carpooling is the Park and Ride area at the west entrance to South Skagit Highway on Highway 9.
Click here for a Google Map link to Cumberland Creek Conservation Area.

For a self-guided tour of places to look for salmon this fall, check out our Salmon Sightings Site

2025 Spawner Survey Workshop October 4
2025-10-04 09:00 - 16:00 | Central Skagit Library, 110 W State St, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284
2025 Spawner Survey Workshop
Interested in becoming a Spawner Survey Volunteer this fall/winter or learning about what it takes?
Join our Spawner Survey Workshop to learn protocol for identifying and documenting spawning salmon at SFEG restoration sites. These data help SFEG measure project success, and track salmon recovery. Volunteers will need to be able to commit to walking their assigned stream reaches every week (7-10 days) from October – January.
Training Requirements

New Volunteers: Required to attend BOTH the Classroom portion (9-noon) and the field portion (1-4 pm)
Returning Volunteers: Required to attend the field portion (1-4 pm)

Timeline for Saturday, Oct 4.

9:00 am to 12:00 pm: Classroom Training

The classroom portion of the workshop will be held at Central Skagit Library (110 West State St, Sedro-Woolley, WA). Here we will provide introduction to the program, the protocol, and salmon identification. This portion of the training is only required for new volunteers, but all are encouraged to attend!

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm: Field Training

The second part/field portion will be held at Northern State Recreation Area (25625 Helmick Rd, Sedro-Woolley, WA) from 1-4 pm and is required for ALL volunteers – new and returning.

Registration
*Please keep in mind we are asking you to commit to walking your stream once every 7-10 days from mid October until late December/early January.*
Register HERE

Wild and Scenic Film Festival 2025
2025-10-09 18:00 - 21:00 | Lincoln Theater, 712 S 1st st., Mt Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
Join us on October 9th, 2025 for a night of films and fun as the Wild and Scenic Film Festival returns to the Skagit.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival returns to the Lincoln Theater!
The Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is excited to bring the Wild & Scenic Film Festival back to the Historic Lincoln Theater for one night only on Thursday, October 9th. We are looking forward to hosting a reception with live music by local artist Oli May beginning at 6pm, complete with a raffle and beer and wine service!
We are looking forward to hosting a LIVE RAFFLE with raffle items graciously donated by both local and national sponsors of our event.
The Film Festival will feature 8 short films that will delight the senses, inform our minds and help us appreciate nature and the struggles to protect it. Films were selected from a collection of over 100 films shown at the annual film festival held in Nevada City, CA. These films capture the spirit of varying environmental movements across the globe and the relationship that they have to humanity and that humanity has to them. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival works with environmental groups across the globe to host On Tour events as a way to outreach into different communities and bring together a diverse audience.
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS!

2025 Sponsors:
Puget Sound Energy
Skagit Watershed Council
Herrera Environmental Consulting
Whatcom Educational Credit Union (WECU)
Sierra Club of Washington State
Burlington Rotary Foundation
We are still seeking SPONSORS for this event to help us bring it back bigger and better than ever! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please click here!

Salmon Sightings: Clark Creek
2025-10-18 12:00 - 15:00 | Marblemount Hatchery, 8319 Fish Hatchery Ln, Marblemount, WA, 98267, United States
October 18 is Orca Recovery Day! Each year around this date Skagit Fisheries holds an event like tree planting or salmon viewing to continue to restore Skagit salmon and to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Southern Resident Killer Whales, who rely on Skagit salmon as a food source.

Join us from noon to 3pm on October 18th at Clark Creek in hopes of seeing spawning coho and Chinook salmon! We can’t make promises about seeing wild animals, but this is typically a good place to see spawners.
Participants at this event will receive a code for 2 free tickets to the Seattle Modern Orchestra’s performance of Among the Trees: Sonic Ecology in the Anthropocene
Visit the Orca Recovery Day website for more info and more ideas for action
No need to RSVP for this event, but check back here for any weather-related changes event updates.

For a self-guided tour of places to look for salmon this fall, check out our Salmon Sightings Site

Upper Day Slough Planting Party October 25- Make a Difference Day
2025-10-25 09:00 - 12:00 | Upper Day Slough, 32569 South Lyman Ferry Road, Sedro-Woolley, WA, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284, United States
Celebrate Make a Difference Day with us at our first planting at Upper Day Slough on October 25th! From 9am-12pm, we’ll be planting native trees and shrubs to continue to enhance riparian habitat at this site. These plants will help restore the Skagit River floodplain and improve habitat for salmon and many other animals.
Bring a club, group and all your friends- all ages welcome!
Site address is 32569 South Lyman Ferry Road Sedro-Woolley, WA
Please dress for the weather, and wear shoes that can get muddy. We’ll provide gloves, tools and hot drinks/snacks! RSVP here!

Upper Day Slough Planting Party November 8 (Second Weekend out of 2)
2025-11-08 09:00 - 12:00 | Upper Day Slough, 32569 South Lyman Ferry Road, Sedro-Woolley, WA, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284, United States
Join us at our second of two plantings at Upper Day Slough on November 8th! From 9am-12pm, we’ll be planting native trees and shrubs to enhance riparian habitat at this site.
These plants will help restore the Skagit River floodplain and improve habitat for salmon and many other animals.
Bring a group, club, or all your friends! All ages welcome.
Site address is 32569 South Lyman Ferry Road Sedro-Woolley, WA
Please dress for the weather, and wear shoes that can get muddy. We’ll provide gloves, tools and hot drinks/snacks! RSVP here!

Salmon Sightings: Oyster Creek
2025-11-11 11:00 - 14:00 | Oyster Creek, 2182 Chuckanut Drive, Bow, 98232
Join us November 11 from 11am-2pm at Oyster Creek to see spawning chum salmon. This event is rescheduled from November 1
There are no guarantees with wild animals, but this has been a great spot for viewing salmon the past few years.
Knowledgeable staff from SFEG will be available to teach about salmon life cycle and habitat restoration done locally.
Parking is ex-stream-ly limited, so please carpool! Location: along entrance drive to Taylor Shelfish in Bow
No need to register, but check back here or on our Facebook page to stay in the loop about any weather-related changes or cancellations

For a self-guided tour of places to look for salmon this fall, check out our Salmon Sightings Site

Little Carey's (Hamilton) Planting Party
2025-11-15 09:00 - 12:00 | WA
Join us November 15th from 9am-Noon as we plant trees at Little Carey’s Wetland in Hamilton to improve habitat for salmon and other animals.
Please dress for the weather, and wear shoes/boots that can get muddy. We’ll provide gloves, tools and hot drinks/snacks!
The site doesn’t have a proper address, so to find it, just enter 48°31’54.0″N 121°59’28.0″W into your navigation app/Google and it will direct you to a site off Hamilton Cemetery Rd. Parking will be along Hamilton Cemetery Rd, and it will be a little bit of a walk from the parking site to the planting site.
Here is a Google pin to the exact location. There’s not a lot of parking, so please carpool!
Contact us at 360-336-0172 with questions! Register HERE!

New Salmon Art Merch-campaign closes December 28!
2025-12-08 - 2025-12-28 | WA
For a limited time you can help support Skagit Fisheries monitoring programs by purchasing limited edition salmon art merchandise. Get yours today- the store closes December 28!
Follow THIS LINK to order yours!

Cohoho Big Babies Release Cancelled due to flooding
2025-12-13 11:30 - 13:30 | Northern State Recreation Area, 25625 Helmick Rd, Sedro-Woolley, 98284, United States
Due to the Skagit flood we have decided to cancel this event, to keep people and salmon safe.
We may postpone to a later date in December, so check back here if you want to help release them from the Children’s Museum later this month.
Stay safe everyone!
Join us Saturday, December 13 to help release the last of the (big) baby coho salmon from the tank at the Children’s Museum of Skagit County. We will have activities with Skagit Land Trust and Skagit Conservation District, Sammy Salmon joining from Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, and we’ll release coho parr mid- day.
Event starts at the Farmstead Bridge at 11:30
Fish Release starts at 12:15
Event concludes at 1:30

MLK Day of Service Planting at Pass Lake
2026-01-17 09:00 - 12:00 | Pass Lake, WA
Join us to help restore the riparian zone in a tributary to Pass Lake on Saturday, January 17, 2026, 9am-Noon in partnership with Deception Pass State Park and Deception Pass Park Foundation, and the Skagit Co-op.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday was inspired as a way to encourage Americans to find common causes and ways to improve their communities.
In that spirit, we’ll be planting trees in the fields along the shoreline of Pass Lake. Historically, these areas were used for hay production, but in recent years, this practice has ceased due to the growth of buttercups and daisies. The goal of Deception Pass Park is to create a mixed conifer forest around Pass Lake, with the aim of revegetating 19.5 acres of the former hay fields surrounding the lake.
The event will begin at 9:00 AM.
Parking is limited so please carpool.
Unaccompanied minors must bring with them the Event Participation Waiver and Release Agreement signed by a parent or guardian.
We recommend wearing sturdy, waterproof shoes, as the restoration site requires a 0.7-mile walk to access and may be wet.
Tools and gloves will be provided, and hot drinks and sacks provided by the Skagit Co-op Deli.
Dress for the weather, as the event will take place rain or shine.
Please RSVP HERE

Spring 2026 Education Volunteers Workshop
2026-02-26 09:30 - 12:00 | Northern State Recreation Area, 25625 Helmick Rd, Sedro-Woolley, 98284, United States
Join us Thursday, February 26 for a brief training 9:30-Noon in how to help with Salmon in the Classroom spring field trips. We’ll be releasing salmon fry and completing service-learning projects along the stream.
Field trips will be held throughout March and April, during the school day. Volunteers must pass a background check and be comfortable working with elementary school aged children, sometimes in adverse weather conditions.
This field session will show new and returning volunteers how they can assist with salmon release field trips in March and April.

Please register HERE

Planting Party at Skagit River South Mount Vernon
2026-02-28 09:00 - 12:00 | Mount Vernon Wastewater Treatment plant, 1401 Hazel Rd, Mount Vernon, WA
Join us Saturday February 28th, 9am-noon for our first regular planting party of the season at the Skagit River in South Mount Vernon.
This site, outside the dike at the Mount Vernon wastewater treatment plant, has been undergoing transformation from field to wooded riverbank, and the process is ongoing. Help us restore this riparian forest!
We provide tools, gloves, hot drinks and snacks!
RSVP HERE

2026 Annual Meeting
2026-03-05 17:30 - 20:00 | Sedro-Woolley Community Center, 703 Pacific St, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284, United States
Help us celebrate salmon habitat restoration in the Skagit!
Join us on MARCH 5th, 2026 for our Annual Meeting at the Sedro-Woolley Community Center. We will be celebrating habitat restoration wins of 2025 with a salmon barbecue, volunteer awards, board member elections, a raffle fundraiser, and a presentation about the year in review and what’s coming up in 2026.
Restoration Ecologist Yuki Reiss will speak about our new eDNA monitoring program, kicking off this year. We hope you can join us!

REGISTER HERE

Highway 9 Bridge Planting Party March 7
2026-03-07 09:00 - 12:00 | WA
Join us at this restoration site along South Skagit Highway near the Highway 9 bridge. From 9am-12pm we’ll plant native trees and shrubs to restore riparian habitat at this riverside site. These plants will help restore the Skagit River and improve habitat for salmon and many other animals.
Bring a club, group and all your friends- all ages welcome!
Please dress for the weather, and wear shoes that can get muddy. We’ll provide gloves, tools and hot drinks/snacks!
Google map of the site HERE
Coordinates: 48.482683905127196, -122.24424836373824
RSVP HERE

Highway 9 Bridge March 14
2026-03-14 09:00 - 12:00 | WA

CANCELED DUE TO FLOODING DeBays Slough Planting Party March 21
2026-03-21 09:00 - 12:00 | Debay’s Slough Wildlife Area, 22767 Francis Rd, Mt Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
Due to flood-related road closures and safety concerns, we have opted to cancel the planting party scheduled for March 21. Please join us for one of our events later this month and/or in April.

Join us for planting at the DeBays Slough Reserve on Saturday, March 21st.
Join us 9am-noon to continue restoring the riparian zone of DeBay’s Slough off Francis Road in Mount Vernon.
Please dress for the weather; we will provide work gloves and tools, and closed-toe shoes or mud boots.
Refreshments will be provided!
Register HERE

Potting Party at our Native Plant Nursery!
2026-03-28 09:00 - 12:00 | SFEG Native Plant Nursery, 21109 Kelleher Road, Burlington, WA, 98233, United States
We need help getting plants into pots where they can grow large enough to be used in future restoration projects! On March 28th, we will be at our native plant nursery from 9am-12pm getting as many plants into pots as possible to prepare them for next year’s planting efforts. RSVP to join us!
