Battling 900 miles and gaining more than 6,500 vertical feet to return to their birthplace, it's no wonder the chinook and sockeye salmon need a party to celebrate their arrival. In a joint effort between the Stanley Chamber of Commerce, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Idaho Rivers United, the salmon returning to the Sawtooth Valley and the Stanley Basin will be honored and adored this weekend at the 10th annual Sawtooth Salmon Festival in Stanley.
"It's a great community-building event," said Jeff Cole, outreach coordinator for Idaho Rivers United. "Participants can see salmon in their natural, wild fashion and understand how amazing these fish are and what we need to get them back."
The festival will provide transportation for participants to see salmon spawning. As of Aug. 13, 356 sockeye salmon had returned to spawn in the Stanley Basin, a much better situation than in 2005 when only one was seen.
Cole said Shoshone-Bannock tribe members are expected to attend to bless the salmon and to welcome them in a celebration dance.
"Salmon have a unique lifecycle and play an important role in the bigger ecosystem," he said. "Salmon are a product of an ocean environment and come to the sterile alpine environment. Mother Nature erodes and flushes out nutrients, which salmon bring back."
The festival is a three-day event beginning Friday, Aug. 21, with Mike Barenti, author of "Kayaking Alone: 900 Miles from Idaho's Mountains to the Pacific Ocean," giving a presentation at 5 p.m. at the Stanley Museum and 8:30 p.m. at the Redfish Lake campground amphitheater.
The festival will be in full swing on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with activities for kids including Gyotaku, a form of Japanese printmaking using fish, as well as arts and crafts booths. In addition, on Saturday, the traditional Wild Salmon Feast will take place from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children under 12. Proceeds benefit the Idaho Rivers United salmon recovery effort.
Live music, educational salmon tent, storytelling, face painting and much more will give the entire family an opportunity to discover and enjoy salmon. The festival will take place in downtown Stanley on the south side of state Highway 21 across from the visitors center.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
The Sawtooth Salmon Festival celebrates the return of the salmon in Stanley.
