Tahoe is full of events that not only delight but educate and today's 23rd Annual Kokanee Salmon Festival was an exceptional example of just such an event.
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| This celebration of the fall migration of Lake Tahoe's Salmon, with its dramatic and colorful spawning behaviors, is geared towards children, but we found just being out in it all was ideal for a "kid" of any age. |
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| We began our education in the Stream Profile Chamber. This aquarium-type tunnel, in the middle of a trail, shows the actual inside of Taylor Creek. I love this place. This male salmon has all the indicators he is ready to spawn: a brilliant red color, green fins and face, and he has developed a kype, a pronounced hooked jaw with sharp teeth, something he did not have before his maturation. |
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| Mallards are a predator during spawning season. This couple are preying on the eggs. |
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| We could have sat here for hours watching the undulating determination of these beautiful creatures. This process will last throughout the month. The salmon return year after year via a learned response. They die where they are born. |
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| Once paired off, the male stands guard while the female fans gravel with her tail to make a depression to deposit her eggs. There is comfort in knowing they aren't in this alone!. |
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| After spawning, a female lives only a few days. A ranger grabbed this fish, from the stream, and harvested the remaining eggs (the orange orbs). She laid between 400-1200 eggs and seeing the few leftover, he knew she had died because of spawning. |
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| Being here, we learned so much about nature and the interconnectedness of life and death that exists throughout the natural world. It's rewarding walking away from a time and place feeling informed and entertained. We totally did that today! |
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1 comments:
The colors of the salmon are incredible.
It kind of makes me hungry. Did you leave there hungry or not wanting to eat fish for a while?
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