(Photos courtesy Craig Harrold)
By the end of next week, more than a dozen groups (mostly from local schools) will have visited Fauntleroy Creek to release salmon, with guidance from creek steward Judy Pickens, in addition to the proud teachers and parents who accompany them. It’s an annual tradition, after the kids watch the fish grow from eggs, usually placed in aquariums in hallways or classrooms. One of the groups that released salmon this past week was from Arbor Heights Elementary School, and parent Craig Harrold shared a few of the scenes from their visit. Above, that’s Jesse inspecting one of the fry; next, Alec carefully pours water and fish into the creek:

With the students were Arbor Heights kindergarten teacher David Wilkie (below left) and 5th-grade teacher Ruben Gonzalez (below right):

According to the latest creek update on the Fauntleroy Community Association website, the groups participating this year are releasing about 1,800 fry to join the “home hatch” at the creek. This is also the time of year when smolts migrate toward Puget Sound, and the online update says monitors have seen 23 so far – up from last year’s 18.