Submitted by Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
For decades the Nisqually watershed community has served as a role model of cooperative conservation. “Beginning with protecting the river’s mouth from development in the 1970s to coming together in recent years to restore a threatened Chinook stock, the people of the Nisqually watershed have shown how we can work together for the environment,” said Justin Hall, executive director of the Nisqually River Foundation.
Along with that hard work, the watershed has also celebrated. For 28 years, the Nisqually Watershed Festival has been celebrating Nisqually’s history and culture. The festival is a free, daylong event featuring art, discovery, music, and a whole lot of family fun.
Check out the “Insect Extravaganza,” where guests can view insects from around the world, as well as their own backyard. You can also listen to stories in the Red Salmon Tent, dress up to take part in a critter parade, join a guided nature walk, and board a shuttle to the Nisqually Reach Nature Center to take a tour of the Nisqually nearshore. The always-popular salmon barbecue is back, along with other delicious food options.
Several non-profits and local agencies will be there to share ducational and hands-on activities, crafts, and information. Don’t forget to bring a t-shirt or use paper to make your own Nisqually salmon print, learn about the salmon lifecycle by making a keychain, and paint a wooden fish to be displayed at next year’s festival. Stop by the mainstage for a live raptor show, wildlife presentations, a performance by the Nisqually Canoe Family, and much, much more.
“Watershed communities have been working hard to protect and restore this unique place for years,” Hall said. “The festival has served as a showcase for what makes the Nisqually special. It’s where we all come together to celebrate what we have accomplished.”
For more information about the festival, visit: http://nisquallyriver.org/nisquallywatershedfestival/
Free parking and shuttle to the festival will be available at River Ridge High School, 350 River Ridge Drive, Lacey. Map:
http://goo.gl/maps/Y2gND
