Watershedsby Krag Unsoeld While giving a presentation on the water cycle to a grade school class I asked the students if they knew what a watershed is. One boy quickly raised his hand. When called upon, his response was, "It's the shed in our back yard where our pump is located!" Upstream and Downstream Watersheds need to be understood as a geographic area draining all water to a common destination. This could be on a small-scale, such as a puddle in your driveway, on a larger scale such as a particular river or lake, on a regional scale such as Puget Sound, or on a continental scale such as the Pacific Ocean. Within the watersheds are ecosystems defined by the water resources. Each one is a community, within which all of the residents are dependent upon the water. They also affect, and in turn are affected by, the other residents. On a regional or local watershed scale, some watershed residents are life-long. They do not travel outside of it. Others are migratory and move between watersheds, providing important functions having to do with biodiversity and nutrient transport, among others. The Salmon Cycle There are seven species of Pacific salmon and trout of the genus Oncorhynchus in Washington and Oregon, including chum, pink, sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon; and rainbow and coastal cutthroat trout. Some of these species, including the sockeye salmon and rainbow and cutthroat trouts, have both anadromous and nonanadromous forms. In the Pacific Northwest we are learning more about salmon and their lifecycle. This knowledge is contributing to our understanding of the dynamic and complex nature of watersheds. A recent report, Pacific Salmon and Wildlife: Ecological Contexts, Relationships, and Implications for Management, contributes to our understanding of the dynamic and complex nature of watersheds and the role played by the anadromous salmon and trout in them. This report is being distributed through the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (contact Dave Johnson, WDFW, Habitat Program, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091; email: johnsdhj@dfw.wa.gov to request a copy. Interdependence Within the Watershed Watershed interdependence is not new knowledge. In 1946, R. Haig-Brown wrote the following (p. 60 in the report):
The Fish and Wildlife report expands upon this earlier understanding. The report traces salmon through five major phases: incubation, freshwater rearing, saltwater, spawning, and carcass. In each of these phases there are many species that are both eaten by or feed upon the salmon. For example, some studies show how dying salmon feed insects that in turn provide food for the baby salmon during their freshwater rearing stage. A recent study of consumption of salmon by wildlife found that 137 species of birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles were predators or scavengers of salmon at one or more stages of the salmon life cycle. In other words, having salmon listed as "threatened" under the endangered species act reflects on more than just the salmon. The health of salmon can indicate the health of bears, orcas, bald eagles, osprey, otters and other species linked to salmon in the ecological webs of our watersheds. Watersheds and SPEECH SPEECH and Thurston County will co-sponsor a workshop, titled "Salmon Recovery: Myth and Reality." It will be held on October 12 at Traditions Cafe from 6:30–9 p.m. and will address issues of the role that individuals and society plays in recovering and protecting salmon. The workshop will help the County obtain input from the environmental community on what should be done to protect salmon. Please plan to attend!
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