• salmon-01-24a93b07f2f9ed7d
    Prime coho salmon spawning habitat in Jacoby Creek was preserved by the Jacoby Creek Land Trust.
  • salmon-02-7fdde9fc50af1b98
    A dead spawning coho salmon floats in the South Fork Elk River at Headwaters Forest Preserve. Observing coho salmon spawning in South Fork Elk River in the Headwaters Forest Preserve, I found it an extraordinary moment to watch the final moments of the lives of these salmon that were born in this river, then headed downstream and lived a full life out in the ocean, and then returned to their birth stream to spawn…and then their life force fades away as their bodies slowly deteriorate and die. Their bodies are then distributed by wildlife into the trees as nutrients.
  • salmon-03-29eb7efaf669fef6
    Spawning male coho salmon in South Fork Elk River at Headwaters Forest Preserve battle for access to the female coho salmon laying their eggs in the redd.
  • salmon-04-f510edd47730d6ec
    A spawned out coho salmon floats in the shallows of Jacoby Creek along Quarry Road just under the bridge. Its body shows the worn out gills and deteriorating flesh caused by the spawning activity at end of life and the effects of returning to fresh water from the ocean.
  • salmon-05-8d3bcb08ad7514b4
    A coho salmon swims in the shallows of Jacoby Creek along Quarry Road. Its body shows the worn out gills and deteriorating flesh caused by the spawning activity at end of life and the effects of returning to fresh water from the ocean.
  • salmon-06-55503b6ec3f24379
    A spawned-out coho salmon rests on its side, still alive and pumping water through its gills in Jacoby Creek. A powerful moment for me to have a close-up look at a spawned-out coho salmon In Jacoby Creek, as its heart was still beating its final moments and on its side and still pumping shallow water through its gills. The evidence of its vigorous spawning activity and effects of returning to fresh water from life in salt water are in its worn out fins and deteriorating flesh. “Coho salmon are semelparous, meaning they produce offspring only once, and then die after reproduction. Their upstream spawning migration takes a heavy toll on their body due to both physical exertion and the severe change from saltwater to freshwater conditions.” https://www.nps.gov/…/frequently-asked-coho-salmon…
  • salmon-07-c9018671ac973d8b
    A huge big leaf maple tree stands along side a large pool in South Fork Elk River in the Headwaters Forest Preserve on a winter day.
  • salmon-08-c96b25d4baf202a3
    A November walk on a rainy day along the south Fork Elk River in the Headwaters Forest Preserve led us to this large pool that included recently fallen trees placed in the water as part of the salmon fisheries habitat-improvemen project.
  • salmon-09-3a1af255d24521e4
    The new “Wood is Good” signs along the unpaved nature trail explains those recently downed logs in the South Fork Elk River in the Headwaters Forest Preserve. They’ve dropped logs into the stream to improve fish habitat (calling it “accelerated recruitment) in this logged-over habitat.
  • salmon-10-6911e271a849ddc2
    The new “Wood is Good” signs along the unpaved nature trail explains those recently downed logs in the South Fork Elk River in the Headwaters Forest Preserve. They’ve dropped logs into the stream to improve fish habitat (calling it “accelerated recruitment) in this logged-over habitat.