Native peoples of the Northwest relied on the salmon centuries before Europeans invaded; the salmon return was at the center of many native cultures. There is also an ancient and profound link between salmon and the trees of the Pacific Northwest. The health of salmon streams depends on the soundness of the surrounding forests. We are proud stewards of our half mile of Soapstone Creek which provides just the right kind of shaded clear water, tree roots that anchor the banks, deeps pools in which the salmon hide from predators, and cool gravelly beds in which to lay their eggs.

Of course many things affect the fall salmon return including the temperature of the ocean (which is in turn affected by global warming) and commercial ocean fishing. Some years the salmon run has been steady but sparse; other years it has been phenomenal. One writer said she could have “walked across the creek on them” as the native peoples used to say. Others have reported standing transfixed for hours as the dramas of mating unfold.

The salmon that spawn in Soapstone Creek are wild chinook (also called king) and wild coho (also called silver). They start returning in late September with the first heavy rain; the run peaks in mid October. Winter steelhead trout—a close cousin to salmon—start showing at the end of November and peak in the middle of January. Each female lays from 2500 to 3500 eggs depending on the species. After hatching, the developing salmon will grow in fresh water for about a year before migrating to the ocean. The adult salmon will return three years later and, after spawning, will die within several days. Nutrients leach out of the decomposing carcasses, fertilizing the stream and supporting new life. Adult steelhead live from three to five years and, after spawning, some return to the ocean and will spawn again.

Soapstone salmon have only ten miles or so to swim upstream—some chinook migrate over 1200 miles to reach their spawning ground—and yet in those ten miles they must struggle over shallow riffles and white-water cascades and avoid being caught by bears, otters, eagles and osprey. The chinook can weigh up to 126 pounds; we estimate that those in Soapstone Creek weigh from 20 to 30 pounds. The coho are smaller, weighing from 15 to 20 pounds. The steelhead can weigh as much as 40 pounds; the ones seen in Soapstone Creek look to be about 15 pounds.