Lesson Five ~ Salmon Fishing Regulations
Salmon Fishing

Handout ~ What you can do to help Salmon

---

Act carefully to help protect salmon

1. Grass cycle! Mulching lawnmowers leave grass clippings on the lawn. They quickly decompose and release nutrients to fertilize the lawn. This saves you time, money and helps reduce the load on compost facilities. For more information, check out the Yard and Garden page. Also, this month you can get mulching lawnmowers for the lowest price of the season at several grass cycling events.

2. Reduce or eliminate pesticide use high concentrations have been detected in our streams and lakes.

3. Don't dump paint, household cleaners or oil in the garbage or down the drain. Everything put in the drain eventually ends up in Puget Sound or local streams.

4. Step up your recycling efforts! There is a lot more you can do than put newspapers and bottles at the curb. Recycle your obsolete computer: Broken monitors contain lead in the cathode ray tube that should not simply be thrown away. It can be repaired, reused or recycled properly.

5. Learn to compost! Composting is a cheap way to get rich, productive soil and reduces waste in our landfills.

6. Scoop your pet's poop. When it rains, pet waste pollutes everything downstream.

7. Use a carwash instead of your driveway! Storm drains lead to local streams and lakes. Suds aren't good for fish or lake water quality.

8. Reduce car pollution! Take the bus once a week or more.

9. Learn about great new products that help our environment!

10. Volunteer to help restore salmon habitat at a stream near you. Its fun and adds to the legacy we leave future generations.

Is your house salmon-friendly? All of us can help stop water pollution. Its easy to blame dirty water on industry, but a very significant portion of the problem starts right at home. Here are home & garden hints for healthy streams and salmon.
Tips for lawn and garden

• Encourage birds and "friendly" insects in your yard. Attract birds by providing native trees and shrubs for food and cover throughout the year. Spiders, ladybugs, lacewings and mantises all eat pest insects. Learn to recognize and respect them. You can even buy these helpful insects and release them onto your land.

• Care for your plants – and your soil. Healthy soil means healthier plants that will need less pesticide, fertilizer, water and work. Locally adapted plants are more    resistant to local pests and diseases. Regular weeding, row covers, crop rotation and mulching may eliminate the need for pesticides altogether.

• Consider scaling back on your lawn size. For steep slopes, shady areas, or near streams and lakes, alternatives to grass will need less maintenance and fewer   chemicals.

• Water your treated garden or yard carefully. Too much watering will wash off the chemicals and create excessive – and polluted – runoff. Water infrequently but deeply and slowly to moisten the entire root zone.

• Dispose of lawn and garden chemicals carefully.  Follow instructions on the container. For information on recycling chemical yard wastes, call 1-800-RECYCLE.

Think before you spray! Learn how to use least toxic pest controls. Think before you spray a pesticide: you may kill the insects that are helping you keep pests in check. The Local Hazardous Waste Management Program can tell you more.

1. Pesticides and weed killers create serious problems when they enter lakes, wetlands or streams. Some chemicals stay active for a long time and build up in the environment. Others kill desirable insects, animals and plants as well as pests.

2. Fertilizers – chemical and organic – cause excess weed and algae growth when they enter water. This growth not only looks and smells bad, but depletes the water of oxygen and chokes out fish.

3. Don't overspray chemicals. Apply pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers sparingly and only as directed on the label. Use them only on windless days and never near lakes or streams or when rain threatens.

Back to Top of Page
Back to Lesson Five
Back to Block Plan
Back to Developmental Analysis