Press Release ADF&G Logo
ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Cora Campbell, Acting Commissioner

DIVISION OF SPORT FISH
Charles O. Swanton, Director

Contact:
Jenny Cope
Fisheries Biologist
Phone: 907-262-9368

April 29, 2014

KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT SALMON CELEBRATION SCHEDULED FOR MAY 6TH

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish, will hold its 15th annual Kenai Peninsula Salmon Celebration on Tuesday, May 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Johnson Lake State Park Campground in Kasilof.

Students from Kenai Peninsula elementary schools will help release hatchery-raised rainbow trout catchables into Johnson Lake. Students will also release coho salmon fry, developed from eggs students collected in October and placed in classroom tanks as part of the “Salmon in the Classroom” program, into Arc Lake or Centennial Lake the same day.

Hands-on salmon-related activity booths including juvenile and adult salmon identification, salmon life-cycle displays, a macroinvertebrate touch tank, information on catch-and-release fishing, spin and fly casting practice stations, the salmon “wheel of misfortune”, water quality testing, water and wildlife safety, waterfowl identification, stream flow demonstrations, and many more activities will also be available. Students need 90 minutes to two hours to complete all the activities. Approximately 850 elementary school students from all over the Kenai Peninsula are expected to attend the Johnson Lake event.

The salmon-related activity booths are part of the Aquatic Education program, which helps increase awareness of salmon and fosters a sense of stewardship toward this valuable natural resource. This event is made possible by the volunteer assistance of Sterling Elementary students, ADF&G staff, and the Kenai River Professional Guide Association, along with many other agencies and community volunteers.

Similar “Salmon Celebrations” are also scheduled for Anchorage.

For more information and to schedule attendance, contact Jenny Cope (jenny.cope@alaska.gov), Alaska Department of Fish and Game, in Soldotna at 907-262-9368.