A little less than a year ago, I started a new job as a fisheries technician with the Lummi Nation. It has been such an incredible experience so far and I feel very lucky to be able to interact with salmon almost every day. While being employed full time has taken away some of my capacity to think about and create art—my job has introduced me to a whole new world of inspiration that I am excited to explore as the seasons change and I become a little less busy. While previous themes in my art have focused on the saltwater environment, some new themes will feature river ecosystems and the subtle, cyclical beauty of life, death and decay.

Fall on the Nooksack River means spawning salmon. The endangered population of Nooksack Spring Chinook enter freshwater as early as March but wait to spawn until late summer through fall. We see them as they make their way upstream, battling the strong currents and schooling in deep pools. As they begin to spawn and die, we recover their carcasses to take biological samples that help inform management of this fragile and hugely important species. The big leaf and vine maples are losing their leaves, the mornings are getting colder and growth is grinding to a halt in the forest. The salmon are using every last bit of energy to dig nests in the gravel and deposit their eggs. The fish that aren’t carried off by bald eagles, black bears or river otters are left to decay on the banks. Their flesh becomes food for terrestrial and aquatic insects (think maggots), vultures, crows and ravens and other birds. The marine-derived nutrients in their bodies make their way into the forests and become plant food. Death rules the river this time of year, but there is new life beginning under the stream bed where thousands of eggs are incubating.

I am forever in awe of salmon and the lessons they teach us. Looking forward to the cooler days ahead, slowing down and hibernating as best I can in this fast-paced world.

Salmon, Life, and Death on the Nooksack River

Back from the Bay