Across the island, dozens of people are anxiously checking the weather every day—hoping the big rains of fall will begin soon. These are the island’s salmon watchers, a cadre of 41 volunteers who weekly visit island creeks—mainly Judd and Shinglemill—where they collect information about the coho and chum salmon that return to the island to spawn each fall. Vashon Nature Center manages the program and compiles data that is used to understand the habits and ranges of these salmon species. This in turn informs restoration efforts designed to support these fish and the entire ecosystem, including keystone species like orca whales.
Among these stalwart rain-lovers is Yvonne Kuperberg, who is beginning her 27th year as a salmon watcher during her 100th year on earth. This upcoming birthday milestone doesn’t faze the longtime islander, who has volunteered for environmental efforts since she arrived on Vashon in 1979. Kuperberg moved with her husband Joel to a fern-draped hill among cedars above Shinglemill Creek, where she still notes daily precipitation in a worn notebook, and appreciates the comings and goings of belted kingfishers and Douglas squirrels. A nearby stream that flows into Shinglemill was dubbed JY Creek after Joel and Yvonne to honor their devotion to island stewardship. Joel Kuperberg passed away in 2004 and is remembered for his national and local contributions to land conservation.
Yvonne Kuperberg’s love of nature was sparked by her father at an early age. He brought Yvonne and her brother on wildflower wanders in prairies now buried under the Tacoma Mall, and took them fishing near Point Defiance, where Kuperberg remembers harbor seals vying for the catch. After college, she turned her love of the outdoors into a career and worked for the Girl Scouts, leading scout councils in Ohio, where she taught others how to spark a passion for nature in young people. The Kuperbergs also raised three outdoor-loving sons, one of whom recently took the helm at the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor. (His mom enjoys forwarding news articles pertinent to his role.)
During salmon-watching season, Kuperberg regularly visits the bridge over the Shinglemill Creek culvert on Cedarhurst Road near Fern Cove. There, she watches and listens for salmon, whose presence is often announced by noisy splashing as they work their way from the estuary up the creek to spawn. Whether she sees a salmon or not, she cherishes this ritual.
“There aren’t many places you can go where you can completely relax,” Kuperberg says. “Salmon watching is just a very peaceful time. And it’s beautiful listening to the birds and the creek running.”
Kuperberg and longtime friend and salmon-watching partner Jane Neubauer have been visiting the creek to count salmon for 27 years. Though they usually go alone to avoid the temptation to chat (which would interfere with the solitude and watchfulness necessary to the task), they meet often and exchange stories from the creek.
“Yvonne was my first mentor in respecting and honoring the Pacific Northwest and the Earth,” Neubauer says. “Her practice is show up, make a commitment, and be present. You don’t have to know all the names of the birds and the trees to love and protect them.”
SalmonWatcher Program Coordinator Kelly Keenan appreciates how longtime volunteers’ investment of time and love of salmon have ripple effects throughout the community.
“I’m deeply grateful for the dedication of volunteers such as Yvonne, whose time and effort are the cornerstone of community science for our salmon-watching program,” she says. “Every visit to a steam, note jotted down, and fish spotted—or not—helps us better understand and care for our island’s salmon and the fragile ecosystem they call home.”
Kuperberg is proud to be part of a larger effort to collect data that is shared by scientists throughout the Salish Sea. She wishes that every islander knew that anything you spray in your garden or dump down the drain will find its way into an island creek and eventually, Puget Sound. Living with a well all these years, she is a champion of water conservation and is especially tuned into drought conditions that could threaten the island’s aquifer. Kuperberg appreciates Vashon Nature Center’s efforts to teach students about these connections.
“Kids have a way of influencing what their parents do,” she says. “And those kids will grow up with knowledge about how clean water affects what grows under a rock in the stream and how that is important to salmon health.”
Kathryn True is an island writer and naturalist. She is a member of the Vason Nature Center advisory council and a longtime volunteer for the organization. For information about Vashon Nature Center SalmonWatcher and other community science volunteer opportunities, visit vashonnaturecenter.org.
Practicing true stewardship of our beautiful planet.
Lovely post!