5. “ Hello, what is your name? I am called Kirby.” he says in a screechy high-pitched manner, like a hyperactive squealing pig. “ Y-you are a Salmon!” you respond. “ Yes, great observation, but answer my question first,” you tell him your name and he continues. “You see, I cannot seem to catch anything. I was born wimpy, and, well, I simply could not eat. I was very close to catching one once, and see this missing eye…” You take a long glance to study him. He is a Coho fry like you, but his ribs are showing, he is missing one eye, one fin, and he had streaks of blood across his face. He also had a pinkish tint to him. You think why is he so strange? Why is he so scarred? Why is he so jittery? How is he still alive? Then you realize that the riparian zone is especially substantial where you are, so no predator could see you. “ It was so promising at first, but I ended up getting my eye scraped off on a rock. And I was forced to eat my own eyeball. Not so pleasant. Then, I had no depth perception, so it was even harder. Again, I was forced to feed off of my own body. I ate my pectoral fin, the greatest mistake I have ever made. Now I am forced to swim in circles and circuitous routes. You begin to swim along. What a wonderful world, you think. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, next to you, a salmon swims by, and is abruptly swallowed by a large cutthroat trout. You seek shelter immediately, under a log, and you stick to your hiding spot, until you are sure the trout has disappeared. Was that Jet, your most excellent brother, you wonder? You continue looking for food, but you don’t even know what to eat. Oh, well, you think, you will probably have some sort of natural instinct. You feel the impulse to chase the bugs swimming by, but you cannot catch up to them. You pursue on and on, and the bugs disappear from your vision. You halfheartedly chase until you do not recognize your surroundings. Suddenly a figure appears adjacent to you.
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7. FACT BOX FOR THE DESCRIPTION OF WERE IT TOOK PLACE It is healthy Quality is 2.7 Water quality is healthy and is in good conditions There is not really anything in or out of the steam that is bad for the stream You awaken further downstream; you think you know where you are going, but you don’t. You see a bug and you are going to try and catch it. Oh no, it flies away. Wow, you are famished. It’s all because you have not eaten in about 10 hours. You are going to get grumpy if you don’t eat. You see another bug coming back at you. Yum, yum, yummy, you think. Finally, you catch a few bugs. A dark figure emerges next to you. You have not seen another salmon in an extensive amount of time.
8. FACT BOX FOR THE WATERSHED The watershed is a region were water drains on or out of The Thornton creek watershed is the largest in both shoreline and Seattle An area that’s called a drainage basin Also called a catchment area We also often call it the river watershed “ I need food. You don’t need food. You have food. I don’t have food. You give me food. You are food. I will eat bugs, or I will eat you!” says the emerging fish. He is a large red and black trout. You start moving away. “I need food. I will be companion. I will kill predators. I will be your bodyguard. I will help you.” “ I know somebody who would be happy to meet those requirements. His name is Kirby. He is a lot like you. A little smarter, I think, though.” you say while swimming away. You lead him downstream.
12. The part of the stream has some golf balls. The bottom of the stream is brown. There are riffles and pools. There is a bridge. The stream looks healthy. I know because the bottom of the stream doesn’t look really dirty. The ph is natural. The stream looks healthy. The ph is good. There are riffles and pools. It has some golf balls in it. You decide to turn around and go downstream. The water up ahead gets darker and darker. Cautiously you swim over. All of the sudden, you are sucked over the edge of a waterfall! The forceful water has you thrashing around for a while, trying to regain your balance. When you can finally stay upright, the water around you is pitch-black, and the water feels like molasses. An eerie scratching and clicking noise is coming from up ahead. “Hello?” you whisper. The sound echoes around the tunnel. You get the feeling that you are being watched. You slowly turn around. Many pairs of red eyes stare back at you. You let out a startled squeak. Quickly you zoom as fast as you can in the opposite direction. You pop out of the culvert, and dive over another waterfall. Once you regain your balance, you notice that the water here is much nicer than there. The water is calm and cool, and the grass waves gently with the current. Riffles gently sweep the surface of the river.
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15. Coho The size of an adult coho may measure more than 2 feet (61 cm). Coho spend approximately the first half of their life cycle rearing and feeding in streams and small freshwater tributaries. The species was historically distributed throughout the North Pacific Ocean from central California to Point Hope, Alaska, through the Aleutian Islands, and from the Anadyr River, Russia, south to Hokkaido, Japan. Salmonid species on the west coast of the United States have experienced dramatic declines in abundance during the past several decades as a result of human-induced and natural factors. Coho salmon adults migrate from a marine environment into freshwater streams and rivers of their birth in order to mate (called anadromy). d-did you d-do t-that?” you ask Maxamillion, and shiver in the cool water. You’re glad this deadly bird is on your side. “ Well, he had been bothering me, plus he killed most of my friends, so he deserved it. He’s as mean as a tiger,” proudly announces Maxamillion. Shadescale was dead. But what about his minions , you think. Just then, an otter swims over. He introduces himself as Portak, from the c lan of Luatra. “I have some things I think you might like.” He swims away, and comes back, leading three bewildered salmon. They introduce themselves as Darkstripe, Nightwater, and Shadefin. You and your friends cautiously swim over to see. The minions are swimming around, confused. They look over at you, and their eyes widen in surprise. A few of them duck into the many holes in the bank. They don’t seem so scary anymore. “ They don’t seem to be dangerous”, says Riverheart, echoing your thoughts. The others agree with him, and you all swim over to check it out.
16. Thornton creek The stream structure is open in areas, and covered in others. The open areas are more dangerous for salmon because there isn’t as much cover, so it’s easier for predators to spot them. The covered areas have shade, shelter, and are more likely to have food in them. Bears, wolves, eagles, humans, seagulls, orcas, and other fish, such as cut-throat trout eat salmon. Not all of these animals are near the stream . Some animals that live near Thornton creek are opossums, beavers, buffleheads, frogs, newts, ducks, muskrats, bats, and coyotes. Silvertail asks Darkstripe, the unofficial leader of the group, why they helped Shadescale, but he says, “I’m sorry. We don’t know who you are, what you’re talking about, or why we’re here.” Riverheart whispers in your ear, “That’s strange. They don’t seem to know anything about what just happened.” That is quite strange , you think to yourself. Mossstream speaks up. “This seems to me like an advanced form of hypnotism. Maybe they were hypnotized into being evil, and now that Shadescale is dead, they have been released.” The former minions have been whispering amongst themselves, and one of them, Shadefin, you think, shoves Nightwater forward. “ She has something to say,” he announces. Nightwater shuffles forward shyly. “ I do remember something before we arrived here,” she says. “Shadescale was staring into my eyes, and saying something about being sleepy. Then everything went blank, and the next object
19. As you start your way to wards somewhere to rest, there is a bend in the stream. You go around the turn. You have found cover. Soon you find out it is too cramped and already taken by a smaller fish. You start talking to the fish, and introduce yourself. “ Hi. My name is Jerry.” says the fish. You ask, “What happened to you—your eyes?” Jerry replies, “What? Oh, you mean my giant eye and puny eye? Long story short: me and my friends were swimming around and then out of nowhere a barrel of strange liquid came plummeting down. The creek where I observed was not clean and was dirty with human litter in it. The creek also had other animal waste. It was not a healthy area, and I knew by taking tests. Here are the results:
20. My friends and I were scared. We went to check it out. They started to drink it and I joined in. It started to make me feel weird and my friends too, suddenly my eye mutated. I was the only one who made it out.” You ask, “How about you come with me to find shelter?” He accepts. You go along with Jerry. As you move onward, the stream gets dimmer and dull. The mud on the streambed floor is like quicksand. The water is black and musky. You rapidly take off and scram as you get out of the musky water. Air temperature: 16c, 61f Cloud cover: 47% Wind direction: west Wind speed: 2mph Water temperature: 10c Water PH: 6 Dissolved oxygen: 3.7 Water Appearance: Stream Bed Coating: Oder: Muddy Brown None Clear
21. After hours of searching for safety, you and Jerry spot something. You hope that the path you were taking led you into a pool or some sort of shelter. The grassy stream banks narrowed. And all of the sudden the muddy, murky water became deeper. The banks began to crumble like a stale cookie. The water was as cold as ice. Something felt weird. You and Jerry swim down and around eating bugs and exploring the new pool. A couple leaves were scattered on the water’s surface. You found shelter at last. You look over at Jerry, he stood frozen. Aquatic life in Thornton Creek Thornton creek is habitat to many insects, amphibians, birds, and even bats. If you are lucky you may spot a beaver or even a coyote. There are so many different types of insects living in the creeks habitat that not all of them have been recorded. Insects like dragonflies, which are sensitive to pollution, indicate a healthy ecosystem. There are many types of aquatic plants growing inside Thornton creek’s streambeds.
22. “ Really?” you ask him. “ Yes. Wait—no. Just a leaf.” What? How could you mistake a leaf for cover? You want to ask him. But then you get a strange feeling—the feeling that you’re being watched. “ Hey, Jerry…” you say. “ You feel it too?” he inquires. You nod. “ It doesn’t feel right.” You catch up to Jerry a few feet in front of you. “There’d better be somewhere we can sleep soon, because I don’t feel safe.” You and Jerry swim faster. “ Look. Something up ahead…riparian zone?” you ask. “ I think that’s it.” Jerry answers. And he was right. “ Finally. Some cover.” you say, relieved. But as the foliage approaches you see some shadows just before the plants. “ What are—?” What can people do to help protect the streams habitat? Paved lots and building have been replaced by landscapes preventing pollution to flow into the Thornton creek. A retirement home in shoreline is mysteriously causing a big impact on the creeks wildlife We can help protect the creek by preventing more buildings and homes to be built inside Thornton Creek’s boundaries.
23. But before you can finish your question, the shadows become clear. There are two Blue Herons, approaching you quickly. Jerry gasps. “ Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” You ask Jerry. “ Yes…” He can barely talk. “Swim…away.” You both go as quickly as you can, but Jerry is slower than you, he always has been a slow swimmer ever since his incident. The birds are gaining on you and Jerry fast, and soon Jerry begins to grow tired. “Can’t…go…farther…” he whispers. “Sorry…” “ Jerry…” you start to say. But with a sound like a dying dog, one of the huge birds had already dived at Jerry. He stuck his beak into his side, and you turned away and started swimming faster. I’m sorry, Jerry. You were an awesome friend…even if you weren’t the brightest. *Salmon can survive between 5.6 ° and 25° C, but ideal temperatures are around 12.8° C *Salmon rely on pools for colder water in summer and the opposite in winter *Dissolved oxygen (DO) is the amount of oxygen in the water *DO is distributed throughout the body of water through currents/turbulence
24. You don’t look back as you swim around the rocks and under a tunnel. There is no sign of the birds or Jerry when you come out the other side. Maybe I out swam them, you think. You start to slow down and catch your breath. You drift into a tiny, calm pool and stop there to rest. But before you can settle down you hear a noise from behind you. You turn around and see the same Blue Herons blocking the entry to the pool you are in. No, you think. They came back. One of them has a bit of blood on its beak and you think of Jerry. I can’t let that happen to me. One of them dives at you. You try to dodge it, but it’s no use. Soon the bird has you cornered. Your last glimpse of life is the bird’s beak closing down on you.... The End *Riparian zone is the vegetation beside the stream *Riparian zone provides cover from predators *Riparian zones stop erosion, pollution, and other things harming the ecosystem *Riparian zones are harmed by overgrazing, logging, agriculture, dams, etc. You have died, Go back to beginning.
28. You are grief-stricken, but you continue anyway. Soon you catch the trail again. You follow it. Suddenly you hear a howl, loud enough to shake the earth, and you catch sight of something gigantic running along the bank. The creature smells just like the trail you were following. It is a beaver. The poor creature is panicking. You soon lose sight of the animals in the chase, but around the bend, there the two enemy animals are again! You dart ahead. Now the rodent is chasing you in blind panic. You duck under it, and back behind it. You will have to get past it.
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33. You lead the trout this way and that, not knowing where you’re going. That doesn’t matter, though, because all that needs to be done is leading the trout astray. Zigzagging back and forth through the reeds, you barely get away with your life. Swimming back to your friends, you think about what you will tell them. You want to go with them to the food source they have found, but you also want to carry on solo. This is not an easy choice to make. What will you do? Carry on by yourself Follow friends to food
35. You decide to continue on without others, so slowly you inch along. You look to your left. It is beautiful. Large green trees, bushes, and tons of food. Yum. However, this forest only stretches to about five feet from the shore, for beyond that the land turns into a residential area, totally worked over by the strange two-legged land walkers known as humans. As you look to the right, a long, large shiny object goes rapidly past, on the odd artificial level rock that the humans seem to have put everywhere. Suddenly something zips past you and turns around. Speaking in a voice fast as lightning, it introduces itself. Coho encounter Chum, Pink, Chinook, Sockeye salmon get their color from arthropods change color, get stripes and dots, when head to the ocean coloring can vary from deep red to white
36. “ Hi I’m Fred.” the what-you-now-realize-to-be-a-salmon says. “ Hi…..” you say, the speed of your voice representing the antonym of the rapid tempo of his speech. “ What are you doing, where are you going, where are your friends, can I come with you?” he asks. You shake your whole body. Whoa. “ I decided to continue on without my friends, and yes, you can come with me.” You immediately wish that you had not said that. “ COOL where to next?” your speedy, confusing, unintelligent friend asks. “ Straight ahead,” you say slowly, hoping Fred will calm down. The exact opposite happens; he speeds ahead then stops abruptly. You jet after him then ask, “What?” “ A long, dark, cave, cool.” Fred answers. Oh, no. from Mathieu beach to the locks to the WA ship canal end in the Pacific Ocean Thornton creek is 11.6 square miles When a boat comes fill or drain then open gate Fish ladder like giant stairs
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39. Then finally, just when suspicions begin creeping into your mind that this journey was some sort of practical joke and that the stream will never come to an end at Lake Washington if at all, or that you took a wrong turn and somehow wound up on a course to nowhere, you exit the tunnel. Turning a corner, you find, no more than a matter of yards in front of you, the stream opening up into a vast, glittering expanse of water larger than you have ever witnessed in your brief, insignificant life. It looms in front of you like a treasure trove of sapphire. You know what it is immediately. In front of you, through a tunnel of green foliage and fallen logs, a perfect example of a riparian corridor, is the mouth of the river. Beyond this lays the waters of lake Washington, that you had came so far and braved so many dangers to reach. This is the home stretch, you think to yourself.
40. An estuary is the part of the river mouth where the ocean meets the river. Coho fries pass through estuaries quickly. Estuaries are where salmon adjust to salt water. Salmon must pass back through an estuary to mate. The murky, meandering water of Thornton Creek opens up in front of you. Rocks covered in a thin layer of moss are everywhere, a perfect hiding spot, you hope. Fred shouts, “Yippee”, shooting off in front, chattering all the way. You reluctantly follow, muttering over and over, “We won’t die, we won’t die, we will not die .” As you slowly progress you hear the gurgle of water rapidly flowing out of a small pool through a steep riffle to your right. Abruptly, Fred’s constant non-stop chatter is silenced. You never thought that it was possible but it just happened.
41. Our story takes place in the waters right before lake Washington. This part of the stream is essential to make through because if the salmon does he/she can enter lake Washington. The dissolved oxygen level is 5-6. The ph level is 6. Ripples flow throughout the muddy water. You suddenly realize how scary it is without Fred, the enclosing darkness, the seemingly never ending river; it’s just not as bright without him. Up until now you had thought of Fred as a great annoyance, but now that he has mysteriously disappeared everything seems so dull. Your fears get the better of you. Your worries feel so heavy. You whisper, “Fred?” No reply. “Fred?” Again only silence. Now you’re frantic, “Fred?” A dark shape slowly approaches. Quietly you say “Fred?” But it is too late; a pair of jaws, merely five feet from the mouth of the creek, have already closed on you and crushed your puny salmon body in half. Sorry, you died. The End
46. You look around again and you realize that the object you have been chasing all this time is just a bubble. Frustrated, you whip around and are about to pop all of the bubbles when you see another salmon with Jo-Jo. They are talking, “Hi, I was just wondering where we are,” she asked. Jo-Jo replied, “We aren’t really sure either, but you could stay with us for awhile.” She seemed to like this idea and nodded her head. Egg fully emerges in May To June Female lays up to 4,500 eggs Female makes a nest out of pebbles
47. Egg fully emerges in May To June Female lays up to 4,500 eggs Female makes a nest out of pebbles Proclaiming that she was tired, without even telling you where she had come from or what her name was, she swam off toward the main stream outside of the safe pool. A couple of hours later, after Jo-Jo and you had each taken a nap, Jo-Jo decided to go check on the mysterious fish. He is gone for a while, then, worried, you decide to go check on him. When you get to the opening of the pool, you leap back in surprise. Jo-Jo and the other fish were stuck on the other side of the opening to the main stream, their tails swishing in fear.
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50. Besides, you might find food in the pool. You ponder this for a little while and then realize you have to come to a conclusion. If you don’t, starvation will be in your near future. Explore Pool Explore For Food
64. Cutthroat trout are vicious feeders, they often feed on fry. They have tiny teeth that help them catch their food. Chinook salmon Like cold, clear water and can be identified by black gums and a bronze back. Cutthroat trout like murky water and have red gill covers. You grunt like a bear in your frustration as you futilely try to tug the heavier fish along. As you are swimming along he tells you that his name is Rill, and you both give your autobiographies. You see a mighty two foot waterfall and both you and Rill go plunging down it. Finally after recovering, you stop to rest behind a boulder. Both you and Rill are exhausted and you collapse on the rocky floor. Pitying him, you decide to help him down the stream. It is harder than you thought- pulling him over shallow parts of water and helping him navigate.
65. Thornton creek is an exit for lots of storm drains. Parts of Thornton creek is home to salmon. Parts of Thornton creek are nature reserves. The nitrate, phosphate and fecal coliform level in the part of Thornton creek I researched were at a contained level. The ph level was slightly acidic. When you get up, you notice that the water is very bright. You swim to the surface but are stopped by a steady wave of heat coming from above. The riparian zone must be smaller than usual. For a ways down the stream, you both keep to the bottom. You see a disturbance in the water- a small log is slowing the water down. Suddenly you smack into something hard and limply float down the stream into a very dark hole.
66. OTHER THINGS IN TORNTON CREEK There are lots of things in Thornton creek. There are many predators and many few things that don’t eat salmon. The amount of litter in Thornton creek makes it hard for some things to live in. over all there are lots of things in Thornton creek from bacteria to brown bears. . “I don’t think we should go through the culvert,” you say as Rill swims closer to it. “Why not,” Rill asks as he swims even closer to the drain. “I smell food beyond the culvert.” “Okay, fine let’s go,” you reply. Once you swim through the culvert you realize you were foolish to follow Rill. You look around and realize that you are in a large riffle, the riparian zone hangs low over your head and you are sucked into the current. The water rushes towards you and you are forced the swim behind a stone. An otter swims by. “Food,” yells the otter as it rockets by. You and Rill are propelled into a side stream. The side stream is shady with no riparian zone and only one slender tree. “Hey watch where you’re going,” yells an angry beaver as it splashes by yelling at you. The otter you saw earlier swims toward you and Rill, it misses you again. “No,” it exclaims as it darts by again You glance around the river, you can swim to the path the otter swam along or to the path the beaver followed. Which do you choose? Follow the otter Follow the beaver
73. . You was still hiding when it swam again really close to me, this time it smelt me. It started chasing me under a tree, over a rock, faster, faster I urged my fins. I outran it finally. I was exhausted and my whole body ached, my fins where scratched and sore. The otter past again and again it found my I was in a new chase. I also knew that if I got caught I would die, I would be otter food. I swam desperately between two rocks in to a small pool. There was a cut-thought trough in the pool. It bit me and you die.
81. You feel alone despite the fact that you are surrounded by thousands of other salmon who you classify as ‘friends.’ You have come out of your redd in the cool, gravelly shade of the riparian zone overhead and have lost your yolk sack. You are as nervous as a student right before a large test. Another salmon comes up to you and you note his characteristics, he is, let’s say, unintelligent. He also has other traits, for example the fact that he crashes into rocks a lot and looks lovingly at the pond algae. “ Hello, I’m Albert,” he says. “ So, what do you do for entertainment around here?” You ask, while looking at the dull rocks and logs. “All I can see is fetching those really round white objects with lots of dents, but that would be boring.” “ Well I like to swim around in circles looking at the pond algae,” he answers. “ I’ll pass on that,” You say. He is such an idiot, you think. He is in love with pond algae and swims in circles for entertainment. Why do I have to be his companion, I mean, seriously. Eggs are a red and pink color and are about a half centimeter Alevin live in fresh water and eat their yolk sack Eggs live in fresh water Before hatching a salmon egg lives in a redd, a redd is a salmon nest; elongated oval depression in the streambed that is algae free
82. Some things that affect streams are, yard fertilizer, pets, litter, and run off from cars. Fertilizer affects salmon in the form of cancer, birth defects and immune suppression. Lakes or streams that have metals like aluminum in them give fish thick mucus over gills. Fertilizer that is not harmful to salmon are things like compost. “Hi pond algae, I love you, I mean I love my yolk sack.” Albert says to the pond algae while trying to look cool, which results in him denting his forehead on a large rock. Unfortunately for Albert, as the pond algae has no larynx, it therefore can’t respond
83. pH of Thornton Creek is 6.5 which is pretty normal for a stream. Stream bed is made of stones, gravel, mud, sand, clay and dead wood. Water is clear sometimes brownish tint. Lots of human made changes like roads, pipes and storm drains . You decide to go down a stream to search for food with your more intelligent friends. But of course Albert follows. You swim away from Albert to lose him as you think, Why me? Why me? Why me? Why do I always meet the idiots? From around the corner, you hear Albert’s call of “Help,” echo down a pipe. Ignoring him, you chase a stone fly larva.
84. He yells, “Help, I really, really need your help!” again, right as you chomp the bug. “ Can it wait? I’m concentrating,” you yell. You say, “Whoa,” as you taste more salty blood than you think that tiny little bug would have. Perplexed, you look around. You see the source of the extra blood – something upstream. You hear a chocked moan. You notice Albert’s fish tail sticking out of the water and you see him impaled by a yellow hexagonal object with a sharp black point on one end and a sort of squishy pink item attached to the other. You think, Oh God, I am the worst pretend friend ever. Albert needed help, and I went chasing bugs. How does a salmon lay eggs? How many? First, the female digs a redd, then she lays eggs, waits for a male, and then covers the redd w/ gravel from upstream edge. The female lays about 5,000 eggs in one redd and can lay up to 7 redds. Redds can be 1 to 2 feet wide and 6 to 10 feet long.
85. What is a watershed? An area encompassing a drainage basin All groundwater exits through a specific point Thornton Creek watershed is in Shoreline and Seattle, WA Thornton Creek watershed is _ mi tall x _ mi wide
86. Back at the nest your friends seem as hopeless as you are. “What can we do,” asked a girly salmon with a lisp named Fin, “we’re all too thmall and weak to find food and I don’t think that there are any other fifth who could or would help uth.” “ Well, you’re wrong about that,” said a loud friendly voice, “we’d be delighted to help you newbies find some food.” “ Yeah,” added another voice, “you don’t think that we’d let you kids starve, do you?” The first voice says to you, “Come on, we found a bunch of bugs and we’d be willing to share.” You look up and there are two large cutthroat trout looking at you. “Well, come on,” said Fin, “they thay there’th food, let’th go get thome.” You and the rest of your redd mates agree.
87. As you’re swimming, the trout introduce themselves as Tooth and Scar, they say that they found a large swarm of bugs in a large pool around the bend. “The way’s full of roots though” said Scar, “and we’ll need to go through with only one fish at a time with me and Tooth leading you.” You and the others all groan but agree in the end, food is food after all. Fin was first going deep into the tangle of roots with Scar and Tooth. In about five minutes Scar and Tooth came back without Fin and motioned for another fish to follow, followed by another. Finally it is your turn. I have an uneasy feeling about this, you think. Scar went in front and Tooth went behind. The roots were dark and soon closed all around you so you couldn’t see behind or ahead. “ Come on,” said Tooth “the food is waiting.” “ Yeah,” Scar chuckled “for us.” Your last thought is, well, I guess I get to apologize to Albert. Fry eat aquatic insects like macroinvertebrates and plankton Fry find their food while they are swimming and in a pool Fry are fresh water salmon In the fry stage salmon lose their yolk sacks and begin to search for food Go Back to Beginning
90. Floods help riparian zones grow. It also carries food down stream for salmon to eat in the pools that they hang out in. Floods accelerate the growth of plankton. Dams were designed to help control flooding, but fish like salmon have to somehow get around them. All of a sudden, the water level increases. Water begins to slosh off of the bank. Just as you come to the surface, a great wall of water rushes around the corner. A fish flails on top, screaming warnings, “Oh my gosh we’re all going to die! Ah! Ah! Ah! Look out below!” At this moment you are just beginning to acknowledge that there is a flood right in front of you, when suddenly you are sucked up, spun around and around, and are launched to the surface gasping for air. Finding some tricks to keep your stability, you regain your balance and begin to navigate around dangerous objects. You proceed like this, practicing swimming in a flood for the next stretch, which, luckily, isn’t very steep.
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93. Floyd and you spend the next three hours waiting and eating anything that gets washed into your cove. "Well, it's been a long day" you sigh. "We should get some rest." You retreat into you favorite nook in the back of the cove. Just as you reach the nook, it explodes. Pieces of river bank are flying in every direction. Water is gushing into the cove from above, sweeping everything into the hard current. "Floyd!" you shout over the rushing water. Unexpectedly, a face pops up in front of you. "Follow me," he yells back. Floyd takes off, darting between rocks jutting from the foaming water. As he swims, you do your best to follow. A waterfall looms into view. It's not a particularly far drop, but at the speed you're going, it doesn't look like the greatest path to take. Floyd keeps on heading at it though, and you follow. He’s thrusting right, next to the bank. "Floyd! What are you doing?" you yell, but it is no use, Floyd can’t hear you. He reaches the waterfall, and with a mighty leap, throws himself upward and off the edge with tremendous force. He flies as far as he can, and then flings himself to the right, and - Floyd is gone.
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95. Information about the site where the salmon are at this point in the story: Temperature: 10 0C (great for salmon) PH: 6 (Normal) Dissolved Oxygen: 5ppm (Tolerable, but Stressful) Lots of bugs to eat Lots of places to hide Lots of obstacles Water mainly calm The stream ushers you into a small, narrow, bumpy creek. It is raining. The water is roaring loader than ever, breaking your eardrums like they are twigs. All you can see is the plants and the branches sticking out of the mossy trees. The water seems to strangle you, pressing in from all sides. You try to grab a bite to eat, but the insects you see rush before you can even move, you are going down the creek much too fast. You try to slow down, but have already accelerated a great deal more than you should have. You see a single insect at the bottom of this stretch and try to swim to it, but by the time you reach it the rough water has already swept you away. Reaching a fork in the river, you are confronted with a hard choice. On the left you can just make out a sheltered area where you could try to ride out the flood. Peering the other way, you glimpse a wide side stream that may take you to calm water. You must choose quickly, before you are swept downwards towards a random path. Which will you choose? Ride out flood Swim to calm water
98. Suddenly a splash erupts and a young salmon much like yourself swims straight into you. The little fish starts babbling on and on in a loud squeaky voice about some other salmon. You manage to understand that her name is Bubbles. She seems upset about the salmon she was talking about. What was she talking about? You’re quite scared. “ Oh, I am so relieved to find you, and you don’t even know about Rustic, and...” said Bubbles. Eventually, you manage to get a word in. “Who is Rustic?” She sobs and says, “My brother.” Then she perks up and says, “What’s your name?” You say your name and ask, “Why are you so upset. In all my days of life I have never seen another fish upset about a dead sibling. “ One brother, one brother, he was my only living relative. All my siblings were eaten by a bear. So Rustic and I swam on alone, but then a bird came down and ate him,” Bubbles cries.
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101. After meeting the ducks and going forward you feel confident that there won’t be any more challenges, and that you and Bubbles will safely make it to the end of the stream. Some instinct guides you downstream and out of the blue comes a huge and dangerous looking rapid. Bubbles states, “Ladies first, ladies first.” She looks down the frightening rapid and says, “Actually, I’m going to let you go first this time.” The sky is getting dark, and you don’t want to waste any more time. You hurl yourself into the rapid. The rapid eats you up. You tumble down stream like an angry tornado, looking for Bubbles face. The riparian zone is an area that covers most of that part of the stream with vegetation. Riparian comes from ripa , witch is Latin for bank. The riparian zone is good for the streams, fish, and humans. A healthy riparian zone has a line of green on the streams floor.
102. You’re getting tired, so you and Bubbles find a quiet place to close your eyes. In the morning, a loud boom and the ground beneath you gives way. It wakes you up. You and Bubbles are on a cave floor and Bubbles. Four minuets later, wakes up and she’s as babbly as usual. You see a way out of the dark cave. Without thinking you come near it. At that point, you know it was a terrible idea, because you see so many streams, obstacles, rapids, etc. You have no clue where to go. You look left and you look right but all you see is the deep water of the stream. You don’t know how you will survive, but you know somehow you will and out of the blue you see two shapes. You don’t know what they are, so you swim a little closer to make out the shapes. The water quality is good in this part of the stream for instance the ph is six and the dissolved oxygen is 3.5. The water temperature is ten degrees and that is very good for the salmon, almost perfect. The site is covered in trees at one side and the other side has less, but still a lot of trees. There were bridges and garbage and one pipe.
108. Wetlands are habitats that fall on the environmental spectrum between land and water. They contain a mixture of species, conditions and interactions. They are among the most diverse and varied habitats. Wetland soils (hydric soils) are shaped by water. Soils are saturated/submerged all or part of the year. Wetlands are highly productive communities Wetlands have a high level of nutrients with the availability of water, they provide ideal habitats for fish, amphibians, shellfish and insects. Many birds and mammals rely on wetlands for food, water, and shelter. You swim for a little while. Overhead there is a cluster of green trees making a riparian zone. You haven’t eaten in a pretty long time. “Do you know anywhere we can find food?” You ask, hungrily. “ Sure follow me”, Perin says. You follow him, as he swims off briskly. When he finally tells you, “Well here we are”, you feel relived. You notice that the water is much calmer and clearer than usual water. You swim around, eating some insects here and there. After a while you notice two small people by the river bank. You think they are called children. They appear to be playing with several small objects that are different colors.
115. “ Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, bug wath good .” exclaims Darwin after he finishes the insect. By this time, you figure out that Darwin likes bugs. You try to not let him get in your way, but he still darts around the pool looking for snacks. “Are you done eating yet?” You ask him. You are about to leave him when you see some gloppy purple stuff floating around in the water. Swimming towards it you open your mouth. The purple stuff tastes very sweet and sticky. Rout to lake Washington Starts around Jackson’s Golf Course and goes south to Lake Washington. Then it empties into the Puget Sound through the locks. At the locks they have steps that go up the locks. They use Thornton creek as a way to get to lake Washington. Thornton Creek Goes under many roads.
116. Sight five Is over populated by ducks. Good riparian zone. Okay water quality (6ppm). Right next to lake Washington You feel bad for Darwin, he is probably going to die because he has no brains. No brains, no survival you think. “Hey Darwin, come over here,” you shout. He swims over in a slow awkward motion. He opens his mouth and says, “Thith tasth better than bug.” You and Darwin slowly consume all of the purple stuff. You feel a rush of temporary energy and so does Darwin. “Food.” yells Darwin and bolts away through the pool into a riffle.
117. Salmon migration On their migration the salmon go to somewhere like lake Washington or Puget Sound, then after they get big and fat they return to where they were born to spawn, then they die. The salmon usually starts it migration at its Parr stage. The salmon is led to Lake Washington and back by its instinct. Many common dangers/hazards that the salmon encounters are fishermen, dieses, larger fish and Birds. Following Darwin you arrive through the riffle into a vast pool with many ducks and fat newborn flies floating on the water. The pool was also filled with muddy water and debris. Many rocks were scattered at the bottom. “Darwin come back here!” You yell as Darwin bullets after a rather plump spider skimmer. You are still feeling sorry for him so you dash after him as quickly as your caudal fin can take you. You continue to follow Darwin until you see a shadow looming above.
![[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Introduction Go upstream in search of food Chase something that floats by Follow friends to food](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)