OROVILLE — For many Butte County residents, the Salmon Festival is a chance to enjoy local vendors and activities. For others, the festival is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the salmon and wildlife culture in the Feather River.
To kick off the festival, the Maidu Konkow Valley Band from the North Fork of the Feather River performed a series of opening ceremony dances.
Wallace Clark, a member of the Maidu and a “noponi,” the carrier of traditions, helped host and lead the opening ceremony alongside the traditional dancers.
“We’ve been celebrating the salmon for thousands of years, where all different people could come and enjoy the salmon feed,” Clark said. “Throughout the decades that has incorporated into a larger base with the Salmon Festival.”
The Maidu are the only tribe permitted to spear fish in the Feather River. During the weeks leading up to the Salmon Festival, tribe members can be found fishing just south of Riverbend Park.
The festival not only celebrates salmon, but is an opportunity for members of the community to fundraise and spread awareness for numerous organizations in Butte County.
Joan Bosque, a member of The Friends of the Feather River Nature Center, recognized the community involvement during the annual Salmon Soirée, which aimed to raise funds for the fully self supported nature center in Oroville.
“We had a big fundraising dinner for the nature center last night, and we almost sold out,” Bosque said Saturday. “We had great support from the community for raffle prizes, wineries donated wine for the event and Feather Falls Brewery donated beer for the dinner provided by Feather Falls Catering, so it was really festive and community oriented.”
The nature center partnered with the Feather River Fish Hatchery to further educate community members about salmon and the new struggles they face in today’s evolving environment.
Although the Feather River Fish Hatchery is closed to the public because of the pandemic, the viewing windows and salmon ladder are still open for public enjoyment and education.
In recent years, about 50% of salmon habitats have been destroyed by the building of dams.
“The reason we’re here is because of the building of the dam, as mitigation for the lost habitat that happened,” Feather River Fish Hatchery Manager Anna Kastner, said. “We’re trying to keep the populations going and because we care for these fish, we have an 80-85% survival rate, where out on the river they have maybe 5%. It’s not just about the fish, it’s about the environment.”
The efforts of the hatchery combined with community outreach from other organizations has transformed the Salmon Festival into an educational opportunity for residents, as well as a fun day out with family.
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September 26, 2021 at 06:31PM
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Salmon Festival focuses on community and fish - Chico Enterprise-Record
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