Can't get to a river to see salmon return to spawn? The new King County Salmon Cam website,
launched today by King County Executive Ron Sims, takes you there. See real-time video of sockeye, chinook and coho salmon
migrating in a small King County stream right from your desktop at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/salmoncam/.
Tens of thousands of salmon are returning to spawn in local waterways like the one featured on the
King County Salmon Cam website. The clean gravel, cold water, and overhanging trees you see are signs of a
well-functioning watershed — good for people and good for fish.
"With just the click of a mouse, anyone can see salmon spawning in a King County stream," said King County Executive Ron Sims who initiated the project to help raise awareness about the need to protect and restore salmon habitat. "In a high-tech region such as ours, it makes sense to bring live video of salmon to the World Wide Web to pique the interest of Internet users and get them connected to salmon, too."
Wild chinook salmon and bull trout are listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act making salmon recovery of regional importance.
Technology: A window to our environment
The King County Salmon Cam site is made
possible by a partnership with SecureEye, Inc., a local high-tech company and private King County landowners. Sims thanked SecureEye and the homeowners, who wish to remain anonymous, Verizon DSL service, and the many King County agencies who partnered to make this project possible.
The two Eastside homeowners have generously volunteered the use of their land in the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed, which contains a small creek where a digital camera has been placed to allow millions of Web viewers to see wild salmon runs.
SecureEye is loaning over $7,500 worth of equipment to
King County to make Salmon Cam a reality. They have also donated their labor, valued at $5,000, to install and remove the equipment. SecureEye sees the project as an educational opportunity for viewers and a chance to test their equipment in a new setting as well.
SecureEye's unique Web software allows viewers, worldwide, to see real-time images from the creek, at a variety of speeds, with the ability to control the camera angles for the best action shots. Web users will also be able to review a week's worth of archives, stored in 2-minute movie segments, for highlights and even e-mail clips to a friend.
"SecureEye wants to provide government agencies with this technology, which can save taxpayers money and improve the lives of the public as a whole," said Doug Macmillan, SecureEye Business Development Manager. "We feel that showcasing our system on a project like this will naturally raise interest."
Located in downtown Seattle, SecureEye, Inc. delivers a unique "telepresence" to the security camera market and is installing systems in hospitals, telecommunication facilities, government buildings and "smart" buildings. For more information on SecureEye, call (206) 812-8711, or visit their website, at
www.secureeye.com.
Spot different salmon species
Sockeye salmon will be the most numerous, and most the visible with their bright red and green colors, and will be present in the stream now through mid-October. This year's sockeye run will be much larger than the last three years, making for a spectacular visual experience.
The chinook salmon are larger than sockeye but not as vividly colorful. They'll be in the stream through the end of November but in smaller numbers than the sockeye. These chinook are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Coho salmon will begin appearing in the stream sometime in November and stay into December. Coho are typically smaller than both the sockeye and chinook, and will be darker in color than the sockeye.
See salmon in the flesh
If viewing these salmon runs online inspires folks to run out to local streams themselves, the King County Salmon Cam site includes directions to Bear Creek, along the Cedar River, and other locations where people can go to see salmon "in the flesh."
Other King County Salmon Cam site features include:
For more information, please contact Saffa Bardaro, King County Department of Natural Resources, at (206) 296-8263.
Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities will be provided upon request.
Link to: Salmon Cam website
