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Orion magazine publishes image of bald eagles in Alaska

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Orion magazine cover

I was not familiar with the nature magazine Orion until recently. The 30-year old magazine is known for its thoughtful nature writing and its coverage of environmental and cultural issues. Orion’s website states that “Orion’s mission is to inform, inspire, and engage individuals and grassroots organizations in becoming a significant cultural for for healing nature and community.” Headed by Editor-in-Chief Chip Blake, Managing Editor Andrew Blechman, and Editor Jennifer Sahn, the magazine has twice won the prestigious Utne Independent Press Award for General Excellence, most recently in 2010.

It has published such authors as Wendell Berry, Barry Lopez, Terry Tempest Williams, Michael Pollan, Mark Kurlansky, Derrick Jensen, Sandra Steingraber, Gretel Ehrlich, Bill McKibben, Barbara Kingsolver, Rebecca Solnit, William Kunstler, Cormac Cullinan, Erik Reece, James Howard Kunstler, and E.O. Wilson.

I was impressed with its attention to image selection and the clean but powerful visual presentation. As such, I’m especially pleased to have one of my bald eagle photographs, taken at the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, published in the March/April 2015 edition. The image accompanies an essay by Lia Purpura, writer in residence at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Purpura’s essay “My Eagles” was described in the index, “Strip away the cultural baggage, and you have a bird buoyed aloft by it its own meaning.”

Orion, a bimonthly, has no advertising in its pages. As a former magazine creative director, I was interested to learn that it is supported by 30% from subscriptions and sales, and 70% from donations. That’s an intriguing publishing model in today’s turbulent magazine publishing industry. The fact that Orion has been publishing using the model for 30 years says something about well it works for the magazine.

If you are not familiar with Orion magazine, check it out.

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Collecting DNA samples from grizzly bear saliva, SAY WHAT?

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Sometimes I get pretty odd looks from friends and family when I tell them the places I’m traveling to, or the things I’m going to photograph. The following fits into that category. Roughly, this is how my phone call from Alaska to Carol back home in Missouri went.

ME: (excited) “Remember Rachel Wheat, the ecologist PhD. candidate from the University of California Santa Cruz who I photographed trapping bald eagles to study movement patterns based on salmon availability?”

CAROL: “Sure, I remember her project and the photos you took. Really interesting work, catching the eagles and then tracking where they went with the GPS transmitters.”

ME: “Well, I just found out that as part of her dissertation, she is also collecting DNA from grizzly bears by sampling their saliva.”

CAROL: (a moment of silence, then) “Say what!?”

ME: (still excited) Yeah, it’s really cool. She’s going to let me document her as she goes about sampling. She samples the saliva left on salmon carcasses that bears have fed on. The technique is pretty much like they do on TV crime shows using cotton swabs. I’ve already been working on a different project on the same creek where she’ll be working. There are carcasses everywhere! The place must be a hornet’s nest of bears based on the fish remains I’ve seen.

CAROL: “Ah, (hesitantly) You be careful. All the dead fish sounds stinky.”

And so I was off once again to document Wheat and her work.

The search for bear drool

My interest in the work of scientists goes back to my time as a photojournalist at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Among my favorite assignments were feature stories on research being conducted by biologists, botanists, ecologists, geologists, foresters and conservationists. These assignments invariably led to learning about interesting work in interesting places.

This has been the case with my documenting Wheat’s work near Haines, Alaska the past two years. As mentioned earlier, I have already photographed Wheat working on one of the cornerstones of her dissertation project, the capturing and tracking bald eagles from the Chilkat River. This past summer she finished the field work for the other two parts of her project. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen.

Finding salmon carcasses was relatively easy for Wheat. It was the middle of September during the fall chum salmon run. Once the salmon spawn, they die. They make for easy pickings for the wildlife that feeds on them.

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, searches for salmon carcasses on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

A chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) powers its way up the special spawning channel of Herman Creek to spawn during the fall chum salmon run. The nonprofit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA) built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt. The chum salmon is returning to freshwater Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska after three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Both sexes of adult chum salmon change colors and appearance upon returning to freshwater. Unlike male sockeye salmon which turn bright red for spawning, male chum salmon change color to an olive green with purple and green vertical stripes. These vertical stripes are not as noticeable in females, who also have a dark horizontal band. Both male and female chum salmon develop hooked snout (type) and large canine teeth. These features in female salmon are less pronounced. Herman Creek is a tributary of the Klehini River and is only 10 miles downstream of the area currently being explored as a potential site of a copper and zinc mine. The exploration is being conducted by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. Some local residents and environmental groups are concerned that a mine might threaten the area’s salmon. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals, found in mine waste, leaching into the Klehini River and the Chilkat River further downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

The spawning chum salmon were frantically rushing up the small creek where Wheat was sampling. I couldn’t help but think that the noise of their flapping tails in the shallow water had to be have been heard by the bears in the woods. The night before I met Wheat at the creek an Alaska State Trooper reported seeing seven bears in the area. Luckily, there were no chance encounters with bears but Wheat was prepared for one with an air horn and bear spray within quick reach on her backpack should they become necessary to use.

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, searches for salmon carcasses on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

It had been raining and Wheat was concerned about how the rain might affect the quality of today’s samples. Many of the salmon carcasses revealed that the brains of the fish, a tasty favorite of the bears, had been surgically removed and eaten.

Bears aren’t the only ones dining on the salmon remains. So are the eagles. That’s not surprising since the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve includes the creek area where Wheat was sampling. During late fall, bald eagles congregate in the Chilkat Valley to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles is believed to be among the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. It is also part of the reason why Wheat chose the Chilkat River eagles to see how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement.

Sampling the salmon for bear saliva is straight out of the tv show, CSI: Las Vegas. Rachel gloves up with latex gloves to avoid contamination, then uses a swab to wipe across areas of a carcass where an animal is likely to have left their drool. Teeth holes are are also poked into with a swab.

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, takes a bear saliva DNA sample from a partially consumed salmon on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, takes a bear saliva DNA sample from a partially consumed salmon on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, takes a bear saliva DNA sample from a partially consumed salmon on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, places a vial containing a sample of bear saliva on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. A partially consumed chum salmon lies on the banks of the spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, enters the notes for a DNA sample she has taken onto her box of bear saliva samples she has collected from salmon on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, records information onto a vial containing a bear saliva swab sample she collected from a salmon on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, uses a GPS to record the location a salmon carcass from which she has taken a bear saliva DNA sample from on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, photographs a salmon carcass from which she has taken a bear saliva DNA sample from on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska. Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/ During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Wheat then snaps off the long wooden stick portion of the sampling stick and places the cotton swab portion in a small vial of sterile solution. She gives the sample a number and records the type of fish. She then takes a photo of the salmon carcass and records its location using a GPS. It’s all typical field work procedures for an ecologist like Wheat.

Photojournalist John L. Dengler poses with a chum salmon carcass along the Herman Creek man-made spawning channel near Haines, Alaska. Dengler was photographing ecologist Rachel Wheat working on her research project. Wheat was collecting DNA samples from the saliva of bears who had partially eaten the salmon as part of her Ph.D. dissertation. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Photo by Rachel Wheat/EcologyAlaska.com

Many of the salmon were pretty disgusting. Some seemed alive with flies and maggots busily working on the remains. With one of the salmon I was asked to help flip the fish so Wheat could sample. It was hard to imagine that what was left was once a salmon.

The smell wasn’t too bad because there was a slight breeze, but you definitely knew you were around rotting fish. Unfortunately I made the mistake of setting my pack on what I thought was a clean spot on the ground. I didn’t make that mistake again as my pack picked up the eau de cologne of rotting salmon. The fact that my pack picked up the fish odor reminded me that salmon don’t just feed bears, eagles and people, but their decaying bodies also add nutrients to the forest floor. As testament to that, salmon DNA can often be found in the trees of Southeast Alaska. What an interesting role that salmon play in the circle of life.

What Wheat hopes to learn from the saliva samples

With the 460 saliva samples collected, Wheat will be collaborating on the DNA analysis with Dr. Taal Levi at Oregon State University. Wheat hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individual bears. She also is looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence.

Balancing economic gain with ecosystem processes

I asked Wheat about why she feels her research is important to understand the ecological connections between salmon, eagles, bears, and fishermen.

She thoughtfully responded, “Salmon are a critically important component of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems; they are a keystone species and the foundation of local and regional economies, and have immense social, political, and ecological value. But there is still a lot we don’t know about the importance of salmon to their ecological communities.”

Wheat elaborated, “Currently, most salmon populations are managed to maximize commercial yield, but that isn’t necessarily the best thing for the long-term viability and stability of the population, or the non-human and non-commercial communities that salmon support. My research, as a whole, looks to address this shortcoming. Salmon support a multimillion dollar industry, but they are also important to subsistence fishermen and wildlife, and my research will hopefully lend support to the argument that salmon management should look toward balancing economic gain with other uses, including ecosystem processes.”

As I have found out this past year on my own personal quest to learn more about salmon, this keystone species truly does play an important link to all forms of life in Southeast Alaska. Wheat’s search for determining this balance seems to be worthy of her hard-work. Like so many things about life on this planet, balance can at times be hard to recognize, and even harder to achieve.

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After years at sea, chum salmon return home to Herman Creek to spawn

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Male chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) make their way up the special spawning channel of Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The nonprofit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA) built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt. These chum salmon are returning to freshwater Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska after three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Both sexes of adult chum salmon change colors and appearance upon returning to freshwater. Unlike male sockeye salmon which turn bright red for spawning, male chum salmon change color to an olive green with purple and green vertical stripes. These vertical stripes are not as noticeable in females, who also have a dark horizontal band. Both male and female chum salmon develop hooked snout (type) and large canine teeth. These features in female salmon are less pronounced. Herman Creek is a tributary of the Klehini River and is only 10 miles downstream of the area currently being explored as a potential site of a copper and zinc mine. The exploration is being conducted by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. Some local residents and environmental groups are concerned that a mine might threaten the area’s salmon. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals, found in mine waste, leaching into the Klehini River and the Chilkat River further downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Bald eagles are what initially brought me to the Chilkat River near Haines, Alaska. While I continue make the eagles an important part of my coverage, I have become interested in issues related to the eagles.

For example, one of the questions I set out to explore is why the eagles come to the Chilkat Valley. In previous posts and images, I have talked about the groundwater upwellings that keep a stretch of the Chilkat River at the Tsirku River alluvial fan from freezing (you can see aerial photos of the Tsirku River alluvial fan at the Chilkat River here and here). This unique geological and hydrological feature, combined with a late salmon run, are why the eagles congregate.  Without the salmon, the eagles would have no incentive to visit the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in the numbers they do. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for this gathering of eagles; which is among the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world.

So, on my visits to the Chilkat Valley this year, I focused my efforts on salmon, specifically chum salmon. After initial inquiries about when best to return to the Chilkat Valley, I determined that returning in September would ensure that I was there for the height of the fall chum salmon run. I felt that Herman Creek, a tributary of the Klehini River which flows into the Chilkat River would be a good spot to photograph the run.

Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean.

A chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) powers its way up the special spawning channel of Herman Creek to spawn during the fall chum salmon run. The nonprofit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA) built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt. The chum salmon is returning to freshwater Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska after three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Both sexes of adult chum salmon change colors and appearance upon returning to freshwater. Unlike male sockeye salmon which turn bright red for spawning, male chum salmon change color to an olive green with purple and green vertical stripes. These vertical stripes are not as noticeable in females, who also have a dark horizontal band. Both male and female chum salmon develop hooked snout (type) and large canine teeth. These features in female salmon are less pronounced. Herman Creek is a tributary of the Klehini River and is only 10 miles downstream of the area currently being explored as a potential site of a copper and zinc mine. The exploration is being conducted by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. Some local residents and environmental groups are concerned that a mine might threaten the area’s salmon. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals, found in mine waste, leaching into the Klehini River and the Chilkat River further downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

A chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) powers its way up the special spawning channel of Herman Creek to spawn during the fall chum salmon run. The nonprofit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA) built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt. The chum salmon is returning to freshwater Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska after three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Both sexes of adult chum salmon change colors and appearance upon returning to freshwater. Unlike male sockeye salmon which turn bright red for spawning, male chum salmon change color to an olive green with purple and green vertical stripes. These vertical stripes are not as noticeable in females, who also have a dark horizontal band. Both male and female chum salmon develop hooked snout (type) and large canine teeth. These features in female salmon are less pronounced. Herman Creek is a tributary of the Klehini River and is only 10 miles downstream of the area currently being explored as a potential site of a copper and zinc mine. The exploration is being conducted by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. Some local residents and environmental groups are concerned that a mine might threaten the area’s salmon. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals, found in mine waste, leaching into the Klehini River and the Chilkat River further downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

The spectacle of seeing the salmon travel up the creek was not what I expected. The chum salmon noisily made their way up the creek in bursts of energy. At times, the sound of all the splashing, as they made their way upstream, reminded me of the sounds of a frantic bird flapping its wings. Their olive green with purple and dark green stripe spawning colors are different from the bright red spawning colors of sockeye salmon.

A female chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), right, and a male chum salmon (left) make their way up the special spawning channel of Herman Creek during the fall chum salmon run. The male has likely already spawned due to his battle-scarred and deteriorating body. These chum salmon are returning to freshwater Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska after three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon begin to deteriorate and die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Both sexes of adult chum salmon change colors and appearance upon returning to freshwater. Unlike male sockeye salmon which turn bright red for spawning, male chum salmon change color to an olive green with purple and green vertical stripes. These vertical stripes are not as noticeable in females, who also have a dark horizontal band. Both male and female chum salmon develop hooked snout (type) and large canine teeth. These features in female salmon are less pronounced. Herman Creek is a tributary of the Klehini River and is only 10 miles downstream of the area currently being explored as a potential site of a copper and zinc mine. The exploration is being conducted by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C. along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. Some local residents and environmental groups are concerned that a mine might threaten the area’s salmon. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals, found in mine waste, leaching into the Klehini River and the Chilkat River further downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. During that period after spawning as they await their death, the salmon take on a look not unlike you would expect from a zombie movie. Their skin looks rotten, tattered, even falling off. In the case of the above photo, a male salmon (left) exhibits injuries that were possibly inflicted by a bear hoping to make a meal of the fish. The salmon at the right is a female chum salmon. Note the difference in the teeth and mouths of the different sexes.

Photographing the salmon proved to be more difficult than I imagined. First, there was the bone-chilling 38°F water. Sitting perfectly still for extended periods in water this cold with your lower body and arms immersed holding the camera underwater is physically challenging. I used a combination of extra thick neoprene waders, and commercial fisherman’s gloves that covered most of my arms. Underneath all that I had multiple layers of long underwear and fleece.  Even with all that clothing, I felt frozen. Second, salmon, like any wild critter, are easily spooked. For all I know, perhaps they saw me as a small, hungry grizzly bear.

The personal highlight of photographing the salmon occurred when I was standing in the water perfectly still. An 18 to 20-inch salmon cautiously approached me, stopped, and then gently passed between my open legs. You can’t get much closer to wildlife than that.

Assisting mother nature with the spawning process

Coming in September during the chum run also allowed me to photograph the wildstock artificial spawning efforts by the The Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA).

NSRAA, a regional private nonprofit hatchery association maintains three chum salmon spawning channels near Haines, Alaska; two at Herman Creek and one at the Chilkat River. They also maintain incubation boxes at Herman Creek, 31-mile Haines Highway and 17-mile Haines Highway.

NSRAA built the channels to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their roe (eggs) and milt (semen) to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The roe is fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes.

I met up with NSRAA fish technicians David Campbell and Dylan Burbank to observe the artificial spawning process. First, Campbell and Burbank constructed an artificial weir on the spawning channel of Herman Creek which salmon could enter but not escape. The weir is protected by an electric fence and a motion-detection alarm that blasts a deafening shrill should bears looking for an easy meal approach.

Dylan Burbank (left) and David Campbell, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), use a large net to catch chum salmon trapped in a temporary weir located on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

David Campbell (left) and Dylan Burbank, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), harvest chum salmon at a temporary weir located on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska. Captured fish are killed with small bats. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Dylan Burbank, a fish technician for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), captures a chum salmon at a temporary weir located on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Harvested chum salmon are sorted by sex for processing by fish technicians from the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA). The capture and processing takes place at a man-made spawning channel near Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Fish trapped between the weir structure are rounded up by Campbell and Burbank using a big net or by simply grabbing by hand from a trap box that fish could swim into if they felt so inclined. It’s hard work lugging the big net with dozens of fish, each weighing approximately 11 to 15 pounds. It is just as hard to later toss each individual fish into a sorting pile (male vs. female) after the fish has been killed with a blow to the head with a small aluminum bat. The sharp canine-like teeth cut easily cut through the fish technician’s thick vinyl gloves.

David Campbell (left) and Dylan Burbank, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), harvest roe from a female chum salmon next to a man-made spawning channel near Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Female chum salmon may lay as many as 4,000 eggs, but typically the range is 2,400 to 3,100 eggs. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

David Campbell and Dylan Burbank, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), harvest roe from a female chum salmon next to a man-made spawning channel near Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Female chum salmon may lay as many as 4,000 eggs, but typically the range is 2,400 to 3,100 eggs. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Once sorted, Campbell and Burbank begin the process of removing the roe (eggs) from the females by slicing the egg sac along the bottom of the salmon with a ring-like short curved blade. The precious roe is caught with an ordinary kitchen strainer. Each female might contain as many as 4,000 eggs but typically the range is 2,400 to 3,100 eggs.

Dylan Burbank (left) and David Campbell, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), inspect roe from a female chum salmon captured on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. It is important to remove bad eggs to keep the fish healthy while in the incubation boxes. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

The roe is carefully inspected for bad eggs.

Dylan Burbank, fish technician for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), displays examples of healthy roe from a female chum salmon captured on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. It is important to remove bad eggs to keep the fish healthy while in the incubation boxes. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Example of good chum salmon eggs

Dylan Burbank, fish technician for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), displays an example of bad roe from a female chum salmon captured on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. It is important to remove bad eggs to keep the fish healthy while in the incubation boxes. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Example of a bad chum salmon egg. Bad eggs create mold and fungus in the incubation box, killing off good eggs.

David Campbell, fish technician for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), pours roe from a female chum salmon captured on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. The roe will be transported in plastic bags and coolers to the incubation boxes where the roe will be fertilized with milt. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Once the roe has been gathered and placed in kitchen plastic storage bags, the process of gathering the milt from the males begins.

Dylan Burbank (left) and David Campbell, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), collect milt from a male chum salmon at a man-made spawning channel near Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Dylan Burbank (left) and David Campbell, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), collect milt from a male chum salmon at a man-made spawning channel near Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Milt is gathered in small plastic bags. The milt is extracted by pressing and sliding a hand across the bottom of the male salmon. Let me just say that careful aim is needed in this step of the process.

David Campbell (left), and Dylan Burbank fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), carry coolers of roe and milt from chum salmon captured on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. NSRAA built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt to artificially spawn wild chum salmon. The eggs are fertilized with milt and placed in stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. As the bumper sticker touts, Alaskan fisherman are proud that fish from Alaska are not farmed fish. At the incubation boxes the eggs will be fertilized with the milt and then placed in the incubation boxes. Over the winter the fertilized eggs will develop into fry. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Once they are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Campbell (left) and Burbank carry coolers of roe and milt collected from chum salmon captured on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek. The roe and milt will be taken to the stream-side incubation boxes on Herman Creek and the Klehini River.

Dylan Burbank (right), and David Campbell, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), measure and record the weight of eggs collected from chum salmon captured at the man-made spawning channels at Herman Creek, located near Haines, Alaska. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Weighing the eggs is the way technicians determine how many eggs are placed in the incubation boxes. After weighing, the eggs will be fertilized with the milt and then placed in the incubation boxes. Over the winter the fertilized eggs will develop into fry. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Once they are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Dylan Burbank (right), and David Campbell, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), measure and record the weight of eggs collected from chum salmon captured at the man-made spawning channels at Herman Creek, located near Haines, Alaska. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Weighing the eggs is the way the technicians determine how many eggs are placed in the incubation boxes. After weighing, the roe will be fertilized with the milt and then placed in the incubation boxes. Over the winter the fertilized eggs will develop into fry. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Once they are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

David Campbell (left) and Dylan Burbank measure and record the weight of eggs collected from chum salmon captured at the man-made spawning channels at Herman Creek. Weighing the eggs is the way the technicians determine how many eggs are placed in the incubation boxes. In the spring when the boxes are cleaned out, dead eggs are weighed. This provides a count of fish that became fry.

Once the chum salmon roe and milt are mixed together, the milt begins to foam. A small amount of water is added and the roe and milt are gently mixed by hand. Then the roe is rinsed with the fresh water from Herman Creek. After mixing the roe with the milt, the roe is placed in the incubation boxes over a bed of loosely ground chunks of plastic. The incubation boxes have a steady flow of fresh water from Herman Creek flowing through them. Over the winter the fertilized eggs will develop into fry. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Once they are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own. The non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), fertilizes chum salmon roe with milt collected from chum salmon captured at the man-made spawning channels at Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

After weighing, the eggs are fertilized with the milt, and some water from Herman Creek.

Once the chum salmon roe and milt are mixed together, the milt begins to foam. A small amount of water is added and the roe and milt are gently mixed by hand. Then the roe is rinsed with the fresh water from Herman Creek. After mixing the roe with the milt, the roe is placed in the incubation boxes over a bed of loosely ground chunks of plastic. The incubation boxes have a steady flow of fresh water from Herman Creek flowing through them. Over the winter the fertilized eggs will develop into fry. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Once they are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own. The non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), fertilizes chum salmon roe with milt collected from chum salmon captured at the man-made spawning channels at Herman Creek located near Haines, Alaska. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

The mixture is very gently mixed, then rinsed with stream water.

David Campbell, a fish technician for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), gently pours the fertilized eggs onto a bed of loosely ground chunks of plastic in the incubation boxes. The boxes are located on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska. The incubation boxes have a steady flow of fresh water from Herman Creek flowing through them. Over the winter the fertilized eggs will develop into fry. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Once they are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Campbell very gently pours the fertilized eggs into the incubation box.

Fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), place the fertilized chum salmon eggs onto a bed of loosely ground chunks of plastic in the incubation boxes. The boxes are located on the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek near Haines, Alaska. The incubation boxes have a steady flow of fresh water from Herman Creek flowing through them. Over the winter the fertilized eggs will develop into fry. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Once they are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into incubation boxes on the Klehini River (Herman Creek and at 31-mile Haines Highway). The 2013 incubation box survival rate at the Herman Creek incubation site was roughly 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Over on the Chilkat River, 1.2 million eggs were seeded. In 2013, the Chilkat River incubation site had a 98% survival rate. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Water from Herman Creek flows continuously through the incubation boxes. Once the fry are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own through the water  discharge pipe.

Dylan Burbank (right), and David Campbell, fish technicians for the non-profit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA), measure and record the weight of eggs collected from chum salmon captured at the man-made spawning channels at Herman Creek, located near Haines, Alaska. In 2014, 2.4 million eggs were seeded into these incubation boxes. The 2013 incubation box survival rate was 90%. Without the artificial spawning, natural survival is said to be only 10%. Weighing the eggs is the way the technicians determine how many eggs are placed in the incubation boxes. After weighing, the eggs will be fertilized with the milt and then placed in the incubation boxes. Over the winter the fertilized eggs will develop into fry. The incubation process is 100% natural. Fry are not fed. Once they are big enough, the fish leave the incubation boxes on their own. The shotgun is kept handy for protection from bears. Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. Male chum salmon return to Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The chum salmon return to freshwater Herman Creek, tributary of the Klehini River after living three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Throughout the process Campbell and Burbank keep one eye on their surroundings for grizzly bears who also frequent the same stream during the salmon run. A silver shotgun is always within each reach. The day before I met them, Campbell and Burbank had a large grizzly bear charge their pickup truck as they pulled up. They had come between a sow and her cubs who were likely attracted to the dead and dying salmon along the spawning channels. A frenzied reversal of the truck deescalated the situation.

NSRAA has maintained a presence in the Chilkat Valley since 1984 with wildstock enhancement projects ranging from sockeye lake stocking, chum and sockeye streamed incubation, and spawning channel construction. NSRAA’s current focus is on the four chum salmon spawning channels and three chum salmon stream incubation sites.

Based in Sitka, Alaska, NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects in the Chilkat Valley and other sites in northern southeast Alaska. It is funded through a salmon enhancement tax (of three percent) and cost-recovery income. NSRAA also produces sockeye, chinook, and coho salmon. In 2014, it is estimated that NSRAA’s contributions to the commercial salmon harvest was $8.27 million, or about 6.6% of the total $126 million Southeast Alaska commercial salmon harvest.

UPDATE: The March 26, 2015 edition of the Chilkat Valley News reports that NSRAA has decided to suspend their incubation box projects in the Haines area, including those at Herman Creek. NSRAA’s decision is based on a low return on investment for the number of fish that the project produced. Building additional chum salmon spawning channels for the area in the future is being considered.

UPDATE: The September 3, 2015 edition of the Chilkat Valley News reports that NSRAA has lengthened the two spawning channels at Herman Creek by a third. The project was funded with a state Department of Commerce grant.

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Call the “High One” Denali, not Mt. McKinley

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Sun rises on Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range as seen from Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Mount McKinley also known as Denali is North America's tallest peak at 20,320 feet and towers over 18,000 feet above the surrounding lowlands. Other mountain peaks pictured include: Mount Brooks, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Tatum, and Mount Carpe. SPECIAL NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together. (John L. Dengler)

UPDATE: On August 31, 2015, President Obama put the issue to rest and changed Mt. McKinley to Denali.

Yesterday’s news that Alaska Republican U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are making the annual introduction of a bill to officially rename 20,310-foot Mt. McKinley to it’s original historical Athabaskan name, Denali (the Great One or the High One), reminded me of how privileged and lucky I have been to have seen and photograph the mountain. If you ever are lucky enough to see Denali, I think you will understand why I side with Alaskans on this issue. Words and pictures can never describe the view. There literally isn’t a mountain visually taller on the planet. Even though Mt. Everest is higher, Denali’s 18,000-foot change in elevation from it’s base in the lowlands to it’s peak is more than Mt. Everest (only a 12,000-foot change).

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Denali, North America’s tallest peak, on our first visit to Wonder Lake, located deep in Denali National Park and Preserve. After a 6-hour, 84-mile bus ride in a modified school bus, we arrived at Wonder Lake in light rain. Denali is only 25 miles away from Wonder Lake but it was totally obscured by clouds. Not seeing the mountain for weeks, or even a month at a time, isn’t unusual. A visitor has a 33-percent chance of seeing the mountain with clear skies. The odds of a partial view aren’t much better at 40-percent. The park rangers at the Eielson Visitor Center, the closest park visitor center to the peak in the park, keep a calendar in which they hand draw what the peak looked like on a particular day. Most of the drawings are gray clouds.

Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali (Athabaskan for "The High One") basks in morning light at sunrise in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The snow and glacier covered mountain, part of the Alaska Range soars to a height of 20,320 feet. Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain on the North American continent. Although Mt. Everest is higher, the vertical rise of Mt. McKinley is greater. This view is a small detail from the north slopes of the mountain seen from Wonder Lake. (John L. Dengler)

Denali basks in morning light at sunrise in Denali National Park and Preserve. This view is a small detail from the north slopes of the mountain seen from Wonder Lake.

So you can imagine we were dang excited when later that evening we saw a sliver of the mountain in the still heavily overcast skies. Impressed, I took a few photos and went to bed. Then in the early dawn at roughly 4 a.m., Carol shook me telling me I had to immediately get up and look outside the tent. My jaw dropped. The sliver of the mountain that we had seen the night before, was only the foothills of the peak. Those mountains looked like the familiar mountains of the Front Range in Colorado. Towering above them was the icy granite massif, Denali. Even at a distance of 26 miles away we had to tilt our heads upward to take in the mountain. Next to seeing the Aurora borealis, it is probably the most spectacular thing I have seen.

I hope that anyone who makes the effort to Denali National Park gets a chance to see the mountain. Here are some tips that might increase your chances. First, the Wonder Lake campground is the closest you can get to the mountain on land without serious backpacking across the dangerous swift moving McKinley River. It is a great backcountry campground located in a wet boggy area and is one of the most mosquito infested places I have been. Only camping in the Everglades in the summer was worse. You won’t think anything of the cold, rainy, and fierce mosquitos if you get to see the mountain. If you don’t see the mountain, you might curse me for ever putting the thought of seeing the mountain in your head. To increase your chances, you’ll want to stay multiple days at Wonder Lake. I usually try to stay 4 – 6 days, using Wonder Lake as a base to day hike from. The park’s shuttle bus makes it easy to day hike in other areas of the park once you have explored the Wonder Lake area on foot. The final tip I would give is to get up early. It has been my experience that Denali is often visible in the very early morning hours. Don’t hit the snooze alarm though. More often than not it might only stay completely clear for 20 minutes. The mountain creates its own weather and it changes quickly.

Denali teased me in my failed attempt take this time-lapse movie of the clouds swirling around the peak overnight. I hoped that it would eventually clear in this view from Wonder Lake. No such luck.

There is no question that Denali has been over-photographed by professional and amateur photographers. That still doesn’t deter me from trying. Just the exercise of putting in extra effort to simply see the mountain makes it worthwhile. Frankly, in many ways, trying to photograph the mountain is futile. Seeing Denali is one of those things you have to see in person. A photograph will never capture the immensity and majesty that you experience in person.

So as the Alaska delegation tries again after four and a half decades of previous attempts to get the mountain renamed, I’m hoping that this time they succeed and defeat the Ohio delegation’s (President William McKinley was from Ohio) attempts to block the name change to Denali, the name it was for thousands of years before a gold prospector called the mountain McKinley.

Sun rises on Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range as seen from Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Also pictured is the setting moon, above Mount McKinley. Mount McKinley also known as Denali is North America's tallest peak at 20,320 feet and towers over 18,000 feet above the surrounding lowlands. Other mountain peaks pictured include: Mount Brooks, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Tatum, Mount Carpe and Mount Foraker. SPECIAL NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together. (John L. Dengler)

ABOVE: Sun rises on Denali and the Alaska Range as seen from Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve. Also pictured is the setting moon, above Denali. Other mountain peaks pictured include: Mount Brooks, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Tatum, Mount Carpe and Mount Foraker. EDITORS NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together.

TOP OF PAGE: Sun rises on Denali and the Alaska Range as seen from Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve. EDITORS NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together.

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