Making up for blustery weather that canceled the event last year, late-afternoon sunshine graced this year’s edition of the Fauntleroy Creek gathering to call the salmon home. Above right, creek steward Judy Pickens confers with young salmon fans just before the start of the event, which she has organized for more than a decade. We counted at least 75 people of all ages at the overlook by the time the drumming, singing, and poetry began. Our video clip starts with Kevin Finney leading a round of the latter, call-and-response style, and continues with Bronwyn Edwards Cryer leading the singalong of “Habitat” (to the tune of the oldies classic “Lollipop”):

Will Fauntleroy Creek see coho spawners this year? Volunteers will start officially watching for them right after Halloween, and will continue for most of November. This past spring, Pickens and husband Phil Sweetland helped local schools with raising and releasing almost 2,000 coho fry; they plan to continue those efforts even though (as reported here last spring) the state has cut funding.