By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Just like the fish themselves, the Eatonville Salmon Fest is back. For the second year, the festival that celebrates the community's salmon recovery accomplishments will be held this Saturday at the town's Mill Pond Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Nisqually River Council, the Nisqually Indian Tribe and the town are hosts of the assorted family-friendly activities, music, food vendors, lectures and site tours. Among the attractions will be an underwater camera giving an up-close look at salmon in the Mashel River. Another holdover from last year's debut of the festival is a free salmon dinner Friday at 6 p.m. at Eatonville Community Center. The meal, by the Youth Connection community group, serves as a warmup for Saturday's celebration. For the past 10 years, dozens of salmon restoration and protection projects have been completed in and around Eatonville. Last summer alone, about a one-mile stretch of Ohop Creek was restored to improve salmon habitat. Those efforts have helped showcase the life cycle and environmental importance of native salmon. "If every community did what Eatonville and its neighbors have done, we'd be well on the road to salmon recovery,GÇ¥ said David Troutt, chairman of the Nisqually River Council. The council is a non-profit organization committed to conservation and preservation of the Nisqually watershed, which encompases Ashford, Elbe, Mineral, Eatonville, McKenna, Roy, Yelm, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and portions of Graham, Lacey, DuPont and Rainier. In Eatonville, "we've seen real benefits to salmon because of the work around our town,GÇ¥ said John Bratholm, president of the Eatonville Chamber of Commerce. "Salmon restoration has benefited not only salmon, but our community, as well.GÇ¥ In the weeks leading up to this Saturday's event, organizers have been recruiting approximately 40 volunteers to help stage activities such as salmon bead craft, salmon print t-shirts, wooden salmon sign painting, FIN the giant salmon, Drain Dare, face-painting and henna tattoos. Volunteers are also needed for setup Friday and cleanup Saturday. All volunteers who work a minimum two-hour shift during the festival will receive a $5 food voucher coupon. Registration and information is available from Rachael Mueller at Rachael.Mueller@nwtrek.org. Organizations helping coordinate or sponsor the festival also include Northwest Trek, Nisqually Land Trust, LeMay-Pierce County Refuse, Stewardship Partners and National Park Service.
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