Make it like it was: Clean, cold and flowing

We can’t always reset the clock on all the changes we’ve made to our natural ecosystems, but when we can, life is ready to thrive again.

“That's what I'm amazed by, that a little tiny stream, not even knee deep, is a whole world if you get under there with it,” exclaimed CWU professor Paul James as he snorkeled his way through Gold Creek at the summit of Snoqualmie Pass.

Dr. James is surveying the number of fish in the river after a recent restoration project. Gold Creek is an important tributary to the Yakima River and serves as a breeding ground for many fish that are important to the Yakama Nation.

Joe Blodgett learned how to fish from his father. He mastered the technique of dip netting a fish out of the Yakima River, the traditional kind of fishing for the Yakama Nation.

“It was a great way of coming up in life,” Joe said.