How to Help

Making a Difference for Salmon

To bring salmon back to levels that support our environment and communities, it’s going to take everyone doing their part. Making a few small changes in your everyday life can greatly impact salmon and our shared future.

Click the button below to see how you can get involved in salmon stewardship. You’ll see how to volunteer, where to get grants to improve salmon habitat, and how to make your mark on a map by pledging to be salmon steward.

See What You Can Do to Help Salmon

Become a Salmon Steward

In Your Car

Reduce your driving by adding more trips by foot, bike, public transportation, or carpool.
Wash your cars on your lawn or at a car wash to prevent harmful chemicals from flowing down the storm drain.
Ask about low copper products when you’re replacing the brake pads on your vehicle. Copper from conventional brake pads is released in a fine dust each time a car slows. When it rains, the copper dust is washed into nearby waterways. Copper is toxic to fish and interferes with their sense of smell, making it harder for them to find food, avoid predators, and find their home streams.
Make sure your tires are properly inflated and maintained to keep toxins out of waterways.
Maintain your car and check for leaks.

In Your Home

Conserve water (and money) by installing water efficient taps on your sinks and shower heads.
Turn off lights and electronics when you’re not using them. Look for the Energy Star label when you’re shopping for new electronics.
Safely dispose of batteries, motor oil, and other toxic chemicals.
Choose all-natural cleaning products or try making your own to reduce the amount of chemicals you pour down the drain and into our salmon. Look for the Safer Choice label to find nontoxic cleaning options.
Look into how much food you might be wasting and resources to put food to use and save money at the grocery store.
Get rid of unwanted or expired medicines safely and responsibly so they don’t get into waterways and harm fish. Find a medicine take-back location near you.

In Your Wardrobe

Wear less polyester, which can put plastic fibers into the water.
Use chemical-free products to wash your clothes and other household items.

In Your Yard

Limit using pesticides, weed killers, and fertilizers. These chemicals can make their way into waterways, where they harm fish.
Landscape with pest-resistant plants so you won’t need bug and weed killers.
Landscape with native, drought-resistant plants.
Join the country’s largest private-land conservation program to preserve shoreline and riverbank habitat through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.
Have your septic tank inspected by the Washington State Department of Health.
Pick up dog poop. Whatever you don’t pick up gets washed into waterways and usually doesn’t go through a treatment plant.
Conserve water by installing a rain garden, rain barrels, or a cistern. The less water we use, the more that remains in the waterways for fish.

At the Grocery Store

Choose products without packaging, such as bulk items and loose produce. Packaging can end up in our oceans where our salmon and their food sources live.
Look for the Salmon-Safe logo to support farms and businesses that protect water quality.
Bring your own bags for your groceries and produce. Plastic bags can kill wildlife—plus reusable bags are stronger.

With Your Time

Check with your local conservation district or regional fisheries enhancement group to see how you can get involved in salmon recovery efforts in your community.
Use tools and resources to reduce your ecological footprint and overall impact on salmon habitat and the environment.