The Sawtooth Salmon Festival happens this Friday, Saturday, as Sunday, combining fun mountain vibes with education and conservation centered around sockeye salmon.
This festival was canceled last year because of wildfires, so the Sawtooth Interpretive and Historical Association, along with Idaho Rivers United is excited to welcome everyone back.
Check out the video to learn more about this unique festival —
"It is Idaho Rivers United's most coveted event as we get people coming from all over to celebrate salmon and their migration from the Pacific Ocean to Red Fish Lake," said Sydney Anderson with Idaho Rivers United.
The first sockeye salmon arrived in a fish trap in the Sawtooth basin on July 23, completing the 900-mile journey back to Idaho. So far this year, 1,098 sockeye have passed the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, and about half of those will likely make their way back to their spawning grounds near Red Fish Lake.
Conservation groups believe breaching four dams on the lower Snake River including the Lower Granite Dam is the best path forward in salmon recovery.
"We used to have an abundance of salmon that came up that way, millions of salmon," said Anderson. "Now we a few hundred if that."
Over the past decade an average of 221 sockeye have returned, but that's also a big improvement from the 90s when the average was 23 fish. There were also two years in the 90s when zero fish made it back.
The Sawtooth Salmon Festival also highlights the work done by Idaho Fish and Game, conservation groups and the tribes. The festival will include a tour with the Shoshone Bannock Tribe at their Petit Lake weir. People can check out demonstrations, watch films, participate in trivia, and listen to several different talks.
"It’s really bringing awareness to how important salmon are in Idaho and the region for the tribes and the local community," said Anderson. "The populations are dwindling, but we are there to celebrate them."
The festival will also include bands and live music every night in the Mountain Village in Stanley. So if you are looking for a way to cool off this week, enjoy some tunes in a magical mountain environment, and learn about the sockeye salmon, this is a unique Idaho festival to check out.
For a complete schedule of the festival, click here.
