Each year, salmon head upriver to their spawning grounds in the Columbia River basin in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington. Mike O'Sullivan reports, the event has inspired a festival in which Native Americans and wildlife experts help visitors celebrate the salmon.

Icicle Creek

These Spring Chinook salmon are heading for the Wanatchee River and Icicle Creek, in the shadow of the majestic Cascade Mountains.

Salmon once thrived here, but over the years dams, overfishing and habitat destruction have diminished their numbers.

So 60 years ago, the U.S. government established a hatchery to give them some human help. Workers collect more than 1.5 million salmon eggs and raise the fish in tanks for 16 months. The young salmon are then released and head for the ocean. Guided by their sense of smell, they will return in a few years to spawn.

Al Jensen

Each year in September, a community festival celebrates the return of the salmon.

Native American dancers join the celebration

For them, salmon provide a source of nutrition and inspiration. Geraldine Jim is a 70-year-old member of the Warm Springs Indian tribe in neighboring Oregon. She says the salmon population is declining.

Geraldine Jim

Tourists and residents learn about the history of the salmon and what is being done to help them survive.

They also get to taste it cooked over an open fire.

Corky Broaddus

"The key word is "edu-tainment," so they're educated while they are entertained at the same time," he said. "And for us, it is all about learning about conserving natural resources. And so this is a way they can do it as a family. It is a free event, and it is just great fun."

Cascade Mountains