Events at the Nature Center

Snakes Alive Do you think there are snakes hiding in the tall grass at the Nature Center? Join the staff at the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center at noon and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, August 26 and 27, to explore the basic adaptations and behavior of snakes. We'll show you where snakes live at the nature center. You will even get "up close and personal" with one of our live gopher snakes. Open to all ages. Summer Chinook And while at the Nature Center stop and check out the new guests that arrived August 17. Five adult summer run Chinook salmon, three females and two males raised in a hatchery, have returned to freshwater to spawn after spending one, two or three years in the ocean. These salmon will most likely attempt to spawn in mid- to late-August, when Nature Center visitors may be able to see a female salmon building her nest, or redd, to prepare to lay her eggs in the gravel. When the Chinook die after spawning, their bodies will infuse the stream with rich ocean nutrients, maintaining a healthy freshwater system for future fish-rearing.