In Gig Harbor, all you need is a few good chums

Move over, sea stars, salmon and cockles. You’ve been upstaged.

A 2-foot sea cucumber, dark red with orange spikes, was generating the most attention at Saturday’s Donkey Creek Chum Festival in Gig Harbor.

“Everybody knows what a sea star is, but the sea cucumber is a crowd-pleaser,” volunteer Lauren Sewell said.

The 9-year-old festival that springs up for one day in the parking lot of the Harbor History Museum is meant to educate about and inspire greater stewardship of Puget Sound and its watershed.

“The quality of water and the habitat it supports connects us all,” said Lindsey Johnson, executive director of Harbor WildWatch. The group, which runs environmental education programs, organized the event.

But the festival’s namesakes, chum salmon, were nowhere to be seen. They won’t return to Donkey Creek until November, Johnson said.

“We used to have (the festival) in October, but people don’t like to go to outdoor events in October,” she said.

Chum, also known as dog salmon, are the least commercially pursued salmon. But their numbers are both an indicator of and contributor to the health of the Puget Sound ecosystem, Johnson said.

The sea cucumber, clams, sea stars and other creatures were in touch tanks, which allowed hands-on inspections. They had been gathered by a diver Saturday morning in Gig Harbor’s waters.

“And they’re going to go right back,” Johnson assured.

The cucumber undulated around the tank, extending what volunteers assured was its mouth.

For touch tank volunteer Elijah Parker, 9, his favorite creature was the hairy helmet crab (Pagurus hirsutiusculus).

“It gets barnacles,” the Tacoma resident explained. “And it gets hairy. It felt all hairy when I touched it. And I like that.”

Parker’s father, Ben, himself a bit hirsute with a beard, said Elijah is part of Harbor WildWatch’s seaStars program. The 10-month course involves workshops, field trips, volunteering and a service project.

While kids were in abundance at the event, there were decidedly adult topics covered by the 20-plus groups at the event. All of the organizations were either directly or tangentially involved in habitat health, Johnson said.

“We all work together to protect our habitat,” Johnson said. The festival has allied some groups who might have been historically opposed to one another’s goals, she said.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department was on hand to offer guidance to septic system owners. Malfunctioning septic systems are not just a headache for homeowners; they can also leak pathogens in to waterways, said Greg Alton, an environmental health specialist for the Health Department.

“They’re not in it alone,” Alton said of septic system owners who need help. “There are resources at the Health Department and at the federal level.”

Tacoma-based Citizens for a Healthy Bay was educating the public about derelict vessels and their potential to leak fuel, oil and other contaminants. Recent sinkings and near-sinkings of the freighter Helena Star and the art deco ferry Kalakala in the Hylebos Waterway have made headlines, but many other smaller boats are threats as well.

The Gig Harbor Commercial Fishermen’s Civic Club was promoting its volunteer-run fish hatchery. Each year, about 1 million chum salmon eggs are reared and then released into Donkey Creek. The hatchery dates to 1975.

It wasn’t all booths and brochures Saturday. Out on the water, the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team was holding races. Later in the day, dragon boat teams would compete against each other. A booth was serving up hot dogs and “Chum Burgers.”

Back in the kid department, PenMet Parks recreation specialist Jess Smiley was helping children make beaded bracelets. Each color represented a different stage in a salmon’s life.

“They get to envision themselves as a salmon, which helps them learn,” Smiley said.

Keegan Taylor, 9, of Gig Harbor chose to get attacked by a whale and seal, represented by black and brown beads. Thankfully, Keegan the salmon survived to spawn.

“I laid eggs and then I died and the nutrients go back in the earth,” Keegan explained, clearly delighted at the adventure.

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "In Gig Harbor, all you need is a few good chums."