At Ray’s Boathouse and Cafe, Earth Month is a time to celebrate and protect our local waters.

We are proud to support and highlight the impactful work of Long Live the Kings year round but especially in April. They are celebrating 40 years of salmon restoration work in 2026 and we wanted to share some of their recent wins!

• Tracking Real Fish with Survive the Sound: In 2025 their Survive the Sound fish tracking race allowed 75,000+ people to track live steelhead migrating through Puget Sound, all the while learning about the benefits salmon provide local communities. This year the race is back with a fresh look, new games, and fun prizes. Sign up now, build your team, and compete to see if your favorite fish will survive its migration starting on April 27!
• Re-Imagining the Hood Canal Bridge: LLTK has been hard at work over the last three years testing acoustic seal deterrents and guidance structures to solve the 50% mortality rate facing juvenile steelhead at the Hood Canal Bridge. This Fall, LLTK also began exploring more permanent solutions, meeting with Hood Canal residents at libraries, grocery stores, and ferries to learn more about what local residents want to see in a future fish friendly bridge. LLTK and their partners are using this information to lay out a vision for what a new bridge might look like that better meets the needs of Hood Canal residents and local salmon populations.
• Re-Connecting Juvenile Salmon Habitat in the Nisqually: Habitat fragmentation from human development is a major barrier to healthy salmon populations in Puget Sound. In response, LLTKs and its partners at the Nisqually Indian Tribe and Joint Base Fort Lewis McChord have launched a new effort to reconnect nearly 400 acres of historic off-channel wetlands back to the Nisqually River. Re-establishing this connection will provide essential habitat for the salmonids who call the Nisqually River home.

This Earth Month, we invite you to learn more and get involved. Protecting salmon helps preserve the future of Puget Sound. Donate here to support their efforts!