Nimbus Fish Hatchery

Recommend for: Ages 5-18

This is a guided tour by the naturalists at Nimbus Fish Hatchery. They will split our class into two groups - one for ages 5-8 and another for ages 9 and up.

Before the dams were built and before the increasing human use of the streams and rivers, salmon and steelhead returned from the ocean to the river of their birth, to renew the cycle of life. In the ocean, they found a rich source of food. In the cool running streams of the American River, they found a safe habitat for their young.

The completion of Nimbus Dam (1955) and Folsom Dam (1956) prevented salmon and steelhead from reaching most of their historic spawning areas. The Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the dams, built and funds the Nimbus Fish Hatchery to mitigate (make up for) the loss of spawning habitat and help maintain salmon and…