The Case of the Salmon Famine

At Silverwood City Hall...

The Mystery

The year is 2017. Because of your famed ecosystem expertise, you've been flown out to Silverwood, Washington to investigate a local mystery. At City Hall, Mayor Edwin Blackston explains the case.

"Each fall, the rivers of Silverwood are usually full of salmon swimming upriver to lay their eggs, or spawn as it's called. Every year... except this year.

"This year, the salmon populations were so much smaller than usual that tens of thousands of dollars in the fishing and tourism industry were lost. Rumors are spreading that the beautiful rivers of Silverwood have been poisoned—if Silverwood loses its reputation as a prime fishing and vacation destination, it would be our ruin!

"Please help solve the case of the salmon famine before it’s too late!""

Your Mission

Salmon populations in Silverwood rivers are far smaller this year than before. Why? Solve the riddles to earn trips around Silverwood to interview suspects and gather clues. Find the culprit and recommend what Silverwood officials should do to save their salmon!

About Silverwood

Mayor Blackston shares a little more information about Silverwood while walking out out of City Hall. Primarily known for beautiful streams and excellent salmon fishing, Silverwoods' biggest local industry is tourism. As a result, when the national economy struggles, fewer people can afford an expensive fishing getaway, and the local economy takes a big hit. In 2013, Mayor Blackson sought to stabilize the economy by attracting new employers to the region, chiefly by offering tax breaks and other incentives.

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At Silverwood University...

Dr. Flo Banks greets you. She takes you on a tour of her lab and shares some of the research she and Dr. Reimchen have been working on that relates to salmon and nitrogen, a substance found in living things and rich soil. The writing is pretty technical, but you underline some key passages in their paper--you have a feeling it could be very useful in understanding connections between the salmon and other parts of its ecosystem.

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At the Department of Fish and Wildlife Services...

You asked the Department of Fish and Wildlife Services to mark the environment of the local salmon on your map. They explained that the sockeye salmon in this area are a migratory species that live part of their lives in the ocean, and part in freshwater streams. Each year, many adult salmon come to this area to spawn (lay their eggs) and eventually die here. Within 1 year after they hatch, the new generation of fish swims downstream to the ocean, and comes back to spawn 3 years later.

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At the Silverwood Public Library...

Nancy Ratterby, librarian, mother of three and long time Silverwood resident helps you access news articles on Silverwood Creek. "I love Silverwood," she gushes. "Please keep me posted on what you find out. I started an online forum for people to discuss local news and events, and drama like this would really generate buzz! Speaking of which, there's nature photographer named Richard Hatton you should speak to. He's active on the forums and he might be able to give you some ideas of how the river may have changed over time."

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At the Home of Richard Hatton...

Richard Hatton is a long time Silverwood resident, a father of two, photographer, and nature lover. He shows you his wildlife photos of bears fishing at Silverwood Creek. He is deeply suspicious about Caliente Corporation. He gives you a copy of a recent discussion on the online forum Mrs. Ratterby started in which local logger Dan Lewis and Oscar de La Hoya, Caliente Corp plant manager, also participated.

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At Caliente Corporation...

Oscar de la Hoya, the plant manager shows you around and tells you a little about Caliente Corporation. Founded in 2014, Caliente Corp received significant tax relief and money from the local government in order to locate their primary American operations in Silverwood and hire 80% local residents. The premises look clean, and in walking around, you don't see any immediate evidence of pollution.

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At the Environmental Protection Agency...

The local department has data on the health of Silverwood Creek's water over recent decades. You ask Sara Smallfoot, the agent who brought you the report, to help you interpret the data. She explains:

"Cooler, faster moving water holds more dissolved gases. When water sits in the sunshine for longer, the temperature goes up, and gases can escape. Animals need oxygen to breathe, so high amounts of dissolved oxygen is a good sign for creek health. However, high dissolved nitrogen typically comes from pollution, and is usually a bad sign for streams like Silverwood Creek."

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At the Home of Lorraine Hadwick...

Lorraine Hadwick is the widow of the late Martin Hadwick. She's a passionate fundraiser and a very fast talker. After the death of her husband, she started an organization called Bear Scare. She gives you a flyer explaining their mission, and demonstrates some of the equipment that they use to keep bears away from Silverwood Creek, including a device that makes very loud sounds too high-pitched for humans to hear. "A few guys were upset in 2006 when we first got the equipment up--they tried to bring their dogs fishing, and the dogs whined and wouldn't leave the truck! But I told them that just proves that what we're doing will work. And they sure changed their tune when they saw how much more salmon they were able to get! I know Martin would be so proud of what we've accomplished."

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At the Home of Dan Lewis...

Dan Lewis, owner of ABC Logging Company for 25 years, isn't much of a talker. He seems much more comfortable among the trees and his tools than in the company of a detective. As a hobbyist fisherman living on the banks of Silverwood Creek, he has observed the declining salmon runs firsthand, but he says that he's also concerned about the health of the trees around the creek. "They just not thriving like they was," he says, gruffly when you ask for more details.

"Hey, uh, I don't know what more to tell ya, but my mother-in-law sent me this clipping from a magazine she was reading--I think it's about salmon. Maybe it will be useful to you?" He's clearly trying to get rid of you, but you take the magazine article and politely skim through it. Surprisingly, it looks like it might be useful after all! Dan also suggests that you talk to a community organizer and bed and breakfast owner named Bea Tartan. "She always knows what's going on and she's real invested in having a healthy stream for the tourists, you know. Plus, she likes talkin' to folks from out of town.

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At the Cottage of Bea Tartan...

When you walk up the lane to Bea Tartan's lovely cottage that she rents as a Bed and Breakfast, you can't help noticing how tidy everything looks. Not a flower petal, blade of grass or speck of mulch is out of place.

Bea greets you at the door of her cottage with a cup of tea and a giant blueberry muffin. She introduces herself as the current Vice President (and former president) of the Silverwood Beautification Committee. "Silverwood has the potential to be THE vacation destination of the Pacific Northwest, but to earn that spot, we really need to be picture-perfect in every way. I led the committee in a massive clean-up effort of Silverwood Creek three years ago... I guess that was 2014. We got volunteers from all over the community to help clear unsightly logs and fallen branches and smooth the gravel to provide accessible beauty for everyone. We removed some dying trees, and of course we got rid of any litter that we found too. There was suddenly so much more space along the riverbanks for picnics and family reunions and photos. So many more people visited Silverwood after that, from all over the country! Gina Starr is doing advocacy work at State right now, but she wanted me to give you this."

She gives you a flyer from the time advertising the event, along with a note from the current committee president. "Gina wanted me to give you this. She doesn't think we need another clean up, and it's true that the stream is still looking fairly neat, but of course, every year, we get more leaves and twigs and muck cluttering the stream bed. In my opinion, the salmon are telling us its time for another clean up!"

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