FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2026
Contacts:
Chris Malan, Executive Director, Institute for Conservation Advocacy Research and Education/ICARE, 707.322.8677
William O’Neal, Marketing Manager, Golden State Salmon Association, 510.282.7830
Community collaboration brings salmon awareness and habitat education to Vintage High School and the public trail system
Santa Rosa, CA – A coalition of conservation groups, educators, students, and community volunteers has completed a new educational signage project along Salvador Creek in Napa to increase public awareness of salmon, urban stream habitat, and the importance of protecting spawning fish from human disturbance.
The Salvador Creek Signage Project was led by the Institute for Conservation Advocacy Research and Education (ICARE) in collaboration with the Napa Valley Wildlife Habitat Conservation Coalition, the Junior Sierra Club of Vintage High School, Napa City Parks and Recreation, and the Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA).
The project includes two large public educational signs installed along the Salvador Creek walking trail and eight smaller signs placed throughout the Vintage High School campus, where a segment of the creek runs directly through school grounds.
The signs focus on salmon life cycles, habitat challenges facing juvenile fish, and the ecological importance of urban waterways that continue to support native fish and wildlife.
“We needed an educational project about Salvador Creek because people regularly fish for, harass, and unintentionally harm migrating salmon in this highly vulnerable urban stream,” said Yvonne Baginski, Founder of the Napa County Habitat Conservation Project. “Most people simply don’t realize these fish are still using creeks like this.”
Salmon continue to migrate through portions of the Napa River watershed each year despite decades of habitat alteration, urbanization, and changing river conditions. Organizers say the project is intended to help students and the public better understand the fragility of spawning habitat and the role local creeks still play in the salmon life cycle.
“Projects like this are important because salmon recovery doesn’t just happen in remote wilderness areas — it also depends on whether people understand and protect the streams flowing through their own communities,” said William O’Neal, Marketing and Digital Media Manager for Golden State Salmon Association. “Education and awareness are critical if we want future generations to still experience salmon returning to California rivers.”
According to organizers, the signage project was completed entirely through volunteer collaboration and community support. Funding for the large signs was provided through a grant from the Napa County Wildlife Conservation Commission to ICARE, while additional support for smaller campus signs came from the Napa-Solano Audubon Society and an anonymous donor.
“There are still streams in urban California that support wildlife and fish migration, but these systems are extremely limited and fragile,” said Chris Malan, Executive Director of ICARE. “Our hope is these signs help people better understand the value of protecting these habitats before they disappear entirely.”
The signs feature three educational themes:
- The Salmon Life Cycle
- Big Trouble for Little Fish
- Tiny Fish, Big Future
Project organizers say the effort is intended not only to educate the public about salmon, but also to encourage broader stewardship of rivers, creeks, wetlands, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems throughout the Napa watershed.
About Golden State Salmon Association: The Golden State Salmon Association is a coalition of salmon advocates that includes commercial and recreational fishermen and women, businesses, restaurants, environmentalists, elected officials, families, tribes, and communities that rely on salmon. GSSA works to restore California salmon for their economic, recreational, commercial, environmental, cultural, and health values.