Our catch phrase is on its way.

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

The coho salmon of California could go extinct if the present drought afflicting California -- and to some extent, the state of Oregon, where I live – continues. (In case you are not aware, Oregon lies just to the north of California.)

The reason why the coho is under duress is that the amount of water in the rivers and creeks where it spawns is so low that many of them no longer actually flow into the Pacific Ocean, where adult coho salmon live. When the spawning season arrives, the adult salmon are either unable to enter the streams that instinct guides them to -- or, for those who manage to enter the streams of their choices -- unable to navigate the rocky, shallow, poorly flowing streams that they have entered.

Even before the current drought began, the coho was having a difficult time surviving. As a consequence of overfishing and loss of habitat, there had already been a precipitous drop in the numbers of this fish. The current drought has exacerbated the predicament of the soho salmon. Dedicated biologists Charlotte and John Ambrose are working hard to save the coho. One of the ways they are doing this is through the use of an incubator located in their coho salmon hatchery, near Davenport, California. That incubator enables the Ambroses to keep juvenile coho salmon, developing inside those eggs, alive.

I salute the efforts being made by the Ambroses. Charlotte and John care enough to devote great amounts of time and energy to helping preserve one of our fellow creatures!

Steve Walker, Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.