Where Salmon Come to Die: An Autumn on Alaska's Raincoast

'Where Salmon come to die' gives an accurate account of what life is like in a remote Southeast Alaska (Department of Fish and Game) fieldcamp. This book contains wonderful desciptions of the pristine beauty of the land and its inhabitants; a beauty which has been lost in many other developped places. The accounts are based on the authors diary and on correspondences with his family. I verify that the story is true and believe I can do so, since I was the other person who lived with the author in that fieldcamp on Chichagof Island back in the fall of 1982.

We read reports of declining fish stocks, but seldom peerbehind the human drama in gathering these statistics. LeonKolankiewicz opens a window to the distant, mysterious, isolated and sometimes hostile world of data collectors on Alaska's raincoast in autumn. Migratory habits of spawning salmon never evolved to fit neatly within the convenience of Alaska's Department of Fish and Game workers. The salmons' final run to the place of their upstream birth, and death, coincide with brutally cold and damp conditions. Who might apply for jobs as data gatherers with the Department, and what might they think about when reaching this remote destination at the last American frontier? Here's your answer on 126 memory-filled pages. The book is a compilation of the author's letters to his parents in autumn 1982 while writing from his tent on the raincoast, in the company of bears and natural hazards. The majestic setting inspires a literary account with almost poetic quality. Leon's respect for the intended recipients of the letters imparts another worthy dimension to this book. He draws the reader into an intimate relationship with his parents. As parents, may we all be so thoughtful and compassionate to merit the lasting tribute paid by this author in his letters home. The real life adventure and purpose captured within these letters makes this book a worthy source of information for anyone thinking about writing home.