Wednesday November 11, 2026
Abridged —
The section of the American River that runs past the Nimbus Fish Hatchery is roiling with life. Every few moments, large, snaggle-toothed Chinook salmon leap from the water or disturb its surface with their fins.
The fish are returning to the place of their birth, as they do every fall. But this year, they will likely have fewer human spectators.
That’s because the hatchery’s visitor center and large parking lot remain closed to the public roughly two months after they were scheduled to reopen.
“We brought our granddaughter to check out the fish,” said Frank Patalano, a longtime resident who was observing fish from an outside walkway Tuesday. “We didn’t know it was closed.”
The closure, which is extending into a time of year when the hatchery is usually packed with schoolkids, parents and local residents, is due to ongoing lease negotiations between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Bureau of Reclamation.