Sixth graders from Seven Oak Middle School took to the river last month for an outdoor classroom experience which involved wading in water, picking up bugs and poking at fish guts.
The day-long field trip, “Salmon Watch,” is organized every year by the South Santiam Watershed Council.
“We are here to learn about salmon ecology; life cycle, ecosystems, (and) how it’s related to humans,” explained Watershed Education Coordinator Alex Shoulders. “Our philosophy is that people will feel invested in the environment when they have good experiences in the environment.”
The program originated through the World Salmon Council, but SSWC adapted the curriculum to better meet the needs for Lebanon children, he said.
“A lot of the changes we have made is getting rid of the information-dense curriculum, and replacing it more with exploration and critical thinking focused activities, which has been really nice,” he said. “I think it’s provided students a lot more time to get hands-on experiences working with the macros, touching the salmon.”
Shoulders would like to evolve SSWC’s programs into a more community-centered approach that gives students a chance to meet the people in their communities and “enjoy the stuff in their backyard.”
During the excursion, groups of kids cycled through three stations: a walk through riparian areas, salmon biology and catching macroinvertebrates.
At the salmon biology station, Oregon State University student Zach Muniz quizzed the kids on what they already know about a fish’s life cycle, and enhanced their knowledge by explaining how salmon find their way back to the river from the ocean. Then he encouraged them to explore the innards of salmon and identify anatomical parts, such as the gills, heart and kidney.
As the group moved on to walk through and learn about the riparian environment, another group moved into the macroinvertebrates station. Donning large rubber boots and carrying a long-handled net, the kids made their way into the Santiam River and began kicking up rocks to uncover the hidden bugs beneath.
“We’re basically teaching them about the salmon life cycle and how macros play a big role in that as being the food supply for salmon,” OSU student Kaylina Hernandez said, explaining that macroinvertebrates are “basically like a water bug.”
The team also shared how identifying macros in a river can reveal just how healthy or unhealthy the river is.
“So if there is one (macro) that’s incredibly sensitive to dirty water or something like that and they’re here, then that means this water’s probably clean,” Hernandez said.
After sixth-graders Dakota Kelly, Chandler Tate and Bailey Weiss got over the shock of hearing that they were basically in a classroom, despite the fact they were standing in the river, they all agreed “but this is more fun,” and chimed off on some of the less interesting classes, like math and social studies.
“This is a lot better than being in class,” Dakota said.
Their classmate Wyatt Fox understood the purpose of the field trip was “for the learning experience,” to learn about “salmon and stuff,” and added a couple of take-aways from the day.
“I’m learning that a lot of stuff can hide under rocks. I also am learning that fish guts stink,” he said.
And classmate Anne Thompson-Parker could also agree the experience was fun, noting that the opportunity to dig in the water was more fun than looking at the salmon “because we get to touch the bugs and we get to be in the water.”
Shoulders shared that they receive Chinook salmon from the Foster Fish Hatchery through a partnership with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Salmon Watch used to be entirely run by volunteers, but now can have a team of paid educators who come from different backgrounds and as university students.
Giving kids the opportunity to explore outside and learn about an important function in the Pacific Northwest – namely the salmon life cycle – Shoulders believes the field trip provides more to the kids than just basic education.
“It’s not just something in the river. It’s something people eat. It’s something people learn from. It’s something that was held sacred and is currently held sacred,” Shoulders said. “This field trip it’s – like salmon – multifaceted in the sense that it’s more than just information, it’s more than just getting in tune with the environment; but it’s also a place to practice respect.”