Junior Stream Stewards

A Watershed Education and Stewardship Program for Middle School Students

Junior Stream Stewards is a new and unique Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group program for middle school students linking watershed education with stewardship.  This program coincides with the school year and challenges students to apply classroom lessons with a stream restoration project in their backyard.  In a combination of classroom programs and field study trips, students learn all about salmon and the stream habitat that supports them by studying water quality, native plants, aquatic insects, the salmon life cycle and much more. The program culminates in a community service-learning project to protect and enhance their local stream, in partnership with local organizations, businesses and governments. 

One group of students marked stomrdrains in downtown Concrete with decals that read ‘Dump No Waste- Drains to Stream’ for their service learning project.

The purpose of Junior Stream Stewards is to increase students’ knowledge for their local salmon stream and inspire community participation to preserve it.  Students will improve the aesthetics and ecological health of their community and be empowered with problem solving skills to restore and protect local streams for future generations.  Ultimately the goal is to build and foster a culture of land and water stewardship with students that will serve them the rest of their lives. 

Concrete Middle School students toured Lorenzan Creek, from headwaters to outlet.

The other student group designed and posted stream signs for Lorenzan Creek.

Statewide, students are struggling to meet science requirements associated with educational achievement tests.  Junior Stream Stewards is specifically designed to help students understand science by applying it to their community’s stream.  Students are more likely retain concepts re-enforced through personal hands-on experience.   SFEG works with local school districts to supply staff, materials, lesson plans and funding for field trips that would not otherwise be available to teachers.  To learn more about the Junior Stream Stewards program, please contact Lucy or Alison at the SFEG office.

Students toured the Marblemount Hatchery and helped spawn
Ross Lake rainbow trout.

Thank You Junior Stream Stewards Funders!
Junior Stream Stewards is made possible this year thanks to several generous partners. In addition to the wonderful school staff and teachers, we have to thank the funders, without which the program would not happen. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account provided funds for materials, North Cascade National Park provided funding and staff to offset SFEG costs, and the local businesses and organizations listed here have contributed over $20,000 toward the implementation of the Junior Stream Stewards for this school year.

Cap Sante Marine, Ltd.
Fidalgo Fly Fishers
Frontier Bank
Mike and Lisa Janicki
Janicki Logging and Construction
Lakeside Industries
Lucky Seven Foundation
Northwest Women Flyfishers
PACCAR
Puget Sound Energy Foundation
Shell Oil-Puget Sound Refinery
Sierra Pacific Foundation
Skagit Community Foundation
Skagit State Bank
Tesoro Companies
Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund
Washington Alder, LLC
Westport Shipyard, Inc