SFEG provides stewardship opportunities for all ages. Many local teachers place great value on engaging their students in service-learning projects, and hands-on outdoor educational opportunities. Even a one-time experience helps build a sense of understanding and ownership among students and teachers. Students take great pride in improving their world. With all the testing and performance measures required of schools, a one-time project may be the only time teachers can afford to dedicate to service-learning. SFEG’s education programs are designed to engage students in the wonders of the watershed in which we live, the salmon that depend on these watersheds, and the understanding that healthy watersheds are good for all living things.
Junior Stream Stewards
Connecting Kids, Watersheds, and Salmon: A Stewardship Program for Middle School Students
Junior Stream Stewards is a unique SFEG program that offers in-depth, hands-on experiential learning about watersheds and salmon habitat restoration. This program coincides with the school year and challenges students to apply classroom lessons with a stream restoration project in their backyard. As SFEG’s signature education program, we currently serve almost 600 students annually at 5 schools. SFEG’s vision is to engage all middle school students in our region.
With a combination of 6 classroom visits from SFEG staff and resource professionals and 2 field trips (1 Watershed Tour and 1 Service-Learning Project), 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 with a service-learning project to protect and enhance their local stream, in partnership with local organizations, businesses, and governments.
Currently Full
Salmon in the Classroom
Salmon, Up Close: A Program for Elementary School Students
Salmon in the Classroom is designed to teach students about the amazing journey of salmon by raising salmon eggs from the Marblemount Fish Hatchery and releasing them into schools’ neighborhood streams. Students receive one classroom visit from SFEG staff to discuss the salmon life cycle and habitat requirements and one field trip to visit Marblemount Fish Hatchery to learn how hatcheries operate in December.
Classrooms then receive 200 salmon eggs in January and raise them in a 55-gallon aquarium until old enough for release (3-4 months). The process of raising salmon teaches students about the care of juvenile salmon and the maintenance of fish tanks. SFEG staff then lead classes on a field trip in the spring to release salmon fry and learn first-hand about salmon habitat.
Currently Full
Kids in Creeks
Outdoor Stream Explorations for All Ages: A Custom-Designed Program for K-12 Students
The Kids in Creeks program is an opportunity for teachers to get their students outside and make a difference in their communities. Visits from SFEG staff are easily tailored to the fit the grade level and existing curriculum of the class. The program consists of one classroom visit by SFEG staff with presentations, discussion, and activities related to the salmon life cycle, habitat needs, and habitat restoration efforts. Within a few days of the class visit, a service-learning project is held within the school’s watershed if possible and practical. This project can include a tree planting, a stream clean-up, and/or a study of a public area that provides opportunities for stream exploration and ecology lessons.
Currently Accepting New Classes
WILD Salmon Education Trunk
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has an educational tool known as the WILD Salmon Education Trunk available for use by educators and organizations involved in salmon habitat restoration. Included in this trunk are educational materials for all ages and grade levels. Topics include: salmon biology, habitat requirements, factors affecting salmon populations and conservation, habitat restoration, and economic, ecological, and cultural values of salmon. Resources include: a variety of videos, samples of salmon eggs, curriculum guides, project ideas, and many more. Educators may check out the trunk for up to one month at a time and incorporate any part of it into existing curriculum.
Contact us to inquire about any of the above for your class.
