This week, Eagle Creek Elementary fourth graders released salmon at the Stillaguamish Tribe Salmon Hatchery at Harvey Creek as their culminating project about the lifecycle of salmon. The students have been learning about salmon since January, when they received salmon eggs at their school.
“The students watched the eggs hatch and the salmon grow,” said fourth grade teacher Julie Polkinghorn. “The students then created salmon lifecycle reports. The reports included aspects of math, reading, writing and art.”
Polkinghorn said the students learned more about conservation and nature while completing the reports.
“It was interesting learning about dams and how they impact salmon,” said fourth grader Seth Shaw. “In many cases, the salmon can’t go upstream to spawn when a dam is in the way.”
At the hatchery, the students visited various stations on water quality, fish anatomy, fish identification and a “choose your own adventure” game. The final station included students naming their fish and sending them down a chute into Harvey Creek.
Hatchery Manager Will Irwin was excited to have the students visit the hatchery to learn more about fish and their environment.
“It’s important for the next generation to be stewards of our waterways and advocate for salmon recovery.”