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Reflecting on Education by Victoria Hartman

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Starting in September of this year, I’ve had the honor to work under Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group as an Educational Intern. Through this internship I’ve been able to use my BS in Biology to help teach the youth of Skagit county the importance of salmon ecology. From teaching them the information in the classroom, to applying it in real life on field trips, it has been an incredibly enjoyable experience.

I’ve been able to use my position to influence the youth into seeing the importance of their actions in relation to the environment. We were able to not only teach them but show them how certain actions they take can negatively or positively affect their surroundings. Positives being shown through our tree planting field trips and how maintaining a riparian forest helps the surrounding river and creatures that reside in it. Negatives they were shown were the failure of people cleaning up their left over trash in parks or the effect of what goes into their storm drain has on the surrounding body of water.

 

 

Throughout my time as an intern, I have been able to experience people taking what I say and truly learning how to value it. I was able to watch kids who knew salmon as just a dinner option, learn to appreciate the life cycle the salmon has to endure. They were able to learn fun tricks on how to remember the life cycle via bracelets we made together, as well as using the five finger trick to memorize the different species living in the Skagit Watershed. During this internship I was able to learn a lot of interesting facts about salmon and share the knowledge with kids of all ages and backgrounds. One of the most fascinating facts being that deer are sometimes known to feed on salmon carcasses.

An Education Intern’s Reflection by Kaitlyn Mruk

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As this quarter of being an Education Intern at Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group comes to an end, I have a lot to reflect back on. I began this position in September and have had such a great time. I am very passionate about protecting the environment and feel fulfilled through teaching others about it.

 

During this internship, I have taught hundreds of students about salmon and why it is so important to protect their habitat. I learned a lot about salmon through SFEG that I didn’t know before and I was able to spread that knowledge. Going to classrooms to teach about salmon was really fun and rewarding especially when the kids were interested in the subject and eager to learn. One of the topics that I taught was the salmon life cycle, which is crucial when learning about salmon livelihood and stream conservation. Also, I led bracelet-making activities to act as a symbol for the different salmon life cycle stages so students could recall the information taught to them while also creating a craft to show their parents. Most students, if not all, had a connection to salmon, whether it be fishing, eating, or just observing them in the streams nearby.

The students, additionally, made other connections to salmon as many of their favorite animals depended on salmon, such as killer whales and bears. All of these personal connections made
learning about the Pacific species of salmon exciting for them. It was important to create an environment where the children understand that they have a role in salmon restoration and in the
environment. It’s rewarding knowing that the lessons we teach will stay with them and encourage them to protect the environment, particularly because I have talked to some of my college classmates and they remember learning about salmon through programs like the one at Skagit Fisheries.

 

 

I have also assisted during field trips to either plant trees or teach about salmon habitat. The tree planting field trips are exhilarating because we all get our hands dirty. The students
were really excited to be doing their part and they all enjoy counting how many trees they had planted by the end of the field trip. The salmon habitat field trips are also exciting because we
get to visit a stream where coho fry live. With the students, we determined whether or not it is a good place for salmon to be released based on the chemistry of the water as well as observations
they make about the habitat surrounding the stream. Tying the classroom lesson into the field trips is extremely satisfying because it reinforced the material in a different way and allowed the
children to physically see what our lessons stressed

I have enjoyed being a part of this education program. I think it is powerful to spread knowledge to younger generations because they are our future and are capable of doing a lot of good. Due to the fact that I moved here from out of state a few years ago, I didn’t know much about salmon before my work here at SFEG. Since starting this internship, I’ve learned more than I could’ve imagined about salmon which is something I’m really grateful for. As I approach graduation, I am thankful for this experience as it gave me insight into a possible job opportunity
and allowed me to explore things that I could do with my intended degree. Salmon are so, so important to our ecosystem and this internship allowed me to take part in protecting them.

Clean Water is Essential by Kenzie Kesling

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One of the most powerful tools that we have to spark change in our society is education. This year alone Skagit Fisheries will work with over 14 schools and hundreds of students to educate them about our watershed and ways to protect it. One important objective that we want to achieve through working with these students is to foster a sense of stewardship within them as they grow, learn and encounter problems unique to them and their generation.

However, the focus of our education programs is not solely on salmon. It’s more about giving them a holistic perspective of aquatic life and showing them what a healthy ecosystem should look like in the Skagit and Samish watersheds. One of the best examples of this holistic approach is our education about clean water and what good water quality looks like.

Streamside chemistry to measure dissolved oxygen in local streams

Clean water is essential not only for salmon but for organisms like oysters. Our classroom lesson and field trip both have a large focus on water quality and clean water. In the classroom, we discuss with students why clean water is important to all organisms, especially aquatic animals like shellfish (and salmon). Moreover, our classroom visits discuss how pollution in our watersheds can make the shellfish we eat toxic for us and shut down local swimming spots in fear of people getting sick. On field trips, we are able to physically show students what good water quality looks like through both our chemistry station, where students are led through a variety of different experiments related to water quality, and our habitat assessment station, where students are asked to analyze the habitat surrounding a stream and assess whether or not it is a good place for aquatic animals to live.

 

 

SFEG and other community partners teaching about salmon, shellfish, and water quality at Oyster Creek Salmon Sightings each November

We have also had the opportunity to educate not only students about water quality but the local community as well. Skagit Fisheries has held Salmon Sighting events at Oyster Creek, which flows next to Taylor Shellfish Farms, for the past several years. This event is the perfect opportunity to talk about the importance of healthy waters for both salmon and oysters as it allows us to talk about fecal coliform testing and why places like Taylor Shellfish Farms will shut down if the fecal coliform in the water is too high.

It’s important to us at Skagit Fisheries to instill a sense of pride in our community with students, both young and old, about our watershed and furthermore the ecosystems both in and around the Skagit and Samish. We hope to continue this work for many generations to come.