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.
Duri
ng 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.
“I got to start this quarter at SFEG by joining the students of “Salmon in the Classroom” in kicking off the first steps of life for their salmon. I got to spend 3 days driving between the Marblemount hatchery and various schools in Skagit County. We started off each day picking up 400-600 salmon eggs, and then we would travel down to visit 2-3 schools a day and deliver the eggs to the pre-set up tanks. Once we arrived, we would guide the students on how to place their new eggs in their tanks. While they were placing the eggs in the tank we encouraged them to think of names that they would later give the salmon when we release them in March. All the students were very excited to participate and asked us fun questions about the eggs, or made interesting observations like “the eggs look like Orbeez”. Before this experience I’d never seen an eyed salmon egg up close, nor held one and they do indeed look like little Orbeez. It was quite surprising how durable they were. I look forward to joining the students as they watch their eggs as they hatch into alevin and grow into fry, as well as releasing them and sending them on their big journey of surviving in the wild.” Photos show salmon eggs with visible eyes, one of the first steps of development.
