Children from schools across Eugene took part in the culmination of a nearly two-month project Thursday morning. That’s when the students released salmon fry that they watched develop since they were eggs into a pond in Alton Baker Park that connects to the Willamette River.
The project, which is done in partnership with the Eugene Water & Electric Board, is incorporated into lessons on a variety of topics ranging from math and science to language arts and a unit on tribal and shared history in Oregon.
“So, getting kids to understand that we’re all connected, all of the humans and non-human living things are all connected, and we need each other," said Tana Shepard, K-12 climate, energy and conservation specialist for Eugene 4J.
Fish tanks with salmon eggs were delivered to participating third and fourth grade classrooms in mid-October. The tanks come complete with a system to maintain an ideal temperature for the eggs.
The students learn as they watch the salmon go from eggs to alevins to fry. They are released at that stage because the fish have usually finished off the yoke sac they are born with.
“It really is an ‘in’ for getting them to start to fall in love with our planet, and in particular a very slimy creature,” said Shepard. “I never knew that I’d love a slimy creature this much.”
The fry are placed into individual cups, allowing each student an opportunity to release one into the wild.
“It was exciting and fun,” said Henry, a third grader in Jannine Johnson’s class.
“It was so cute when I just put the salmon in the water,” said his classmate, Ben. “I miss them so much.”
Students also take turns learning about the precarious life cycle of salmon via a game where they evade predators and other threats in their environment, setting up a scenario where few make it to the final objective: the spawning ground where they were born.
