Hundreds of students raise salmon in their classrooms, release them into the wild
Students from Adams Elementary School - and hundreds of Eugene 4J students from other schools - released young salmon they raised in their classrooms into the Willamette River via the Alton Baker Park slough.
After releasing his fish, the student in this picture commented that raising and releasing the fish, "was beautiful, magnificent, I couldn't ask for any more. I hope he lives."
EWEB/4J Education Partnership Coordinator Tana Shepard organized the experience. She worked with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's "Fish Eggs to Fry" program to bring 6,000 eggs to 55 classrooms. The students cared for their fish for several months, feeding them, measuring their water quality and temperature, and watching them grow. Shepard said one student would even sit in a rocking chair next to their tank and tell the fish he loved them just to make sure they knew.
Shepard brought many students to Lake Creek near Triangle Lake to witness salmon spawning in the wild and catch the other end of their life cycle. Then, in December, they came out to Alton Baker Park to say goodbye and to give their well wishes to the fish they watched hatch and grow.
"Many students say 'I think I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life!' so we're definitely creating core memories," Shepard said. "It's one of the most valuable things that EWEB can fund for our community, not only for 4J but for Bethel and Springfield [school districts]. So - thank you, thank you, thank you, customers, for continuing to fund these education programs in our three districts!"
