by Jack Hulgan

It’s that time again! Pink Salmon are back to spawn, and Pierce Conservation District is honored by the opportunity to educate the children of the White River School District on their life cycle with a series of field trips. 2025 has been an excellent year due to the biennial mating cycle of pink salmon, and we kicked off our salmon education program with a visit to South Prairie Creek Preserve.

After a quick hike and debrief, students saw salmon from the banks of the creek. The pungent aroma of salmon finalizing their life cycles coupled with sounds of splashing mothers building redds added to the weight that we were witnessing a process millions of years in the making. Interested in the unique smells and behaviors, they learned the importance of this migration back to freshwater and how those smells were signs of vital nutrients gathered from the ocean being deposited into this ecosystem. These smells attracted beneficial insects which would eventually provide food for the hatching fry. Large trees, riparian plants, and woody debris were identified, and their importance in cooling and enriching the local waters was made apparent.

The first stop at South Prairie Creek Preserve with students pointing out salmon.

Once the creek was viewed and discussed from multiple angles, we returned into the forest for another walk to our next station! Binoculars and magnifying glasses fostered our visual curiosity, and we searched high and low for bugs, birds, and bones. Bones collected and cleaned on site gave the kids a chance to reinforce the importance of the life cycle on the local ecology. 

Students interested in the function of the venation in fallen leaves.

The final activity gave students the confidence to can make a positive impact on the environment and lend a helping hand to our pink salmon friends. A planting demo conducted by staff, volunteers, and Americorps members taught students that they have the know-how and power to recognize important native species, understand their position in the ecosystem, and make an educated effort in restoring habitat.

Students planting a native tree with the help of an Americorps Service Member, Maria.

We’d like to thank all of the hardworking educators and volunteers for the White River School District for making this opportunity possible! Loving the outdoors and wanting salmon to thrive is a great start for students and fully understanding their position within the greater ecosystem allows our future conservationists to build a holistic foundation for restoration work moving forward. Nothing reinforces an ecological framework like hands on experiences. Seeing a beaver cut down a tree to further diversify a creek, bones of mammals playing a crucial role in regulating vegetation, or a rotting pink salmon providing for the next generation helps reinforce the lessons they are learning within classroom walls. 

The best part is these field trips are just the beginning. Over the next few months, classes will receive salmon eggs where they will care for them as they grow. Once the fry reach a good size, we will return them to a local stream to begin the lifecycle we witnessed at the field trips.

A huge thanks to the staff and volunteers that helped make these lessons possible. Interested in becoming an education volunteer? Check out our Education Volunteer Program!