by Astra Palmer

Coho salmon eggs resting in gravel within their tank at Foothills Elementary.

    As the last of the salmon return home to spawn, the cyclical lives of salmon continue from an emerging new generation. Round, little red eggs are the first stage within their cyclical journey.

    Those little eggs are the star of the show within the Salmon in the Schools program! The Environmental Education team at PCD will still be supporting salmon tanks in the Tacoma School District, but this year a new district has been included within this program. The four elementary schools in the White River School District that joined us this fall at South Prairie Creek for salmon spawning observations will also raise salmon in their schools! 150 coho salmon eggs took a field trip of their own starting at the Voight Creek Hatchery and ending at each elementary school’s special salmon tanks.

    In the tanks, the little eggs have everything they need to succeed- clean, cold water, bubbly oxygen, and cozy gravel. All the schools’ students will get to watch them grow and mature into salmon fry, but the 3^rd grade classes will have an in-depth curriculum on their life cycle and biology. This spring, the little fry will be ready to continue their life cycle in a freshwater stream. At this time, the 3^rd graders will go on another field trip to release their beloved fry into Wilkeson Creek, which flows into South Prairie Creek.

    Check back soon for more Salmon in the School updates!