Salmon Release
/When we returned from winter break we discovered that our salmon alevin had developed into fry. Most of their yolk sacs had been used up. Our salmon were officially ready to be released into the Tualatin River. We observed the fry and completed our last salmon entry in our science journals.
We used different art media to depict the fry stage of development. (A few students used water color for their illustrations. These will posted when they have finished drying).
Then we spent time learning about the fry stage of development and reading about the terrific journey our salmon would take to get all the way to the Pacific Ocean. We used a map to follow their journey from the Tualatin River to the Willamette River, and then into the Pacific Ocean. We talked about the challenges our salmon would face along the way and we wrote our hopes for our salmon.
On Tuesday we took a field trip to Rood Bridge Park to release the salmon in the Tualatin River. We used an infrared thermometer to test the water temperature of the river. We were excited to discover that it was 45 degrees fahrenheit, which was within one degree of our tank at school. This would help our salmon fry acclimate to their new environment. Students took turns releasing salmon, a few at a time, into the river. Once we had a released all the salmon we gathered in a circle to share our hopes for our salmon. Then we split off into small groups led by parent volunteers. In our small groups we spent time exploring the forest, listening to nature, reflecting, and engaging in small group discussions.
