Classes study fish life on the Metolius

Scott Cotter of the Sisters Ranger District talks about salmon with Sisters Middle School students. The students

gathered along the Metolius River for the Salmon Watch program. photo by Conrad Weiler Five classes of Central Oregon students learned about the life of the Metolius River last week through Salmon Watch, an Oregon Trout-sponsored educational program. The program raises awareness of fish life cycles, ecology and protection of river resources.

Tom Tattum, educational coordinator for the conservation group Oregon Trout, has been visiting the Riverside Campground for the past three years and using the nearby Metolius River as a teaching laboratory. Three seventh grade science classes from Sisters Middle School and two sophomore biology classes from Mountain View and Summit high schools participated in last week's daily programs, Monday through Friday.

Carol Packard's seventh grade class spent Friday morning, October 1, splitting into four groups of students and rotating through 45-minute sessions with individual instructors covering water quality, riparian ecology, fish biology and macroinvertebrates along the Metolius River.

David Glick's seventh grade class had participated earlier in the week on Monday.

Instructor Freya Tripp covered water quality with students and had them collect water samples from the river, testing for pH (acidity conditions), dissolved oxygen, temperature and turbidity at her station.

Meanwhile, Amanda Egertson had another group of students laying out measuring tape to study plant and animal numbers along the river.

At the third station, Scott Cotter of the Sisters Ranger District, described fish anatomy, using Kokanee specimens which students dissected. He also distributed polarizing glasses that allowed students better vision of water activity in the river.

At the final research area, Debra Henry had students collect invertebrates from the river, viewing their structure and function in collection buckets at river's edge.

Carol Packard's students had previously studied salmon migration patterns, anatomy and physiology at school, but the hands-on approach brought to life the book learning.

After lunch at Riverside campground and completion of their field studies, the students hiked the trail to the nearby Head of the Metolius and viewed the start of this majestic river from underground springs.

The students headed back to school on their bus, better understanding relationships between river, forest and plant and animal life, thanks to all the instructors and five parent-volunteers who accompanied them.

To learn more about Portland-based Oregon Trout, visit their website at www.ortrout.org/.