The Metolius River serves as a classroom

People all over the world come to the Metolius River for the fly fishing. Thanks to the efforts of fishery biologists and land managers, it is a magnificent fishing stream.

It is also a magnificent classroom.

At Riverside Campground last week, a group of students from Pilot Butte Middle School were in the river taking part in "Salmon Watch." They were studying fish biology, water quality, aquatic invertebrates and riparian habitat as part of an educational project run by Trout Unlimited's Healthy Waters Institute.

Kolleen Yake, Education Coordinator for Trout Unlimited, and Laura Campbell of Sisters, Salmon Watch Educational Assistant, met Molly Grove, fifth-grade teacher, and her students from Pilot Butte Elementary at Riverside Campground.

Ready and waiting for them were four volunteer resource specialists all ready to share their wealth of knowledge with the children and their teacher.

Elyssa TK had her frozen fish thawed and prepared for the children to help dissect so she could show them how to age salmon and other aspects of fish biology.

"Oh, yuck," one of the students squealed, shaking fish scales from her fingers, "I think I could handle human dissection, but not fish!"

Scott McCaulom, Program Director of the Deschutes River Conservancy had his insect-collecting gear all set up and with instructions on how to lessen the impact of their investigations on the gravel and submergant vegatation. They took the students, three-at-a-time, into the river to sample for invertebrates. After capturing a small sampling they went back to bank to identify what they had caught, and then to learn what role the animals played in the life of salmon.

Mike Logan, an OSU graduate, took the children on a study of the chemistry of the Metolious River, and how vital it is to understand the chemistry and physical properties of water to keep salmon alive and healthy.

Another volunteer, Terri Grimm of Bend, shared her knowledge of the riparian habitat - the plant and animal life on the banks of river, without which salmon cannot make a living.

Kolleen and Laura kept the program going smoothly, helping the student's teacher, Molly Grove, keep the nuts and bolts of teaching, feeding and the safety of children running smoothly.

Salmon Watch is a unique educational experience that fulfills many diverse learning objectives that are impossible to accomplish within the four walls of a classroom.

The goals of Salmon Watch include: Fostering a deeper connection between students and the ecosystem; cultivating the recognition of salmon as an important indicator of watershed and environmental health; and building environmental stewardship by engaging students in service learning restoration projects.

Salmon Watch students from Mountain View High, Pilot Butte Middle, and Rimrock Expeditionary Alternative Middle School (REALMS) will be gearing up for their stream-side field trips throughout October.

This was the second trip the students made to the river to learn more about the welfare and future of salmon, and this time Mother Nature herself pitched right in: Kokanee that spend their time in the reservoirs downstream of the Metolious were spawning in the gravel of the river, providing the students with a virtual reality lesson on why it is important to keep a river healthy.