Register To Be a Volunteer Today!
Get involved in a unique, hands-on environmental education program! Register Today!Interested in volunteering with World Salmon Council?
The World Salmon Council has been impacting the lives of youth through salmon conservation and ecology for over a decade. It is our mission to impact as many lives as possible through experiential and educational field trips in the great Pacific Northwest. By learning about Mother Nature, we can help protect this habitat and the salmon species for generations to come. Want to learn more about volunteering, and participate as a volunteer field trip guide and educator?
Sign up to be a volunteer below.
Join us for one of our Salmon Watch Volunteer and Teacher Training. These sessions are designed to equip you with everything you need to make a meaningful impact this season. Detail for 2024 training are below. Once you register to be a volunteer we will send you a link to sign-up for training.
At Training We Will Share:
- All Things Salmon: Dive deep into the fascinating world of salmon biology, macroinvertebrates, riparian habitats, and water quality
- Invasive Species Curriculum: Get hands-on experience with our latest materials
- Teaching with Care and Confidence: Enhance your skills in working with youth in the field, with topics including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Environmental Education, Trauma-Informed Teaching, Identity and Impact, as well as Safety and Risk Management.
Training Dates & Locations:
- September 14th, 10 AM – 2 PM
- September 21st, 10 AM – 2 PM
- September 28th, 10 AM – 12 PM Virtual Training via Zoom (Limited Capacity)
This fall, WSC will be back hosting field trips—on some of our region’s most iconic rivers in Mt. Hood National Forest, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Mid-Coast Range—on weekdays during September, October, and November. Who doesn’t love spending a day on the river?!
Four volunteer educators teach on each field trip (avg. 7:1 instructor-student ratio), facilitating the following field learning stations: salmon biology, macroinvertebrate (aquatic insect) identification, water quality testing, and riparian (streambank) observation/nature awareness. This type of educational experience facilitates learning in a whole new way for students while giving volunteers a way to give back to the community and mother nature.
Schedules for field trips will be released later this summer. Please register above to participate!
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get out of the classroom and into nature.
Brief station descriptions
Salmon Biology: Usually taught by a fish biologist. A Salmon Watch field trip is the perfect opportunity for a discussion about the species of salmon that students observe on the field trip, the life cycle, anatomy, spawning behavior and topics such as the 4 Hs (Hydropower, Hatchery, Habitat, Harvest).
Macroinvertebrates: This activity reinforces what students have learned about water quality and the kinds of organisms that inhabit a stream with a particular water quality profile. At this station, students sample for aquatic insects in the stream and use that information to evaluate the health of the stream and suitability as salmon habitat. Data collected will be uploaded to OSU’s StreamWebs online database.
Water Quality: Monitoring provides basic information on the health of our rivers and streams. At this station, students will test temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen to determine current water conditions. Data collected will be uploaded to OSU’s StreamWebs online database.
Riparian Zone: This station is an opportunity to learn about the interrelationship between salmon, humans and the watershed they share. Activities that help students gain a broader perspective include: discussion of human impacts, riparian metaphor game, plant ID scavenger hunt, stream mapping.
The field trips not only provide active, hands-on education, but also give kids a sense of place, an overview of Oregon’s natural history, increase scientific and environmental literacy, and offer a personal experience with spawning salmon that will stay with them (and you!).
No experience is necessary to become a Volunteer Educator. Free training provides you with everything you need to know about the field stations and feel comfortable teaching kids in nature.
There are also additional opportunities to provide support to teachers in their classrooms, and assist with service learning projects in the spring!
Thank you for your time and consideration, and for sharing your enthusiasm to help educate the next generation to better understand and relate to the natural world.
Volunteering for Salmon Watch gives me the chance to teach young students about something that I truly love.
Thank you for working so hard to provide kids with such an incredible hands-on learning experience.
Adult
Liability Waiver
In order to sign the waiver, please fill out the fields below and click on the Sign Waiver button. We will then email you a link which will take you to the waiver on DocuSign.
Minor
Liability Waiver
In order to sign the waiver, please fill out the fields below and click on the Sign Waiver button. We will then email you a link which will take you to the waiver on DocuSign.
