Salmon Watch Projects are an opportunity for students to put their learning into action and give back to their watersheds and communities.
Each year, Salmon Watch students engage in an eclectic mix of projects: from restoration projects like Hudson’s Bay High School’s Earth Day riparian tree planting, to art installations, to research projects.
This past school year, Sue House’s Environmental Science class at Madison High School conducted a semester-long research project examining environmental health at the nearby Dharma Rain Zen Center campus.
Dharma Rain’s new campus is located on 14 acres of a former landfill in a low-income neighborhood in NE Portland. The Center purchased the site in 2012, and has been working on restoration projects since. With partners, they have installed stormwater management and methane mitigation systems, removed invasive species and planted natives, improved soil, and planted a community garden and fruit orchard.
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What was once a brownfield will now be valuable wildlife habitat and a community resource. The restored site will provide meeting space for local organizations, a natural refuge from urban surroundings, and an accessible outdoor classroom for neighborhood schools such as Madison High School.
Sue’s Environmental Science students appled ecological concepts related to Salmon Watch to assess the environmental health of the site and propose solutions. They were divided into four groups: Water Quality, Soil, Plants, and Wildlife. The four groups collected data over the course of the semester, and presented their findings and recommendations to Dharma Rain Zen Center this past May.
Salmon Watch Projects such as this help students make connections with their own neighborhoods and surrounding watersheds. Through this project, Sue’s students are extending their knowledge, practicing critical thinking about environmental problems, and giving back to their community.
Watch our short video on Madison High school’s Salmon Watch Project!
Then, sign up to become a Salmon Watch Volunteer Educator! Join us in helping students connect with and learn about their world.
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