Summary: Through water quality monitoring, assess habitat suitability for salmon.
Concepts to teach: Adaptations, survival, migration, freshwater vs. saltwater habitats
Goals: Students will learn about the unique life cycle and migration habits of salmon and how they find their way back to their freshwater breeding grounds.
Standards:
H.2L.2, H.3S.1, H.3S.2, H.3S.3
Specific Objectives:
- Describe the importance of watersheds to salmon life cycles.
- Define the term “anadromous”
- For three measurable indicators of watershed health, determine the parameters within which salmon may survive and thrive.
- Collect and analyze water quality data to determine the degree to which a body of water is suitable for salmon.
Activity Links and Resources:
- StreamWebs—This student stewardship network from OSU Extension provides open-source, web-based tools for watershed data management, analysis, and networking for teachers and students. Includes data sheets students can use to assess the health of salmon habitats.
- StreamWebs Data sheets
- Water Quality
- Riparian & Aquatic Survey
- Riparian Transect
- Photopoint Monitoring
- Streamflow
- Canopy Cover Survey
- Soil Survey
- Pebble Count
- Post results on SteamWebs and seek out similar data collected by others
- Identify habitats that are suitable for salmon
- The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) website provides background information on how Watershed Assessments are conducted and used
- The 550-page Stream Scene curriculum is available in .pdf format on the ODFW website, and covers a variety of watershed topics.
- The chapter Aquatic Organisms contains several classroom lessons having to do with salmon habitat, including:
- Riffles and Pools, p. 357—“Students will apply concepts learned about habitat needs of salmonids during their life cycle by completing a work sheet analyzing riffles and pools.”
- Home Wet Home, p. 393—“Students will recognize the habitat components necessary for salmonids in a stream, and analyze and describe how each stream structure contributes to salmonid habitat needs.”
- See the chapter Field Investigations for protocols of complimentary outdoor investigations.
- Salmon dissection resources available in the Elementary level Salmon Studies topic guide
- Visit the Oregon Hatchery Research Center or a hatchery closer to your school
- Do the self-guided OHRC Quest, which is a clue-directed interpretive hunt created by 8th graders at Crestview Heights School in Waldport
- Make your own Quest or other interpretive guide that helps the public learn about salmon and salmon habitat
Assessment:
- Post sampling data on StreamWebs and seek out similar data collected by others.
- Determine whether your study site is suitable for salmon, and use data to explain why or why not.
