This Partnership has been in operation since 1991 and continues to grow with interest and excitement among the student and teacher participants. It involves students K– 12 with collection, maintenance and incubation of coho salmon eggs – then the releasing of the fry in the spring of each year.
Anchorage School District and Alaska Department of Fish & Game |
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The students study the life cycle of the salmon as they are in class at their home schools. They become familiar with watching and recording the development of the salmon eggs, to fry and finally releasing the salmon into a local lake in the spring. The process is started all over again in the fall with the collection of eggs from adult salmon from a local stream, fertilizing and bringing the fertilized eggs back to their school for incubation. Each year over 60 schools and 2,500 students throughout the ASD are involved. The program has special highlights – in the fall the collection of eggs and fertilization; December ice fishing; classroom presentations; and in the spring, the releasing of the fry that have been incubating at the schools. All of these events are in collaboration and participation of the students and staff.
This is truly a hands-on experience for the students and the life cycle of the coho salmon. Along with the biological aspects of the study comes the environmental impact that all of us have on our natural resources. It is important for students to recognize that unless the resource is protected and utilized correctly, Alaska will end up like many Lower 48 states whose resources are either in a great deal of trouble or non-existent.
It is through programs like this that we are able to educate our youth to the wise use of our natural resources so that the resource will be here for their children’s enjoyment. Fritz Kraus and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game are com-mended for sponsoring this educational program and hope that it will continue to grow. |
