Getting Youth Involved

We’ve been busy and have been having lots of fun this fall!

Wenatchee River Salmon Festival

Cascadia headed up to Leavenworth, WA, during the last days of September to take part in “Salmonfest,” an annual celebration marking the return of the salmon to our rivers and streams. 



Students take part in Rolling Rivers, an interactive
watershed model.



During the two schooldays of Salmonfest, 3rd and 4th grade classes came from all over north central Washington to learn about the cultural, economic, and environmental significance of Pacific salmon.  Cascadia ran the Rolling Rivers watershed model, which is essentially a large sandbox with two outflows (“headwaters”) at one end and a drain (“the ocean”) at the other.  Water flows from the headwaters down to the ocean, carving out channels and responding in a variety of ways as objects are added or taken out of the system, much like real rivers.


http://beavercountyconservationdistrict.org



Students learned that watersheds are all the land in an area that drains into the same water body (see diagram, right) and demonstrated good and bad land use practices- in terms of stream/fish health and water quality- by designing two watersheds to reflect those factors.  The ultimate test came at the end, when the two teams had a salmon rely race. They attempted to be the first to “run” their “salmon” (a small fish-y figurine) upstream to the spawning grounds, problem-solving their way around dams, culverts and other fish passage barriers in their rivers, as well as dodging potential predators as represented by heron, sheepdog, and Godzilla figurines.

Building healthy watersheds in the Rolling Rivers display.

On the weekend, the event is open to the public, and people from across the state and of all ages and backgrounds came to learn and play at the Rolling Rivers display.  I got a kick out of the fact that Rolling Rivers really does offer something for everyone!

Thank you to our partners at this event:

Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group

Chelan County Natural Resources Department

Trout Unlimited- Washington Water Project

Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board
Yakama Nations Fisheries




Riparian Restoration Project with Icicle River Middle School

Pulling invasive vines off of native vegetation.

This October, local landowners, Icicle River Middle School (IRMS), and Cascadia joined forces for a riparian clean-up and restoration project near Leavenworth, WA. 

Riparian zones are the areas of land around streams, lakes, etc. that are directly influenced AND directly influence the adjacent water body (see diagram, below).

 



http://www.globalforestwatch.ca/index.htm

 

John and Wendy Fishburne own a beautiful piece of property along Chumstick Creek, a historic salmon stream.  After a public works project in 2009 that replaced the large culvert (a major fish passage barrier) with a bridge at North Road, and several projects in the last decade (implemented by Cascadia and Chelan County Natural Resources Department) that replaced upstream culverts with bridges, there is a much greater possibility that the stream will again support healthy salmon populations. (For more info, visit the Chelan County Natural Resources Department website at http://www.co.chelan.wa.us/nr/default.asp).

WCC crew teaches students how to dig out Himalayan
Blackberry "hubs" (taproots).

The Fishburnes have been working with Cascadia since 2008 to devise a management plan for their section of riparian area and the adjacent hillside on their property. The Old Chumstick Hwy (now an overgrown footpath) cuts right through the project site, and there were still significant remains of the consequent dump site. From the beginning, the Fishburnes envisioned this restoration project as a learning opportunity for local youth, and this fall we were able to make that wish a reality!



Student with his find, unearthed out of a historic garbage cache.



Through Hana Butler at the WSU Chelan County Extension office, Cascadia connected with Jodie Tremberth, the 8th grade science teacher at Icicle River Middle School in Leavenworth. We worked together to coordinate a two-part implementation scheme that would get the 8th graders out to do some good work, enjoy the fall sunshine, and learn a bit about conservation in the process.



Bagfuls of invasive weeds were hauled out of the
 project site.

During the two-day clean-up event, over one-hundred 8^th graders from IRMS removed old garbage caches from the hillside, learned how to dig out invasive Himalayan blackberry roots with the help of the Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) crew, and hauled bags of invasive weeds out of the project site.  Perhaps the most exciting find was a several-hundred-pound engine part a group of students and teachers managed to drag up the hillside and into the awaiting dumpster.

 

A planting team takes a break amongst newly planted native
trees and shrubs.

Students returned to the site the following week to plant native vegetation. They worked in groups to plant a variety of native trees and shrubs, staked weed matting over the ground around each plant to keep competition with weeds to a minimum, and covered smaller plants with browse guards to prevent excessive grazing by deer and other wildlife.

Over the two-week period, the students learned about the importance of riparian areas for fish and overall stream health.  Positive riparian effects include bank stabilization for decreased erosion, shade for cooling water temperatures, and filtration of pollutants by root systems resulting in improved water quality.

We had beautiful fall weather for all the field days, and other than a few run-ins with ornery stinging insects, we had a blast!  It was really rewarding to overhear the students say things like, “This is the best field trip ever” and, “I want to do this for a living!”

The students plan on returning to the Fishburnes’ to help Cascadia with monitoring the success and progress of the planting site. We are looking forward to it!

Students worked in teams to drag invasive weeds
 and debris to the dumpster.

Thank you to:

John and Wendy Fishburne

Washington Conservation Corps crew led by Jake Hanson

Icicle River Middle School Principal Kenny Renner-Singer

Icicle River Middle School “8^th Grade Team”- Matt Duffy, Todd Gilbert, Jodie Tremberth, and Beau Snow

Dave Holland, Department of Ecology

Kevin Powers and Hana Butler, WSU Chelan County Extension

And a big thank you to the Icicle River Middle School 8^th graders for their hard work and enthusiasm!