Property owners Jim and Barbara Orander welcomed hundreds of kids to their home in Battle Ground on March 11th to help them release the coho salmon they raised from eggs in their remote site incubator. What’s a “remote site incubator”? It’s a box that keeps salmon eggs safe while they grow and develop. Once they’re ready, they’re released so that they can make their way to the ocean where they will feed for 1-3 years before returning to their birth stream to spawn.
Jim has the *perfect* spot for raising salmon, and it’s also an ideal setting for kids to learn about what their salmon need to survive in our local waterways. Jim has been raising salmon on his property through Salmon in the Classroom for the better part of 2 decades. Here’s what Jim had to say when I delivered his 12,000 eggs this January.
This year, 4th graders from both Hockinson Heights and Tukes Valley Primary came to the Oranders’ home, rotating between different learning stations… Salmon Life Cycle Obstacle Course, Model Dissection, a Macro-Invertebrate Investigation, and Water Quality Testing. Such a fun day!!! See more pics on our Facebook page!
Getting our SITC kids out to streams for fish release events is SUCH an important part of the overall SITC program. Many thanks to Jim and Barb, the teachers at Hockinson and Tukes, and our wonderful volunteers for making this happen!
And thanks to Jim for showing students the unusual 2-headed coho that hatched in his incubator this year!
