Streamside Education
Our Streamside Education Program offers students an immersive experience in environmental stewardship through hands-on activities.
This program includes:
- A nature walk in a nearby riparian zone, where students will explore the unique ecosystems that thrive along stream banks. (20 mins)
- An Aquatic Bug Scavenger Hunt, where students learn to identify macroinvertebrates, which serve as indicators of water quality. (20 mins)
- A lesson on stream features, salmon habitat, streamkeeping practices, and more. Lessons are adapted for different grade levels, and draw on The Streamkeepers Handbook (Pacific Streamkeepers Federation). (20 mins)
Through this program, students gain a deeper understanding of biodiversity, the connection between land and water, and the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems.
They also engage in citizen science methods and learn about local restoration projects, empowering them to contribute to the conservation and preservation of their local environment.
Bonus Activity: Salmon Fry Release
In partnership with the Stream to Sea education program by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), we offer streamside education and salmon fry release experiences.
Thousands of students across B.C. and the Yukon participate in Stream to Sea's Classroom Incubation Program, learning about salmon in a hands-on way with their very own classroom aquarium, stocked with salmonid eggs.
When the salmon fry are ready to leave their aquariums, we bring classrooms to their local creek for streamside education, and students and volunteers release the fry and send them on their way to their magical journey to the sea.
If your class is participating in the Classroom Incubation Program, and you'd like to pair your fry release with our Streamside Education program, please leave us a note on our Education Booking form, or reach out to our regional Stream to Sea Coordinator, Joscilyn Cliff, at [email protected].
