
Fall water quality testing is coming to an end with the last of these trips at the beginning of December, but they are not over just yet! Student scientists continued working diligently to test the water within the South Sound GREEN watersheds through field trips and classroom visits. Also this month, we met students at McLane Nature Trail for chum salmon field trips! Chum salmon started returning to the South Sound in the past few weeks and students have had the chance to see them spawning in McLane Creek! Students love to see the fish splashing, digging, and fighting with one another, but these trips also offer a chance to enjoy the forest and see the wetlands. The nature trail is an excellent space to learn about riparian forests, wetland ecosystems, beavers, and human impacts adding to the experience for the students. In such an environment, students can make connections between the water quality testing they recently did and the salmon they see in the creek. It also offers the chance for students to consider the ways that the forest, the wetlands, and the salmon all interact and depend on one another.
The Teens in Thurston (TnT) event for the month was at Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail with the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group during their Salmon Celebration! High school volunteers helped coordinate the kids activities at this event and after their hard work got a tour of the salmon spawning in the creek! Overall a great day! If you, or someone you know, is a high school student interested in community service hours in the outdoors, we would love to see you – please contact Sam Nadell at snadell@thurstoncd.com to learn more!