Steelhead, Chinook, and Thermal Hopscotch

 
The University of Idaho College of Natural Resources recently completed a report entitled, "Temperature regimes during upstream migration and the use of thermal refugia by adult salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River basin."

Additional information about the report can be found in a Columbia Basin Bulletin article.  The article begins, "Remember when you were a child running barefoot--how you would run quickly over a hot sidewalk, rest in a shaded spot, and let your feet cool down before braving the hot surface again?"

The two above links reveal how adult steelhead and chinook salmon in the Columbia basin are participating in this game of "temperature hopscotch," but more as a matter of survival.

Payette SWCD Educational Programs

"Sixth Grade Field Days" is a time of adventure, learning, and excitement, and it happens all at once.  It's always an adventure when you put several hundred sixth graders together.  Each year the Payette SWCD puts on a field day for sixth graders of Payette County and Huntington, Oregon.  The students move around eight stations learning about water quality, cultural resources, soil, wildlife, trees, fire management, entomology, and Oregon Trail history.

Each station is a mixture of lecture and hands on activities.  Students are encouraged to ask questions and try new experiences from learning to throw an atlatl (an ancient hunting weapon) to building a soil profile or touching the animals (all are stuffed) at the Fish and Game trailer.  The subject is different at each station but the message is the same: natural resources are to be protected, preserved, and conserved, and each person has a responsibility towards this goal.

Another program the district has become involved with is the Oregon State Park Rangers Program.  In the evenings at the state parks, the rangers present a program on a variety of subjects.  This year I presented a combination of the "Liquid Treasures" and the "Incredible Edible Aquifer" to about 30 people ranging from grade school age to grandparents.  It was so much fun talking about the role that water plays in our lives and  how it affects the decisions we make.  As the ranger mentioned in his opening remarks, "a good camping spot has always been a good camping spot."  This is just one example of how water influences our decisions.  Participants tried to find water using the "water witching" wands, and they made an aquifer learning that what they put on the ground will come back to them when they drink the water or as they use it in their everyday life.

Submitted by Charlene Wimpy, Payette SWCD.