4J/EEP's Salmon Education
While the weather is getting wetter and colder, it is such a great time of year to get outside! And, the salmon are running in the coastal streams...
Every year at this time, hundreds of 4J students have the opportunity to raise Spring Chinook Salmon in their classrooms with the ODFW Eggs to Fry program offered through the 4J/EWEB Education Partnership. And as part of this program, 3rd and 4th grade students across the district get to experience the magic of being stream side to learn about this important keystone species, their habitat needs and if there is enough water, often see them spawning in their natal stream.
Lake Creek Falls is a great place to see them jumping. There is nothing like seeing spawning adults propelling their bodies to take the leap of faith that brings them closer to their natal stream to continue the cycle. Check out the video below as a window into the experience.
Indigenous STEAM
The Indigenous STEAM Collaborative co-designs, implements, and shares land based educational materials developed in collaboration with families, communities, and educators and research. They foreground Indigenous knowledge systems – roles, relations, responsibilities, and gifts between and within human and other-than-human communities – and intergenerational arrangements in teaching and learning.
Weaving TEK into Biological Learning: A call to Action
Enjoy this article by Robin Wall Kimmerer about ways to weave traditional ecological knowledge into biological learning. She has a call to action for scientists and teachers.
Freshwater Illustrated's Native American Heritage Month films
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Freshwater Illustrated is sharing some films that feature Indigenous voices and cultural connections that offer a deeper motivation - both subsistence and spiritual - for the care of the waters and watersheds that surround us all.
NOATAK: Wild & Scenic (8 min) Explore the Noatak, one of Alaska's wildest rivers, through the eyes of the people whose lives and livelihoods have long depended on its waters and wildlife, and discover the national conservation program that ensures that this and many other wild rivers will provide these services forever. Produced in Partnership with the National Park Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and River Management Society.
PLACE - People, Lamprey, and Cultural Ecology (8 min) Follow Cayuse Tribal Member, Gabe Sheoships, into an ancient cultural practice, and discover the connections between migratory fish, urban forests, community stewardship, and the work one group is doing to re-build the strength of these connections for future generations. Produced in Partnership with the Friends of Tryon Creek.
The Lost Fish - The struggle to save Pacific Lamprey (24 min) One of the Pacific Northwest's oldest fish is disappearing, and along with it the sacred place it holds among many Native American Indian Tribes. For a species that has squeezed through most of the earth's great extinctions, the plight of Pacific Lamprey may be a signal of ecological distress. Produced in Partnership with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Our short film Hanging on (6 min) includes excerpts from The Lost Fish.
An Awakening - Kalapuya Canoe Culture (4 min): Tribal Member, Bobby Merciers, shares the revival of canoe culture and craft, and the timeless connection to the Willamette River. Produced in Partnership with the Grand Ronde Canoe Family. Note: requires password: weallliveupriver
SMOLT - The Science of Salmon Outmigration (4 min)- Follow the spring journey of young salmon 'smolts' as they make their way to the ocean, and learn about the First Nations that keep watch over and celebrate this "Invisible Migration." Produced in Partnership with the Salmon Watersheds Lab - Simon Fraser University.
Join the Water Teachers Initiative!
As an honorary Water Teacher member, you will have full access to the world's largest archive of educational films and photos on freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity, science and conservation, along with our dedicated K-12 teaching resources. Please click below to sign up for your free honorary membership, and share this email with other teachers in your circles!
America Recycles Day-November 15
ONE DAY to educate.
ONE DAY to motivate.
ONE DAY to make recycling bigger & better.
Things to do:
- Recycle at home, work, school and on the go;
- Buy products made with recycled content; and.
- Educate and encourage friends, family, and neighbors to do the same.
It is the only nationally-recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States! Held on and around November 15, America Recycles Day educates and encourages individuals on how to be more mindful of what they consume, where and how to properly recycle, and pledge to recycle more and recycle right in their everyday lives.
For more info visit: EPA's America Recycles Day and America the Beautiful
For Recycling in our area: Waste Wise Lane County
Visit VEARTHual Field Trips for trips to: BRING, Short Mountain, Glenwood Transfer Station
Sanipac's Recycle Plus service
RecyclePlus collects the following items: batteries, light bulbs, textiles, plastic film, Styrofoam/block foam and dairy tubs. In the future, we hope to add more specialty items for collection as an opportunity for donations to various Lane County charities.
National Take a Hike Day-November 17th
Grab your boots, some friends, and your water bottle because on November 17, it’s National Take a Hike Day!
This annual event gets you outside for scenery and exercise by tackling America’s 60,000 miles of trails. It’s also a great way to get that heart pumping while you breathe in pristine air.
Find a Lane County Trail:
Eugene Hiking Trails:
Free Community Compost Program
Lane County Waste Management has been awarded a USDA grant to support the distribution of free food-waste compost to the community. The new Community Compost program will address a missing element in the current Lane County food waste reduction plan: ensuring that an increasing supply of commercially produced food-waste compost is accessible to more county residents, particularly in historically underserved communities.
The program aims to serve all Lane County residents and agricultural producers, with a focus on disadvantaged communities. It will provide up to 5,000 tons of free compost to Lane County residents and agricultural producers and host four Free Compost Day events each year (8 events total).
Fill out this form to sign up!
Honoring Our Rivers
Honoring Our Rivers is a beautiful anthology of student art and creative writing celebrating Pacific Northwest Rivers and Watersheds.
Teachers are encouraged to have your students to submit. Students can either submit their work directly to us, or you can help them and send us their entries. Teachers who submit student entries will receive a copy of the anthology for classroom or personal use. Please consider incorporating the Honoring Our Rivers Student Anthology into your curriculum. You can spend as little as part of one class period, or devote a week-long project to it. It can help students meet Oregon’s Educational Standards for the language arts and science.
Contact us for more information or to order your free watershed toolkit!
WHO CAN SUBMIT? Any student, age kindergarten through grade 12, is eligible to submit their work. Selected entries will be published in our student anthology alongside esteemed invited Oregon writers and artists. The authors of published pieces will receive a free copy of the anthology and a chance to be featured in upcoming events such as our annual student reading at Powell’s City of Books!
WHAT SHOULD I SUBMIT? We welcome written works (no more than 500 words per entry please) that are typed or clearly printed, and original art and photography. Digital entries are encouraged. One entry per student. A written entry may be accompanied by original artwork.
For more information: Honoring Our Rivers
SPLASH! Stormwater Pollution Learn and Share site
4J/EWEB Education Partnership Program site
Salmon Education-The Salmon Spot
4J/EWEB Education Partnership
TOSA-Climate, Energy, Conservation
Email: shepard_t@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://bit.ly/4J-eep
Phone: 541.790.5533