Dozens of school buses pulled into Horn Rapids Campground in Benton County on May 6 and unloaded excited students who have been raising salmon in their classrooms over the past year.
They had come to release their finger-size fish into a tributary of the Yakima River and to celebrate the day by visiting learning stations throughout the park provided by a host of community partners.
The “salmon in the classroom” program is made possible by support from the Benton and Franklin Conservation Districts and Washington Fish & Wildlife.
After a year of studying salmon ecology and watching baby salmon hatch and grow in an aquarium, students converged at Horn Rapids Campground for the culminating “salmon summit.”
They rotated through interactive stations throughout the day, one of which was the salmon release station by the stream.
Students shared the following thoughts as they watched their baby fish swim away:
“I felt sad in a way because I’ll miss watching it grow up.”
“I wondered if it would make it to the ocean.”
“I wondered if my fish would be afraid.”
“I hoped it would find a hiding place so a predator wouldn’t eat him.”
“I thought he would be happy because now he’s free.”
For more information about the Salmon Summit, contact Rachel Little (Benton Conservation District) at
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or Kara Kaelber (Franklin Conservation District) at
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Students prepare for Native American story telling
