Salmon Watch Overview
The Salmon Watch Program, created by Oregon Trout in 1993, connects students with local creeks and rivers through a program that focuses on activities centered around Salmon. The program includes in-class curriculum, service-learning projects, and culminates in a field day where the students complete a number of hands-on activities in the field by a local creek or river. The activities focus on the following modules for the program: salmon biology/salmon life cycles, water quality, macroinvertebrates, and riparian systems. Other modules and activities can be substituted as needed. Local experts, including professional fish biologists, hydrologists, botanists, and educators, participate in the program and share their knowledge and experience by teaching programs at the field days.
Programs are currently held in Jackson and Josephine County, and we are working to hold classes in other parts of the Rogue Basin including Curry County and the Illinois Valley with the help of partners. Field locations currently include (or have included) Tou Velle State Park, Valley of the Rogue State Park, McGregor Park, Bear Creek Park, Coyote Trails Nature Center, Palmerton Park, BLM's Provolt Recreation Area, Reinhart Volunteer Park (Grants Pass), and Cantrall Buckley Park. In 2023, we are working to hold a few special focus classes in North Mountain Park.
Partners in the program that provide in kind support, funding, or other assistance include communities, watershed councils, non-governmental organizations, Land Conservancies, Council of Governments, local utilities (water commission and Rogue Valley Sewer Services), educational organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies.
For program information contact info(at)stream-smart.com or click on a contact below.
Current Program Coordinators:
Greg Stabach, Rogue Valley Council of Governments
Amie Siedlecki, Rogue Valley Council of Governments, (541) 423-1371
Alex Galluzzo, Rogue Valley Sewer Services
Fall 2022 Statistics
Resources and Information
Volunteer Resource Packet (Streamweb)
Data Sheets (from Streamweb)
Full Curriculum including classroom portion from World Salmon Council
Dissection Materials (courtesy of ODFW)


Web Links
Link to Salmon Watch Resources on the World Salmon Council Website
Link to Resources including Salmon Watch on Stream Webs
Instructor Training Videos
Previous Years Summary and other Program Information





Fall 2021 Program Statistics:
# of Students Served: Over 1,240
# of Schools that Participated: 20
# of Individual Instructors that Contributed: 38
For more details, check out the following:
Program Video (2015)
Partners

Funders


Central Point Rotary (2022
Links to other Salmon Watch Related Pages
Learn How To Be A Salmon Steward – link
Created in 2023, this page celebrates the return of the Salmon to the local waterways, particularly in the fall.
Virtual Resources – link
This page contains virtual resources created in 2020 to allow the Stream Smart programs to continue to be implemented during COVID-19 including activities that could be done at home, with classes, or individual pods. There is also some general program summary information.