Christian Academy Develops Environmentally Conscious Students

Boarding School, international students, environmentally conscious, fish hatchery, Oregon

Canyonville Christian Academy students help the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) by marking 20,835 Chinook salmon!

According to a study performed by WalletHub, Oregon has been named the 2nd most environmentally friendly state of 2015 for its environmental quality and eco-friendly behavior. Oregon is a state full of natural beauty and resources. And as our school’s mission states, we purpose to:

  • Encourage an appreciation for God’s creation and promote a balanced stewardship of the resources entrusted to man.
  • Promote the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to fully participate in human affairs, while encouraging the desire to work toward effecting change and solving problems, consequently helping to create a better future for us all.

Therefore, our biology and anatomy & physiology classes taught by Mr. Phil Jones went to the Canyonville Acclimation Pond (aka the fish ladder) to learn about some of the nature and wildlife that make up our campus.

Christian Academy, International Students, Oregon, Fish Hatchery

In order to help maintain and restore the native and wild life fish population of Oregon, the state has several fish hatcheries. These hatcheries farm-raise fish and release them into the rivers and streams. Most times of the year and in many places, it is only legal to catch and keep fish that have been hatchery-raised. For this reason, the adipose fins of these fish are clipped to mark them and make it easy for fishermen to distinguish them from wild fish.

Canyonville Christian Academy’s students were not only educated about this environmentally conscious process and its importance, but they also took part in it and clipped the adipose fins of 20,835 Chinook salmon fry (5-10 weeks old fish) themselves! Nets full of these small fish were taken from the hatchery ponds and put into small containers of water with an anesthetic solution. This solution calmed the fish making them easier to handle. Once the fish were calm, the students used surgical scissors to clip the adipose fins of the fish, which were then returned to the pond. These Chinook salmon will be released into the Calapooya River system in early summer.

This was a great chance for our students to not only begin the process of becoming environmentally conscious world citizens, but to also interact and serve the local community. Mr. Jones said the students did well and that it was a good experience for everyone, although the students did report some cold hands!

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