Published 12/20/07

Homeschoolers get up-close biology lessons at Stillaguamish hatchery

by Beckye Randall

As Christopher Eldred reached inside the belly of a female salmon and scooped out eggs, he observed, “Ooh, it’s icky.”

Nevertheless, several other Marysville homeschoolers wanted their turn at harvesting eggs at the Stillaguamish Hatchery during a December 6 tour of the facility.

About a dozen young students and their parents watched with fascination as hatchery workers explained the process of gathering fish eggs and sperm (milt), mixing the ingredients and incubating the eggs. The tour was a homeschool co-op activity that mixed biology, ecology and environmental science lessons.

Observing the group that included Christopher and James Eldred, Sage and Forrest Herr and Ellie Nichols, it was clear these youngsters weren’t afraid to get up close and personal with dead fish.

Hatchery manager Kip Killebrew knows how to captivate inquiring minds. His enthusiasm, as he explained how the eggs turn into fish, was infectious. The third- to sixth-graders tried to outdo one another with quick answers to Killebrew’s questions and he rewarded them with positive feedback even when the answer wasn’t quite right.

Following Killebrew’s presentation, the kids were allowed to poke and prod the carcasses of a male and female adult salmon. Hatchery workers pointed out the fishes’ organs, explained how the gills work and encouraged hands-on participation. Paper towels and hand sanitizer were necessary accessories for this part of the tour.

Finally, moms Ginger Herr and Kim Eldred, along with 2-year-old Benjamin, accompanied the kids to the banks of a creek where adult salmon were struggling to finish their upstream journey.

Kristen Marshall, a volunteer with the Stilly Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force, was on hand to help answer questions and explain what the kids were seeing.

“I love being able to help on these tours,” said Marshall. “These kids are like sponges, and they always ask such insightful questions.”

Many of the homeschoolers participating in the tours are members of Home’s Cool Co-Op in Marysville, a Christian-based homeschool support service.

The Eldreds recently moved to Washington state from Virginia. Jim Eldred, father of the family, is the new youth pastor at Marysville First Baptist Church. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the welcome we’ve received,” said Mrs. Eldred, “and we’re enjoying learning more about our new home.”

For the Eldred boys, that meant learning about salmon eggs, fish spleens and rotating eyes.

The Stillaguamish Hatchery program is an interactive educational experience that can’t be duplicated inside a classroom.

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