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Carlisle Environmental Education

Background:
Located within the Gheer Creek Watershed near Onalaska, Washington, the Carlisle Project began in November of 1990. The project was born of concerned community members who were interested in putting more salmon into local rivers and streams. Since that time, the rearing portion of the project has raised well over 100,000 yearling Coho salmon for winter and early spring release into tributaries of the Upper Chehalis River system

Education:
As part of their outreach program, the Carlisle project has partnered with local schools and educational programs. The Carlisle facility has two sites being used by the Onalaska High School Future Farmers of America Aquaculture Program, providing field and class study and hands on experience.

Students get to learn:

This program hatches Winter-run Steelhead, Chum, Trout, and Coho. The students raise Coho in Carlisle Lake, wand adult returns for coded wire tags, and plant carcasses in area streams for nutrient enhancement. Because this partnership has been so successful, the FFA Aquaculture course has attained college credit status with Grays Harbor Community College.

The school science program also utilizes the Carlisle facilities for a number of projects including water quality studies, riparian/wetland restoration and general environmental field studies. Through the monitoring of several stream sites and fish enhancement facilities, students work to identify nutrient fluctuations within the Basin. Water quality information and test results from the various sites are then posted on an Internet web site for easy access. The science program involves neighboring school district participation in mini symposiums that are funded via Environmental Protection Agency grants.

The Carlisle Environmental Educational Project has supported a number of activities and independent studies. Project participants designed and built the onsite school aquaculture study lab, hatchery and observation tanks with the capacity to raise 100,000 smolts. Fish net pens were added at Carlisle Lake to expose students to an actual working environment and business atmosphere. Each year, students raise 100,000 Coho salmon in Carlisle Lake, which are fed 3 times a week by hand and by solar powered feeders. The fish are monitored for weight gain to determine the amount of feed needed and to determine release times. Student volunteers play a large part in the success of the project contributing several man-hours each year.

Volunteer hours for 2007: 1248

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