Education & Community
Salmon Camp
PCSC was awarded a “No Child Left Inside Grant” to create a summer school program called Salmon Camp in collaboration with the Quillayute Valley School District. Forks Middle School sixth grade science teacher Kim Kearns initiated and teaches the program with third grade science teacher Katie Haag. For six weeks, thirty 5th and 6th graders learn all about Salmon: their life cycle, their habitat, biology, and challenges they face. We also get kids outside, including multiple field trips and outdoor skills building. Our hope is to have kids engage in environmental stewardship through salmon education and outdoor experiences.
Every year thousands of salmon and steelhead return from the ocean to the fish hatcheries where they were spawned, raised and released from. Once they return many are used for the next batch and are spawned. This leaves an enormous surplus of fish waiting to be utilized. Early on in their return, most of the fish are of food quality, this gives our community an invaluable resource, sustenance. Here we will talk about the food surplus returns, on our Nutrient Enhancement page you can learn about what happens to the fish that are not food quality.
PCSC has been partnering with the Sol Duc Salmon Hatchery and the Bogachiel Steelhead Hatchery for more than a decade to gather, process and deliver this rich natural resource to those who need it the most. Partners and beneficiaries in this program are the Quileute Tribe, the Hoh Tribe, Forks Food Bank, Feed the 5,000 in Forks, and the Forks Masons. The surplus salmon must go to a non-profit organization with a letter of recommendation approved and registered by WDFW.