Spill spawns learning

RIDDLE -- A group of Roseburg High School students stood near Cow Creek with their coats and sweatshirts pulled around their noses trying to cover up the stench coming from two dead chinook salmon.

A few of them squealed and looked squeamish as they watched Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife natural resource specialist Chris Sheely slice open the carcasses with his knife.

He was trying to determine if they were females and if they'd spawned all their eggs.

Twenty students took a trip to Cow Creek Thursday to learn about stream ecology.

The excursion was part of the Salmon Watch program through conservation groups Oregon Trout and The North Umpqua Foundation. Salmon Watch formed last year in Douglas County to promote protecting rivers and fish.

On Thursday, the students searched for stream bugs, tested water quality, talked about riparian areas and observed chinook salmon spawning.

"It was pretty cool to see the fish using their back tail to dig in their (eggs)," said Ashley Moore, a senior.

A main topic of discussion, however, was how a recent diesel spill in the creek affected the salmon. The students got to see where the spill occurred.

About 4,300 gallons of diesel spilled on Oct. 26, when a train derailed and a fuel tank in one of engines was punctured.

"The effect (on the chinook) is hard to say right now," Sheely said.

ODFW is most concerned about the salmon eggs. The department is researching similar spills and is discussing whether to catch the fry fish, which will hatch this spring, to estimate how many eggs survived, Sheely said.

Sheely said it was fortunate that diesel is a light substance that tends to flow downstream and become diluted, making it less likely to affect the spawning beds than if it were oil. Oil sinks and stays in one spot.

So far, it doesn't appear the diesel contamination is affecting the spawning, Sheely said.

"We haven't noticed many dead fish and the ones we've seen, we think they died of natural causes after spawning," Sheely said.

Stream bugs are also being tested to determine the impact of the spill, said Sharon Frazey, Bureau of Land Management fisheries biologist.

The diesel could also affect where the chinook spawn, said Robin Hartmann, executive director for The North Umpqua Foundation. Studies of gasoline have shown that if the chinook smell gas then they may decide to spawn elsewhere. This could be the same with diesel, she said.

Senior Robert Batchelor said it was fascinating to learn about the spill.

RHS science teacher Randy Soderberg-Chase, who led Thursday's field trip, noted that he and the other RHS science teachers are exploring new ways of teaching.

"Just by looking at them you can see they are interested and excited about it," he said.

There are currently five high school science classes with about 125 students who are taking field trips around the county to learn from professionals about the environment.

"We are trying to make it more connected to real-life experiences," Soderberg-Chase said.

Junior Daysha Atkinson said she enjoys the outings.

"It's more visual and not just out of a book," Atkinson said. "It's not like we're just hearing it. We can see it and are able to understand it in our own way."

Junior Vanessa Kirnberger agreed. She thinks she'll be able to better remember what she has learned.

"I'm more of a hands-on learner," she said.



* You can reach reporter Danielle Gillespie at 957-4202 or by e-mail at dgillespie@newsreview.info.