Salem Adopt-A-Stream

The City of Salem sponsors an ongoing Adopt-A-Stream program that provides teachers opportunities to learn how to monitor local creeks for water quality and streamside plants, and to share that experience with their students. During the school year, you adopt-a-local stream and perform water quality studies with your students. The data is provided to the City to supplement its own monitoring.

Teachers are trained to perform water quality tests and when they join the team, they are provided a kit that includes test equipment. The kit is loaned to the teachers but remains the property of the City. Participating teachers submit data at least once every year.

The program benefits the City by helping meet education and outreach goals to reduce pollutants in storm water runoff, otherwise known as non-point source pollution. Teachers from grade levels 4-12 can participate in the Adopt-A-Stream program.

Students become responsible for performing the tests and collecting data. By doing this, they learn several valuable skills and a better understanding of water resources. They also become aware of their adopted stream and some of the issues involved in managing urban watersheds.

The program has evolved to include other community-based projects such as creating a wetland with a multi-national company, designing and implementing riparian restoration projects, and establishing an Environmental Lecture Series for students in the Salem-Keizer School District. The City assists by helping teachers facilitate projects and providing technical assistance and resources.

If you are a teacher and would like to participate, please call 503-588-6211 or email dtopp@cityofsalem.net.

To see what projects the Adopt-A-Stream group is doing, please read the 2006-2007 Stream Scene.