Sound Gardens Save Salmon
Sound Gardens Save Salmon (SGSS) is a curriculum developed to increase awareness in, and a commitment to, environmental stewardship in the children and families of South Puget Sound school communities.
Through this program, students learn how to identify their local watershed, locate community storm drains, understand how strong garden chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, etc) enter storm drains, and investigate the impacts of these non-point source pollutants on the flora and fauna of Puget Sound, with a particular focus on salmon.
The program also educates students about safer gardening practices that keep weeds and pests out of the yard, while being gentler on salmon and other fauna and flora.
The pilot project was delivered, with great success, at Lowell Elementary School in Tacoma.
SGSS was authored by Jacqueline Elliott, of Bioscience Education and Research Consulting (BERC) and Sheila Gortler-Coughlin, of Sage Garden Designs. Funding was made possible by a 2008 City of Tacoma ‘Make a Splash Grant’, written by Jacqui and Sheila, in cooperation with SPSSEG.
Other partners include the Puget Creek Restoration Society, the Proctor District’s Metropolitan Market, and the George Kenney Chainsaw Carving School. BERC and Sage Garden Designs also donated time and energy to the project.
SGSS Curriculum
Find Salmon-Friendly Gardening Tips
