Milltown Dam Journeys Program

Gareth Griffes is a new WEN volunteer this spring. We were so happy to have him on two field trips this week! Gareth help in teaching the Girl Scouts about aquatic macro invertebrates and later in the week assisted on our Milltown Dam Journeys field trip with Clinton school. Read his narrative about Milltown below:

At 12:15 on Wednesday, April 21st, I was privileged to take part in a Milltown dam FT with WEN. We would be taking approx. 20 kids out to the Milltown dam bluff to learn about the life of a bull trout, the usage of the area by native peoples, some geomorphology of the area, and all about the dam restoration project.

We left on time, picking up an MCAT employee by the name of Tor who arrived as suddenly as he was given the assignment to come out and film the FT. As I had only done the stream monitoring field trips so far, what we were going to be doing was a complete mystery to me. Deb told me all about the station I was to be helping Emilie with--the bull trout obstacle course. I had to just visualize it since we wouldn’t have that much time between setting up the station and then facili tating it for the kids. It was my first time in East Missoula (having no car is no fun), and it would be my first time seeing the dam restoration. Deb filled me in all about the history of the dam and all of its problems so I wouldn't seem too out of the loop.

When we got there the heat was stifling. The kids would be getting there in 10 minutes or so, so we had just enough time to set up and read over the script a few times. Houston and I would be helping Emilie out with the bull trout game, and Deb and Christa ran the geo caching activity on the bluff.

Our station was designed to show how difficult the life of a bull trout was. The kids would try and make it through all of the obstacles without 'dying' and we would see who made it all the way through. First was the man-made turbine (jump rope). Then came the going up through the fish ladder (jumping on one foot through a path). After that the ever-popular predator alley, where classmates would throw wiffle balls at them while they dodged thr ough cones (an underhanded throw and hitting below the waist was a rule often forgotten). Through the culvert was next (originally a hula hoop, then changed to a soccer ball from Albertsons), followed by the random conditions dice roll. Finally putting an egg under the chin, walking over to the red bucket (signifying a redd), and dropping it in meant a successful spawning.

Out of our two groups around 10 percent of the kids made it through. Nothing got too out-of-hand, but our Q&A session made the students a little sugar-buzzed due to the prizes of Swedish fish (a bull trout has to eat). The kids were good for the most part and though Tor filmed all throughout the trip, the kids didn't seem to notice, which was good because seeing the 6-graders interested in learning was the goal. We finished up with both groups and then went to listen to Peter Nielsen from the Missoula Water Quality District about the dam restoration project. It was great seeing the kids' enthusiasm about their future park and all about what they would be doing there in just a few years. Their teacher brought a much needed pack of water and we finished up around 3:30. We all piled into our (thankfully) air-conditioned cars, said goodbye to Tor at the office, and parted ways from another great field Trip with WEN.

If you know of a class or community group who would be interested in learning about the Milltown Dam, please email water@montanawatershed for more information.