The anchoring phenomenon that these lessons will be based around is the plight of the southern resident killer whale (SRKW) and the impact of the Snake River dams on the Chinook salmon population.

The story of Tahlequah, the bereaved SRKW, who carried her deceased calf for 17 days in the summer of 2018. Prior to Tahlequah’s looks, the SRKW population in the Salish sea had been struggling, reaching a 30 year low, of just 75 whales among three pods. The primary food source of the SKRW are Chinook salmon, which had been dwindling due to the dams on the Snake River which close off precious breeding grounds for the Chinook.

Students learn about the dwindling orca population, and the contributing factors. One of which is the decline of Chinook salmon and how the loss of this keystone species is impacting the Sothern Resident Killer Whale populations.

Students will examine the decline in Chinook salmon and how the loss of this keystone species is impacting the Southern Resident Killer Whale populations.

This lesson will introduce the role of the Snake River dams and the impacts they have on the Chinook population. Students will examine the pros and cons of various scenarios that have been presented by research scientists.

This lesson will get into the stakeholders who are at play. Through role-playing, students will learn about the varied opinions regarding the dam removal and will ultimately have to reach a compromise as a class after a mock public forum.

Illustration of a food web featuring orcas. The image is a cross section of the sea. At the top are two white clouds, the waterline, then the marine life before the sea floor that makes up the bottom the image. From top to bottom and then left to right there are: orca, phytoplankton, plainfin midshipman, zooplankton, sea cucumber, bat star, sea urchin, kelp bass, sea otter, black rockfish, and kelp. White arrows connect the web based on each species diet.