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Location: Basin wide Project Summary
Overview The Fraser Basin Streams of Dreams 2009 project will educate 5,000 Fraser Basin residents/participants at 15 or more schools and community events about their local watershed and their connection to Fraser River salmon using the Stream of Dreams watershed education and community art program. The program focuses on improving water quality for salmon and other aquatic life in our streams, rivers and ocean by ensuring that participants understand their connection to salmon habitat through storm and sanitary sewer systems and surface and groundwater flows and by encouraging behavior changes to reduce water pollution. Key behavior changes include fish-safe car washing, reduction of car use and reduction or elimination of use of toxic substances indoors and out, and safe disposal when they are used. Participants are expected to teach families and friends what they learned during the program. As well as providing direct education about Fraser salmon and watersheds, each sub-project also leaves an art legacy, composed of hundreds of individually painted salmon beautifully displayed on a local chain-link fence. The murals remind area residents of the importance of protecting salmon habitat, reinforce for participants what was discussed in the program and serve as a secondary public awareness program. Objectives Methods The Stream of Dreams program has been presented at over 250 schools and community events across BC and other regions of Canada since its inception in 2000. For each project, community volunteers prepare wooden fish in preparation for the two-part watershed science and art workshops. The first part of the workshop is a presentation on the local watershed and its connection to salmon in the Fraser River and the ocean, and how drainage systems, storm and sanitary, connect to salmon habitat. We use stories, posters, maps, 3-D models, air photos and other props to give participants their sense of place and of their potential impacts on Fraser salmon. The second part of the workshop is an art session where each participant paints a wooden fish, a Dreamfish. Fish posters and fish art surround students in the art room to inspire their painting, and a collection of books on salmon and other aquatic creatures is provided for further education and inspiration. When all participants have painted their fish, a Stream of Dreams artist designs a single work of art made up of all the individual fish on the school or community fence. Parent/community volunteers help with the installation. The art legacy reminds participants of the lessons learned, helps stimulate public awareness beyond the school community and beautifies the neighbourhood with colourful painted salmon. The mural is displayed for at least 5 years along with signs explaining the project. Art is a powerful medium for opening audiences to learning.
Final Results The final report for the study is posted in the orange resource box to the right.
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