In the clear waters of the Rogue River, a battered, hatchery-bred spring chinook salmon spawned away its last moments on Earth as a group of Eagle Rock Elementary pupils dissected a male and female salmon on a picnic table on the bank at McGregor Park near Trail.

"What can you tell from the scales?" federal fishery biologist Jennifer Smith asked the students. "From the scales, you can tell how old they are. There are rings like when you cut a tree."

The salmon are about 5 years old, according to the rings, which are only visible under a microscope.

Salmon are a part of the everyday scenery in Eagle Point.

Katherine Leppek and other teachers use them as a tool for educating pupils about biology and environmental stewardship.

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Spring chinook and coho spawn in Little Butte Creek, which runs through downtown Eagle Point and is one of the cleanest creeks in the larger Bear Creek watershed.

"I feel it's really important children know what's in their environment and how important the fish are," Leppek said. "They're a good indicator of how clean the water is."

For the past eight years, Eagle Rock fourth-graders have spent about six weeks studying salmon in Leppek's class.

At the end of the six weeks, the pupils participate in Salmon Watch, a field school for fourth through 12th grades operated by the nonprofit Oregon Trout group and tapping volunteers from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management.

During the most recent field school Monday, about 30 pupils from Eagle Rock watched demonstrations on salmon diet, water quality, salmon anatomy and how trees and vegetation along the river protect water, salmon and other life forms.

"The goal of the program is through hands-on activities and observation of salmon to teach kids about the salmon species and how to be stewards of the species in the future," said Heidi Buettner, regional education assistant for Oregon Trout. "If they understand what's here, they can learn how to protect it."

The salmon travel more than 100 miles from the mouth of the Rogue River in Gold Beach to return to their birthplace to propagate and die.

"I'm thinking how cool it is that they lay all those eggs and only two or three live," said fourth-grader Jered Dabel. "It's pretty amazing."

Salmon populations can be harmed by dams, changes in water temperature and quality and development in riparian (creek-side) areas.

The construction of Lost Creek Dam in 1977 just above McGregor Park to control flooding eliminated about one-third of the spring chinook habitat in the Rogue River as well as some of the coho habitat.

The insects salmon eat are even more sensitive to environmental changes, and their populations impact those of the salmon, Leppek said.

"When you pour things down storm drains, that goes into the river and affects fish," she said.

Fourth-grader Michael Milazzo said he was reminded of that lesson Sunday night when he saw a neighbor pour soapy water into a drainage ditch near his home.

"That's going to hurt the salmon," Michael said.

Leppek's class has taken steps to help protect the salmon in their neighborhood by posting signs over the bridge over Little Butte Creek in 2002.

This year, Leppek and her pupils hope to add another sign at the new Edgar Dahack Bridge.

"The signs will let the salmon live a lot longer for lots of other people to see," Jered said.

Reach reporter Paris Achen by calling 776-4459 or e-mailing pachen@mailtribune.com.