On a chilly October morning, as a group of youth from the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe reached the edge of the upper Baker River, they saw dozens of red sockeye salmon darting in the clear water, preparing to spawn.
After taking a beat to admire the scene, the youth, ages 10-12, set to work on the purpose of their trek to the river: to collect water samples carrying environmental DNA from the sockeye and potentially other critters, unseen, that recently spent time in the vicinity.
The youth took turns pulling water into plastic syringes and pushing it through filters meant to capture any particles holding DNA, like skin cells or scale fragments or bits of hair.
“You have now contributed viable, useful data that will forever be part of our understanding of this watershed,” said Michael Bartlett, field operations supervisor for the tribe’s natural resources department, as the sampling concluded that day.
The results could provide valuable information about the presence of native and, potentially, invasive species in the watershed.
“As stewards of this watershed since time immemorial, it’s important to us to use any information we can to understand the health of the ecosystem our salmon rely on,” said Scott Schuyler, the tribe’s natural resources policy representative.
The youth arrived eager to take part in the activity and left proud of their hands-on role in the data collection.
“That was pretty cool,” said Natalia Valencia-Aguilar, 10.
Earlier in the year, the youth gathered water samples for eDNA analysis at three other sites along the Baker River. Each of those sites is influenced by Puget Sound Energy’s hydroelectric project that includes two dams and two reservoir lakes, Shannon and Baker.
“With the popularity of the sport sockeye fishery on Baker Lake, the tribe saw a need for monitoring for some of the invasives that come with frequent boat traffic, like quagga and zebra mussels, and Eurasian milfoil,” Bartlett said.
Samples were gathered before, during and after the 2025 sport fishery. Students from 5th to 12th grade participated.
The October data collection was a bonus outing to a site above the dams during peak sockeye spawning season. It could provide a snapshot of wildlife present alongside the fish, like any invasive aquatic species of concern, as well as native terrestrial dwellers, like beavers and bobcats and bears, that are expected to inhabit the watershed.
“This area of the river is more pristine and could offer a sort of baseline,” Bartlett said.
The eDNA collection was facilitated as part of Salmon School, a growing international program blending science and art to support salmon recovery around the world. The Glacier Peak Institute is a Salmon School partner in western Washington.
Joseph Rossano, founder of Salmon School, and Oak Rankin, founder of the Glacier Peak Institute, led the Baker River sample collection along with Upper Skagit biologists interested in the resulting data.
“This is a valuable scientific tool that can be applied across the board; you don’t necessarily need to be a senior level biologist,” Bartlett said of the accessibility of eDNA. “Anyone can do it and yield valuable results.”
Above: Eleven-year-old Upper Skagit tribal member Lincoln Bowen shows his peer Nayeli Valencia-Aguilar a syringe containing a solution used to preserve eDNA captured during water sampling until it is able to be evaluated in a lab. Photos and story by Kimberly Cauvel.
