A new five-week Stream Stewards class is being offered this fall by WSU Extension beginning in mid-October.

The course is from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Oct. 18-Nov. 15, at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Red Cedar Hall, 1033 Old Blyn Highway, Blyn.

Field trips will be to a variety of locations around the North Olympic Peninsula.

The course format combines classroom presentations by regional experts followed each day by field trips around the Olympic Peninsula. The focus is on the rivers and streams that flow into the Strait of Juan de Fuca with an emphasis on restoration efforts.

The course highlights a number of topics, including: stream and watershed ecology; water quality issues; salmon life history, management and recovery; tribal treaty rights; water supply; forest ecology, native plants, noxious weeds, and habitat conservation and restoration.

Class participants are encouraged to apply what they’ve learned by volunteering with local organizations such as local land trusts, conservation districts, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, the Dungeness River Audubon Center and others.

Volunteer activities include stream and salmon monitoring, public outreach, tree planting, habitat restoration and more.

A free, one-hour orientation session to learn more about the class is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Red Cedar Hall. Applications are being accepted through Oct. 11.

Cost is $25 and is supported by a grant through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For more information, visit Clallam or Jefferson County WSU Extension websites (extension.wsu.edu/clallam, extension.wsu.edu/jefferson) and click on “Water Programs” to locate Stream Stewards. Or, contact coordinator Kory Kirby at 360-565-2679 or wsustreamstewards@gmail.com.