EUGENE, Ore. - More than 1,100 students from the Eugene 4J School District gathered at Alton Baker Park on Thursday to release Chinook salmon fry into the Willamette River.

This Dec. 11 event was part of an educational program aimed at teaching children about the salmon life cycle. Fifty-three classrooms across the district received 6,000 Chinook salmon eggs earlier this fall. Students observed the fish maturing through three life cycles before the release.

"I released my salmon and I named it Benjamin cause my great grandpa passed away and I wanted it to be named by him," Avery, a 4J student, said.

The students also participated in an obstacle course called "Close Encounters of the Salmon Kind," where some acted as salmon and others as predators. This hands-on experience helped them un

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