As part of its educational mission, the Salmon Restoration Association (SRA) is helping to support the Mendocino High School life science program which culminates in the SONAR program.
SONAR (School of Natural Resources) prepares students to become environmentally aware citizens and trains these individuals for careers in environmental science.
Salmon population surveys are done in fall and spring; fish and their redds, or nests, are measured and recorded. Seine netting surveys are done in the estuary before the big rains start in the fall and all identified species are recorded.
An ongoing study of the presence of the invasive species of European Green crabs has been done for three years using a variety of types of traps in Big River estuary.
Last year the students also collected native plant seeds from the Georgia Pacific property which will be germinated and used to help repopulate the grounds when the clean-up process there is completed.
Salmon Restoration Association has provided grants for the past 5 years to maintain the SONAR program as a two-course curriculum of natural science and English.