This summer, local students got a behind-the-scenes look at Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz River Project during a five-day program introducing young people to hydropower, natural resources, and related careers.
Students in the Foundation for Water and Energy Education (FWEE) Southwest Washington Hydropower and STEM Career Academy spent a day touring the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery and Mossyrock Dam and powerhouse. They sorted returning fish, saw generating equipment up close, and built miniature hydroelectric generators.
Their notebooks captured what stood out along the way.
At the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, students learned about Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead and helped hatchery staff sort returning adult fish. One student documented the experience with sketches of salmon development and a Chinook salmon, along with one memorable observation: “So slimy! And splashy!”
Next, students visited Mossyrock Dam and powerhouse, where they learned how moving water becomes electricity and saw the equipment and systems that keep a hydroelectric project operating.
After learning about the complexity inside a generator, one student wrote, “Today I learn that I am not an engineer. But that comes later!”
The student also sketched the dam, a generator, and one of the powerhouse control panels. After learning that photos weren’t allowed in some areas, they offered a theory of their own: “I think they’re hiding aliens.”
The Cowlitz visit was one part of the five-day academy. Throughout the week, students explored hydropower, energy and natural resources, met professionals working in the field and learned about career pathways ranging from skilled trades and apprenticeships to community college programs and four-year degrees.
That’s why programs like this matter. Learning where electricity comes from is one piece of the story. Seeing the people, skills and environmental stewardship behind it helps students understand the bigger picture—and introduces them to careers they might not otherwise know exist.
By creating those connections early, Tacoma Power is helping the next generation better understand hydropower today and see how they could be part of its future.