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Trout in the Classroom Partnership Our
inaugural year of Trout in the Classroom (TIC) was quite successful. To
recap, we received applications from 22 interested teachers, but were
limited to providing six with the necessary equipment. A full set-up, from
tank to chiller (valued at $1,000 each) was provided to: Fords Middle
School, St. Stanislaus Kostka, South River Middle School, Communications
High School, Summerfield School and Middletown High School South. We also
hosted a tank in our office to educate developers, builders, engineers and
residents about fragile trout
habitat. A clutch of 400 eggs was delivered to each location by Trout Unlimited volunteers in October. The hatching process was rather interesting as non-viable eggs had to be removed from the breeder net with an eye-dropper. Once the egg sacks dissolved the young trout (fry) were free to move about the 30-gallon tanks and feeding began on an every-other-day schedule. At first the hatchlings hid between the rocks on the tank bottom, but soon were swimming around. In
January teachers submitted their mid-project reports. An average of 60+
trout had survived in each of the tanks and according to Brian Cowden,
Trout Unlimited State Coordinator, this number of surviving trout is on
par. Student response to TIC was enthusiastic and Gayle Martinez, of South River Middle School, reported that her students “felt a sense of ownership and responsibility” toward the fish. Students in each school completed lessons and activities such as: growth measurement; water cycle; anatomy; dissection; life cycle; creative writing; stream ecology; art; journals; nonpoint source and point source pollution; aquaculture; and tested for pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and dissolved oxygen on a regular basis. Everyone
eagerly watched the growth and habits of the young trout. Many were
dismayed to witness the cannibalism which is part of their life-cycle.
When asked about TIC, and its’ impact on how they think
environmentally, students quoted the
following: “How
delicate the trout ecosystem is and how we have to protect it” “I
can help save the environment” “Even
little changes in our behavior can help the environment” “Now
we know that we need to keep roads clean to help keep water clean” “I
learned that garbage that goes down the sewer can wind up in the river” In
May, permits were secured from NJDEP and hundreds of young trout were
released into the Manasquan River in Wall, the Toms River in Jackson, and
the Black River in both Chester and Hacklebarney State Park. Teachers
reported the trout release was:
“Such
a rewarding experience that the kids applauded when the fish were
released”
“For
many students this was their first trip to a State park, so it was a great
way for them to explore nature”
“It
will be a memorable experience for us all”
“The
students were proud to be part of the whole TIC program”
“Awesome!”
Approximately
665 students were reached with the 06-07 TIC program sponsored by Freehold
SCD and 5,000 visitors have learned more about trout habitat through the
tank and fish in our office. TIC
2007-2008 TIC
participants for 07-08 are: Fords
Middle School* South
River Middle School* St.
Stanislaus School* Middlesex
Co. Vocational Tech H.S. Voorhees
Elementary Middletown
High School South* St.
Jerome School Howell
High School Eisenhower
Middle School Allentown
High School Freehold
Intermediate School Manasquan
Reservoir Environmental Center Eggs
will be delivered in mid October and then the fun begins!! (*Returning
school) Karen
Rowe Freehold
Soil Conservation District Education
Coordinator 732-683-8500
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