Trout in the Classroom
Connecting Our Kids to their Watersheds
By Jessica Griglak, NJ Trout in the Classroom Coordinator
Trout in the Classroom is a science-based program that teaches children about the importance of coldwater conservation through a hands-on approach to learning. Through the process of raising brook trout from eggs to fingerlings, the size they are at release time, students learn about the importance of clean, cold water, not only for the brook trout they are raising, but also for the other organisms, including people.
There are 103 schools participating in the program for the 2009-2010 school year. That means that more than 10,000 students will be learning about coldwater conservation through hands-on science in their classes over the next year. Tanks are located throughout the state, with large numbers of schools participating in the northern and southern areas of New Jersey. There are also tanks in environmental centers, such as Pequest and Manasquan Reservoir, and in soil conservation districts in Ocean County and Freehold, that reach more than 10,000 adults each year.
In mid-October of each year, members of the various chapters of Trout Unlimited come to the Pequest Trout Hatchery where they receive brook trout eggs that they deliver to all the schools that are participating in the program. Each school is assigned to a chapter, and that chapter then delivers the eggs and interacts with the teachers and students, offering programs and advice throughout the year. Every chapter of Trout Unlimited has tanks that they are responsible for, but Jersey Shore Trout Unlimited and the Fred S. Burroughs Chapter of Trout Unlimited have the greatest number of tanks, 23 and 21 respectively. Trout Unlimited is an integral part of the Trout in the Classroom experience and this program would not be able to work on the same scale that it is without their help.
If you are interested in starting a Trout in the Classroom program at your school, visit www.njtroutintheclassroom.org or contact Jessica Griglak at 908-637-4125 for more information.
