November was a busy month as BRDC joins the 1st, 5th and 7th grade classes to study Owls, Watersheds and Trout.

The K-2 Program for November brought Barn Owls to the forefront with a story by Melissa Hill, Barn Owls. Owl and raptor parts we brought for the kids to see, touch and compare. We finished the class with a couple of rounds of Owl Bingo.

The Natural Heritage program elaborated on our watersheds. We began with the Mississippi River and traveled upstream with maps of the US and Virginia discovering the way water travels across our country, as well as locally, to reach the oceans. Students were able to locate their community on a Virginia map based on their orientation to the New River.

Eyed eggs were delivered to the middle schools as part of the Trout in the Classroom Program. Each year, the classes set up a tank to replicate the habitat of our native Brook trout. The students receive eggs and watch the transformation from egg to alevin to fry and then release the small trout in the spring. It is a great lesson on stream ecology, water quality and life processes. The class is responsible for caring for and maintaining a habitable environment for the fish.