The Trout Population has Increased in Wilson Creek
Last week was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have had a better time on Wilson Creek in Grayson County as the 7th grade students of Independence Middle and Grayson Highlands Schools and the 5th grade students of Piney Creek Elementary School released their trout.
Last week was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have had a better time on Wilson Creek in Grayson County as the 7th grade students of Independence Middle and Grayson Highlands Schools and the 5th grade students of Piney Creek Elementary School released their trout.
Each year, several classes participate in the Trout in the Classroom Program. This program begins in the fall with tank set-up, water chemistry analysis and habitat discussions in relation to our native Brook trout. Then, in early winter, the classes receive the trout eggs and are instructed on the stages of development of the trout from egg to alevin and then to fingerlings. It is their challenge and responsibility to maintain an appropriate environment for the trout to survive until spring when they are released in a cold water stream that can support them.
The release is a fun and exciting day where the kids not only get to set their trout free but delve deeper into their natural habitat. This is done by putting on a pair of waders and boots and getting in the stream with seines and dip nets. Some scouring of the bottom reveals what lurks below and investigated further with hand lenses, microscopes and guide books.
This experiential, hands-ons program not only teaches the life cycles of fishes and macro-invertebrates but encourages our youth to get out and explore a new habitat and establishes the foundation for stewardship.
School of Fish
As the school year wraps up, the student's hard work as part of the Trout in the Classroom program is paying off.
Having reared brook trout fingerlings from eggs for the last 4 months, the students now feel the pride of releasing the young trout into local streams.
As the school year wraps up, the student's hard work as part of the Trout in the Classroom program is paying off.
Students from Carroll County, Piney Creek in Alleghany County and Grayson Highlands School reared brook trout fingerlings from eggs for the last 4 months. Now the students get to feel the pride of releasing the young trout into local streams.
With an emphasis of connecting students to the cold water streams of Virginia, the program outlines the benefits of healthy native brook trout habitat. The partnership between Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fish (VDGIF), local schools and Blue Ridge Discovery Center (BRDC) brings together all of the pieces to make the program a success. The VDGIF supply the trout eggs and approve the release locations. The schools provide classroom curricula surrounding the care and monitoring of the tank and the trout. BRDC provides the technical expertise to setup the tank and to raise the fish as well as leading a hands-on stream ecology program during the release of the trout.
Most importantly, the students bring their curiosity and enthusiasm to discover not just what makes great trout habitat, but also the pride that comes with being a part of the Trout in the Classroom program.
The Trout Have Arrived!
As part of the Trout in the Classroom program, classrooms set up 55 gallon tanks to create a suitable habitat for trout.
In the past week, four schools: Grayson Highlands School, Piney Creek School, Galax High School and Carroll County High School have received Brook trout! As part of the Trout in the Classroom program, classrooms set up 55 gallon tanks to create a suitable habitat for trout. The lessons of the program include life cycle of trout, habitat, water quality, scientific monitoring and aquaculture. The long-term goal is to reconnect an increasingly urbanized population of youth to the system of streams, rivers, and watersheds that sustain them.
BRDC Partners with Grayson County Schools
We are pleased to announce our partnership with Grayson County Public Schools to connect local youth to the Blue Ridge through hands-on programs with students, providing grade specific SOL’s and STEM learning concepts. The $10,000 award from Grayson County Schools for the 2016-17 school year, supported by matching funds and volunteer support from BRDC, will reach students across the school system and enrich the public school experience through hands-on and interest-driven activities.
We are pleased to announce our partnership with Grayson County Public Schools to connect local youth to the Blue Ridge through hands-on programs with students, providing grade specific SOL’s and STEM learning concepts. The $10,000 award from Grayson County Schools for the 2016-17 school year, supported by matching funds and volunteer support from BRDC, will reach students across the school system and enrich the public school experience through hands-on and interest-driven activities.
BRDC will engage students at several grade levels, utilizing proven programs that teach critical thinking skills through independent learning opportunities, and integrate field trips that introduce our youth to the amazing resources in their backyards. These programs will provide creative and fun opportunities for students to engage their surroundings, look closer, question, and share their findings with others while exploring the wonders in their backyards, parks, forests, fields, rivers and mountains.
BRDC will offer a variety of programs including a reading program for Kindergarden-2nd grade that will encourage student’s curiosity and builds relationships with the natural world, while enhancing listening and reading comprehension skills. Focusing on nature discovery using nonfiction, imaginative tales and hands on activities, the program will bring the treasures of the Blue Ridge to life in the classroom and excite the students’ minds.
4th grade students will participate in The Natural Heritage Program, exploring all aspects of the natural history of the Blue Ridge mountains. Through classroom sessions and field trips, students will study plants and animals in their environment. Through observation and discovery, they will deepen their connection to the region we call home.
Avian Adventures, a citizen science project for 7th graders, will increase awareness of the rich, diverse avifauna of the Blue Ridge region. The program will provide an in-depth study on all aspects of bird life and the potential life-long hobby of birding, and inspire students to become more familiar with the creatures in their own backyards and beyond.
High school students will integrate science and art with a detailed, species specific, illustration study called Blue Ridge Illustrated. Students will explore an area and through observation, specimen sampling, and field sketching, collecting information on the flora or fauna of the area. The students will investigate the life history of the specimens through detailed drawings, literature, and observation. The result is deep engagement with the subject and pride in the end piece of artwork.
Other programs include Trout in the Classroom, an interdisciplinary program for 7th grade combining science, social studies, and math, where students raise trout from eggs to fingerlings for release in the spring; The National Fishing in the Schools Program teaches 9th graders life sciences by investigating water quality and introducing students to the hobby of fly fishing; a Bio-survey for High School Biology or Ecology, where students learn how to conduct a scientific research project from hypothesis, through protocol and implementation, to publication; and an annual Science Fair.
All of these programs explore the rich diversity of the Blue Ridge and help students appreciate these resources, developing critical thinking skills, and inspire deeper engagement in the natural world.
Trout in the Classroom Release
For four months, the 7th grade class at Grayson Highlands School have been raising trout from eggs to fry in a 50 gallon aquarium. On March 24, the students celebrated their success with the release of 80 small fry into Wallen's Creek.
For four months, the 7th grade class at Grayson Highlands School have been raising trout from eggs to fry in a 50 gallon aquarium. On March 24, the students celebrated their success with the release of 80 small fry into Wallen's Creek.
This program involved learning about the life cycle of fish and the challenges of recreating the ideal environment for trout to flourish: cold and clean water with lots of oxygen. Each day the students diligently tested the chemical balance, fed the fish and cleaned the tank. Midway through the program to class successfully conducted an emergency overhaul on the tank to save the fish and restore balance to the tank.
The students also surveyed the creek for aquatic insects, picked up trash along the banks and discussed threats to the riparian habitat. During the activities, tree swallows circled above signaling their return from a winter in the subtropics- a sure sign that Spring has truly arrived.
Special thanks to Grayson National Bank and Trout Unlimited for supporting the Trout in the Classroom Program at Grayson Highlands School, and to Lisa Benish, BRDC's Program Coordinator for her contributions to this successful program.
Students released the young fish into Wallen's Creek