Trout in the Classroom
Truly one of the most engaging programs in the region, Trout in the Classroom is a national program established by Trout Unlimited. It is an in-class environmental education program for elementary, middle and high school students. With a 55 gallon tank set up in the classroom, students raise trout (brook or rainbow) from eggs to fry and then release them into VDGIF approved cold water streams and lakes. The hands on approach of the program makes a profound connection with the kids.
The lessons of the program include water quality, scientific monitoring and coldwater conservation. The long-term goal is to reconnect an increasingly urbanized population of youth to the system of streams, rivers, and watersheds that sustain them. The classroom will receive the aquarium equipment in early fall, receive the eggs in October, raise the trout through the winter until they are fingerling when they will be released into a local cold water stream.
This program falls directly in line with BRDC's Mission and we aim to bring it to kids throughout the Blue Ridge. For more information about Trout in the Classroom please visit: http://www.troutintheclassroom.org
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.