Trout in the Classroom

“Creating Excitement in Education”

The Vision:

Trout Unlimited (TU) has a vision to ensure that robust populations of native and wild coldwater fish thrive within their North American range, so that our children can enjoy healthy fisheries in their home waters. Trout in the Classroom (TIC) brings the importance of this vision directly to the members of this next generation, allowing them to discover it for themselves. A network of teachers, supported by local chapters of TU, or private volunteers, pursue this goal.  Here in Southwest Virginia, Dr. David Jones, a Martinsville orthodontist,  has sponsored over 20 trout tanks in Henry, Patrick and Pittsylvania Counties for the past 3 years ( 2005 – 2008)

Watershed Education:

TIC is a unique way to teach the relevance of watersheds. Trout are indicator species; and their abundance directly reflects the quality of the water in which they live. In the TIC program, students learn to care about their trout and then the habitat in which trout live. As the program progresses, students see connections between the trout, water resources, the environment, and themselves.  This hands-on, flexible program has won national acclaim and is in place in classrooms internationally. Raising trout in the classroom connects students to water quality and other real-life issues and inspires them to seek solutions to problems.

The Program:

A sponsor provides money for equipment and in the some cases volunteer help with setting up tank systems and continuing support.  In Southwest Virginia, the sponsor is Dr. David Jones.  An aquarium and chiller system is set up to incubate trout eggs in classrooms under the guidance of a Trout in the Classroom (TIC) coordinator. (Brian Williams) Students watch as trout develop from eggs to fry, with the final result being a field trip to release the young fish into the wild. The Smith River at the Basset Library is used as a release site.  This hand-on experience develops students' interest in the environment and conservation issues as they learn what it takes to keep these trout alive and healthy. These interests inspire questions about the needs of humans and their relationship to the environment.  The program encompasses not only science but language arts, mathematics, social studies, ecology and art. 

The Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) and Trout in the Classroom (TIC) formed an exciting partnership to promote shared goals of stewardship and education for students in Henry County, Patrick County, and the city of Martinsville, all in the Virginia portion of the watershed.  Dr. Jones has supplied aquariums, support materials, equipment, and brown trout fry to area schools and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.  For three consecutive seasons, students and teachers have collected data, regulated feedings, monitored water quality and successfully raised the trout to fingerling size.  Events are later held to release the trout into the Smith River.

Linking Lessons

DRBA’s efforts of stream water quality monitoring using the VASOS protocol of determining the density and diversity of a streams’ macro invertebrate population (the main diet of trout) was a natural companion to the TIC project.  Wayne Kirkpatrick and David Jones formed a partnership to link the two concepts, through both classroom and streamside demonstrations, giving the students a broader perspective of the impact this project would be making on the environment.

The DRBA presentations by Wayne illustrate the water cycle, rural versus urban effects on a stream of storm water runoff, types of pollution, the importance of preventing pollution, hands on identification of macro invertebrates, and a mini ecosystem of macro invertebrates.

Restoring the Fisheries

The Smith River in Basset, VA provides a beautiful panorama as the students and teachers bid goodbye to their trout during a series of releases.  Thousands of trout have been released into the river as a result of this program with area students participating in the school wide programs that were responsible for the care of the trout from eggs to fingerlings. The DRBA water monitoring program for macro invertebrates was presented at these streamside releases as well as additional classroom sessions.

Improving Academic Performance

The teachers found creative ways to relate the young trout and their health to science, math, art, history, government, and writing.  The enthusiasm generated by this hands-on project has been unprecedented, the teachers say, in producing students who want to come to school to learn.  School administrators have been so impressed with the overall positive effect on classroom participation that some are planning to implement curriculum changes to parallel the TIC and DRBA project.

Widespread Positive Results

The impact of this project for the local environment, the brown trout fishery of the Smith River, the local economy, and the broadened education perspective of our students cannot be overstated.  The initiation of this project, its financial support, and the dedication to its successful conclusion belong solely to Dr. David Jones.  DRBA is proud to collaborate with and participate in such a valuable effort. 

Excerpt from Students email letter to Dr. Jones:

Hello,

This is Kristel again. I'm you fish buddy from Mt Olivett Elementary. Right now the fish are swimming, and they are getting bigger every day. They have also grown tiny stripes on their bodies. The teachers said that they would be half the size of what they are supposed to be when they are grow ,before they let them go 

Sincerely,

Kristel