Fish teach us how to be stewards of the land, this educator says. Here’s why
Fish, which of course live in water, can help teach kids how to become stewards of the land.
To see how, look no further than the Trout in the Classroom program sponsored by the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and for t
The TIC provides salmonoid eggs to classrooms where they are incubated by students and teachers until they are released in designated streams.
It’s a “fantastic program for kids of all ages and helps them become stewards of the land,” Dave Dungy said.
Dungy has been involved with the program for the past 10 years.
One of trout project founders, the late Captain Jack Yandell along with Dick Nichols had explained that his wife was a teacher years ago and had been part of TIC and loved it as a science project for her students. This was the catalyst for the association with California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
The program opened with Pineridge Elementary School located near Shaver and Big Creek Elementary located above Shaver.
Pineridge teacher Erin McCandless, and a Big Creek teacher, attended a CDFW training session and became the first accredited TIC teachers. Over the years, the program expanded to schools in Oakhurst, Clovis, and other areas of Fresno County, adding schools on the coast and other locations. Sponsored local schools are provided with equipment including tanks, aeration, chillers (water must be kept at 50 degrees), and supplies with an investment of about $600 per class.
The trout eggs come from Northern California hatcheries to the hatchery in Friant usually in February.
Volunteers met at the Friant Hatchery to sort and pack trout eggs for distribution to schools on Feb. 9. One of the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project members also delivered eggs to Central Coast schools.
The eggs are grouped into bundles of 30, and coordinate with CDFW to arrange with other volunteers to deliver eggs to classrooms throughout the state. Each classroom receives 30 to 90 eggs, depending on the size of their aquarium. This year 8,000 trout eggs were delivered to schools from Kern County to the Central Coast and as far north as Merced County.
The students will follow the eggs from hatching over a six-week period to small fry. Students from Foothill, Pineridge, and Big Creek Elementary schools are invited to Shaver Lake for a trout release day where they learn about the wildlife around the lake from a biologist, release the baby trout they have raised, and have a nice lunch to finish the day.
According to the TIC website, teachers can request that this program be brought into their classroom by reaching out to CDFW, who then connects them with a sponsoring organization in their area. CDFW provides ongoing miscellaneous support to teachers and sponsoring organizations as well as facilitating the training that prepares both teachers and volunteers to work in this program. This is a hands-on, interdisciplinary project for grades K-12.
The Classroom Aquarium Education Project is offered statewide in partnership with regionally based community organizations. The prerequisite training workshops are held at locations throughout the state. Completion of a training workshop is required to receive eggs. Teacher training workshops are offered at least once a year in each region. The Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project has developed a video on their Trout in the Classroom Program. TIC is only one aspect of the SLTTP with their annual plant of trophies in the lake, the annual Greg Mark’s Youth Fishing Derby, and their fund-raising Sportsmen’s Dinner.
For more information, go to: https://shaverlaketrophytroutproject.org/.
Dave Hurley is a longtime educator, fishing writer and member of the California Outdoors Hall of Fame.
