A Hollis Elementary student releases brook trout fry. Photo: Tim Kelley
Some 45 fifth graders wrapped up their Trout in the Classroom program recently by releasing roughly 200 brook trout fry they had been diligently raising since January.
The program, offered by Springvale-based York County Soil and Water Conservation District, Trout Unlimited’s Sebago chapter and Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation, marked the culmination of a school year spent caring for brook trout from the egg stage through fry development. Earlier this winter, students received trout eggs from the Casco Fish Hatchery and monitored the fish daily in classroom aquariums, learning firsthand about water quality, habitat requirements, and the importance of healthy watersheds.
Throughout the field day, students rotated through a series of outdoor learning stations led by conservation professionals and volunteers. Activities included water quality testing, aquatic macroinvertebrate identification, forestry and habitat discussions, and environmental field observations designed to connect classroom lessons with real-world conservation work.
Each student had the opportunity to release several trout fry they had helped raise into a river approved by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
For many students, it was their first opportunity to experience a cold water stream up close. Equipped with water test kits, excitement, and backpacks prepared for a necessary snack break, students explored the stream environment while learning how water temperature, habitat quality, and aquatic insect populations all play a role in supporting native brook trout populations.
“It is extremely rewarding to see the excitement on the kids’ faces during the field day events,” said Jim Kelley of the York County Soil & Water Conservation District. “While physically we’re raising trout, the real goal of this program is to help raise Maine’s next generation of environmental stewards.”
As interest in the program continues to grow, the York County Soil & Water Conservation District hopes to expand Trout in the Classroom to additional schools throughout York County in the coming years.
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