Third Graders Release Brook Trout
The third grade students of Woodland Elementary recently visited Sizerville State Park. The event was coordinated by Cameron County Outdoor Youth Activities (CCOYA).
The first order of business after arriving was to release several dozen brook trout fingerlings in East Cowley Run stream. This was the end of a yearlong adventure for the students. The students have been raising the brook trout from eggs received from the Pa. Fish and Boat Commission last November as part of the Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom program (TIC).
This interdisciplinary program introduces cold water conservation education into Pennsylvania schools by raising brook trout, a native cold water species, from eggs to fingerlings. The statewide program is a partnership between the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited (PATU), the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and the support of the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Third grade teachers Carol Wilson and Ben Porkolab enhance the program by incorporating cold water education lessons into the classroom as the students cared for the trout daily.