NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: https://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/377644
OCTOBER 2014 • NEBRASKAland 55 fish species. They made fish art and kept journals of the fishes' activities. They calculated the rate of survival for trout eggs spawned in natural habitat, conducted experiments to investigate the effects of adding excess nutrients to water and graphed the effects of temperature on oxygen levels. McKeone's class even took their investigations outside the classroom and did comparative studies of water quality using samples from area waterways and city tap water. Schmit developed a unit about the Game and Parks Commission that included a visit from a conservation officer. Release Day Classes traveled to Schramm Park State Recreation Area at the end of the school year to visit the cool-water, spring-fed canyon ponds. These ponds remain as a relic from the area's past life as the Romaine and Decker hatchery. In the late-1800s, the hatchery was purchased by the Fish Commission (now known as the Game and Parks Commission) and, prior to becoming a state recreation area, operated as the first state fish hatchery. In a nod to that history, students released their own "hatchery" fish into those ponds, an ideal permanent home for the fish they'd grown attached to. Even though the trout had a grand new home compared to their tiny tanks, Disney student Zach Mitera, when asked about the most difficult part of Trout in the Classroom, looked down and said, "Releasing them was sad. I'm sad!" He was quickly distracted, though, by other activities. Alongside the canyon ponds, students picked through water samples and discovered wriggling critters like tadpoles, aquatic sow bugs, scuds and blood worms, a taste of what the trout would be eating in their new homes. They observed adult rainbow trout voraciously swallowing fish feed pellets tossed into the ponds and were amazed at their size and coloration. They noted that the new arrivals would need to be wary to avoid predation by the adult trout. Everyone fished for sunfish in the old hatchery ponds. Students also had the opportunity to practice casting fly- rods in the tradition of A River Runs Through It, the classic trout-fishing novel by Norman Maclean. Each class toured the Ak-sar-ben Aquarium and viewed many of Nebraska's native aquatic species. Schmit's high- schoolers got a behind-the-scenes tour. Disney rounded out a full day with some hiking on the nature trails. Lyons said, "The field trip to release the trout, fish, hike, etc. was such a wonderful experience for our students who may not experience [those activities] again. This is a wonderful program." After a successful first year, Trout in the Classroom is set to expand in 2015 to another 14 classrooms. Participating classrooms are located in Brady, Crawford, Halsey, Hastings, North Platte, Ogallala, Utica, York and the Lincoln and Omaha metros. McKeone notes that "the most positive aspect the program is that it takes science out of the text book and makes it come alive for students. Children often struggle to connect classroom science lessons with real world application. Trout in the Classroom gives students an opportunity to apply what they have learned in a real world setting. That doesn't happen enough." The Game and Parks Commission agrees and is so grateful for the partnerships with our teachers, Trout Unlimited, and the Nebraska Environmental Trust for making this program a reality in Nebraska. ■ Lindsey Chizinski has been a fisheries biologist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission since 2006. Walt Disney Elementary School student Mackenzie Sonier shows off her catch, a bluegill/green sunfish hybrid, made while fishing at Schramm Park's hatchery ponds.