Classrooms in Clarion, Jefferson Counties Get Opportunity to Raise, Release Trout

CLARION/JEFFERSON CO., Pa. — Local classrooms recently received unusual packages in the mail with hundreds of trout eggs.

The eggs are provided by Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom (PA TIC), a program intended to connect students to their watersheds by offering students the opportunity to raise trout from eggs to fingerlings in aquaria and then release them into a local stream.

PA TIC is coordinated by the PA Fish and Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited.

The Iron Furnace Chapter of Trout Unlimited provides financial and technical support for the TIC program in 10 local classrooms.

Immaculate Conception Parish School fourth and sixth-grade students looking on as trout were moved from the baskets to the tank.

Students participating in the PA TIC learn about water quality, fisheries management, and the conservation and restoration of Pennsylvania’s watersheds. They are also introduced to recreational opportunities in which they can enjoy those resources and to the diversity of cold-water fish species that call those waters home.

For example, at Immaculate Conception Parish School (ICPS) in Clarion, the 4th-grade class is applying the program to their science class unit of “Understanding Ecosystems,” learning the habitat requirements of trout, and the 5-6th grade students are applying the program to their “Water Chemistry” unit in their science curriculum by conducting hands-on measurements of water quality in their aquaria.

With John Greenawalt (‘Mr. G’) as the coordinator, ICPS is a new participant in the TIC program. Union High School is another first-time participant under the direction of Brianna Pennington, biology teacher. The students involved are responsible for monitoring water quality and the status of their trout.

Mat Baker, biology teacher at Keystone High School, is the chapter’s TIC coordinator and provides direct guidance to each of the 10 classrooms that participate. The trout raised by these classrooms are released in the spring.

Trout eggs in a basket.

This year, students will release their fish at the Clarion Conservation District’s Earth Day program in Cook Forest on April 19. The event will provide students with a full day of outdoor, hands-on science education activities in areas including the biological diversity of streams, water quality, forest ecology, and wildlife science.

ICPS, Union, Keystone, North Clarion, Clarion-Limestone, Clarion, and Brookville school districts are all currently participating in the TIC program.

Iron Furnace TU is a group of local volunteers who work hard to conserve, protect, and restore cold-water fisheries in our region. The group supports stream restoration projects, but much of IFTU’s work revolves around education, as raising awareness and appreciation in the next generation is key to successful conservation of cold-water resources.

IFTU participates in many local and regional events, providing learning opportunities for students and adults alike.

Union High School teacher Brianna Pennington and biology students with Iron Furnace Trout Unlimited Board members, Dr. Andy Turner, Mark Orlic, Matt Kerr, and Alicia Ramsey.