Oneonta seventh-graders released rainbow trout they had been raising in their science classroom for months into Gilbert Lake on Friday, May 8.
Adriane Cej, a seventh and eighth grade science teacher at Oneonta Middle School, said Wednesday, May 6 she received trout eggs in October from Trout Unlimited, a conservation organization that also supplied a tank and the chiller that keeps the tank at 55 degrees. She said the organization provided about 125 to 150 eggs, which started hatching within a couple of days.
The trout have been growing and developing, as the students fed them and helped to manage the water quality, Cej said.
“Part of our curriculum for the year is growth and development,” Cej said. “It gives the kids a hands-on (experience). They are able to watch and view these rainbow trout from eggs all the way to the stage that they are at now is called fingerlings because they are about the length of our fingers.”
About 25 to 30 trout have likely died since the egg stage, Cej said. Tank conditions have been difficult lately because there are so many fish in a 70-gallon tank, she added. Ammonia levels, which saw an increase, stem in part from fish waste, which is toxic to the fish. Cej said she lost about three fish last week, so she had to keep an eye on the tank and monitor ammonia quantities.
Cej said she tries to say “yes” to the seventh-graders as often as possible when they want to be involved. There are about 10 students who would come in during study halls or free time to measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the tank. Cej said she taught them how to use a testing kit, putting drops in test tubes to look for a color change that indicates the levels of the ammonia, nitrate or nitrite.
She added that the students have acquired a good understanding of high levels and when a water change is needed.
Oneonta students have also visited Oneonta Creek to collect benthic macroinvertebrates, the organisms the trout eat when they are released. Cej said that relates not only to growth and development curriculum but also to human involvement in nature.
“It leads to a lot of really good conversations and discussions about human interactions and are we building this population up?” Cej said. “That is the goal because humans have changed the environment, polluted the environment, and our fish populations have been decimated significantly. This is a way of seeing, can we as humans be involved and benefit, or not?”
The trout offer a relevant topic to refer to throughout the year whether the students are learning about chemistry, food chains, cellular function or cell division, Cej said.
Eighth grade students at Milford Central School also released trout this past week. Jennifer Gentles, a science teacher in Milford, said Wednesday she worked with Catherine Weigel, another science teacher, on the project in Milford. The 22 students released the rainbow trout into Arnold Lake on Monday, May 4.
She said they released 152 trout this year, from 200 eggs that were initially provided. Gentles said her students loved the project and enjoyed seeing the eggs hatch every day. Gentles said she spoke with her students throughout the year about adaptations and mutations in the fish, pollution reduction to ensure a healthy ecosystem for the trout and increasing populations of fish in the town.
About 120 students attended the Oneonta field trip at Gilbert Lake State Park Friday. It was for the entire seventh grade.
Tom Trelease, co-president of the Dave Brandt chapter of Trout Unlimited, who assisted at the field trip, said Friday the chapter endorses environmental education and conservation, striving to enforce clean, clear water fisheries. The chapter has monthly meetings in Oneonta.
Trelease said Trout in the Classroom has been the organization’s major project for the past five years. The eggs are supplied by the state Department of Environmental Conservation hatcheries.
Some Oneonta Middle School students said Friday they enjoyed working on the project. Cristian Smith, 13, said his favorite part of the project was getting to visit the Oneonta Creek to collect the organisms for the trout to eat. He said he was surprised that the trout grew faster than people do. Blaine Lambrecht, 13, said the trout eat little compared to humans but grow so much, so fast.
Lucas White, 13, said he also enjoyed feeding the fish and seeing them grow throughout the months.
Macall Heller, 12, said he was surprised he was able to do so much to take care of the trout throughout the year, such as feeding them and checking the water levels.
“It was a lot more interesting than I thought,” he said.
He said he was excited to come back to the lake this summer, but he has never caught a trout in Gilbert Lake. Lambrecht said he had caught trout in the lake before, but he was out on a kayak in the middle of the lake at the time.
“One thing that I would take away from this experience is to appreciate the little things that your teachers can do for you,” Lambrecht said.