Setting trout free and hearing a river for the first time

Students from New York prepare to release trout they raised from eggs. Trout Unlimited photo

By Tara Granke

WARD POUND RIDGE RESERVOIR, New York — Do you remember the first time you heard or saw a river?

Some of us grew up hearing those sounds, so it might be difficult to remember the first time. Others might remember that first magical time because it was very special to them. Just last week, I was able to witness this special moment happen. Groups of school children gathered at Ward Pound Ridge Reservoir in New York as part of TU’s Trout in the Classroom program. For many students, this was not only their first time seeing or hearing a river, but it was also their first hike, their first time planting a tree and their first time outside of New York City.

Lillit Genovesi, NY’s Trout in the Classroom Coordinator, invited me to take part in her annual spring trout releases — a very exciting time indeed; one she describes as controlled chaos. More than 3,000 K-12 school children from over 35 NYC schools visit Ward Pound Ridge Reservation to release their fingerling trout into the Cross River, part of NYC’s water supply system.

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Students from New York prepare to release trout they raised from eggs and plant trees. Trout Unlimited photo.

From October until release dates in April and May, elementary, middle, and high schools across the five boroughs raise trout starting with eggs supplied by the NY Department of Environmental Conservation. Using a specialized tank that mimics an environment suitable for trout, the students and their teachers carefully and methodically care for the fish with hopes that they will one day be released into NYC’s watershed streams.

Most of the groups came prepared to determine whether or not the water in the stream was suitable for their trout. With Lillit’s guidance, they measured the temperature, tested the ammonium and nitrate levels, and once they determined it was suitable, one-by-one, the pinky-sized fingerlings were set free. Each young person that participated in the program now has an emotional connection to their water resources, planting a seed that will hopefully grow and blossom into a lifetime of stewardship.

For controlled chaos, the days were quite structured and productive. Students split into stations that allowed them to spend time learning more about the ecology of the area. Volunteers from the Croton Watershed Chapter were there to lead a station about macroinvertebrates. After getting a good sample from the stream, the students observed, hellgrammites, mayfly larva, stonefly larva, crayfish, caddis and more. Students used a dichotomous key to identify the different types. When a group of young students screamed bloody murder, we found a crayfish had escaped and was wedged between slats in the picnic table. It was quickly rescued and placed back in the sampling tray.

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That is not soup. Volunteer Bill De Donato shows students the variety of aquatic life found in streams of New York. Trout Unlimited photo.

Students also went on interpretive hikes and many took part in a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) funded event to plant 200 native trees as a stream restoration project. The list of “firsts” here were more evident. The first time using a shovel can be an entertaining moment to witness.

The three days I spent with Lillit and her students were some of my most meaningful (and fun) with Trout Unlimited. Trout releases are happening around the country as you read this. If you have the opportunity to join, I promise you won’t regret it. Find a way to talk about the stream and if you can, sample some macros and plant a tree! Trout are made of trees, you know!

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Tara Granke explains the proper way to plant a tree. Trout Unlimited photo.

Contact your chapter’s TIC Coordinator or Youth Education Coordinator to get involved. Don’t have one? Contact Tara Granke to see about starting a TIC program with your chapter for the fall. For NY programs, please contact Lillit Genovesi.

Tara Granke is the Headwaters Youth Program Coordinator for Trout Unlimited.