Trout Unlimited goes to camp

Hypothesis: Kids will learn more (and care more) about a river when they can see, hear and touch it, than they will inside a schoolroom. Findings: True! Last fall, Trout Unlimited and Wood River Land Trust staff helped teach Wood River Middle School kids about water quality sampling and the use of the scientific method at the 2015 outdoor environmental camp. Sixth graders from Wood River Middle School in Hailey, Idaho, gathered water samples from the Big Wood River and knelt stream-side to test for dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates and temperature. TU and the WRLT presented information about what influenced each of these parameters, and what the measures are for a healthy river. Kids were asked why the river mattered to them. Answers ranged from kids enjoying swimming and fishing, to it affecting tourism. They also discussed the river habitat and human's influence. Most of the students’ examples of how humans affect the river demonstrated negative impacts on water quality and fish habitat before learning about multiple projects in the region that Trout Unlimited is implementing to repair streams, including reconnecting and restoring nearby Lake Creek Stream and Rock Creek.