“Trout in the Classroom” Fish Released in Fountain Creek
Monday, May 1st, was an exciting day in the stretch of Fountain Creek behind Angler’s Covey. 6th Grade students from Ute Pass Elementary School in the Manitou Springs School District released trout fingerlings that they had raised from eggs beginning last fall in the “Trout in the Classroom” project that began last fall. “Trout in the Classroom” is a joint effort locally between the Pikes Peak Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Angler’s Covey, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the city of Colorado Springs.
The Release
“This is a long-term project, so the release is really exciting. Hopefully, it will be the first of many.”
David Leinweber, Covey owner and newly elected City Councilmember.
Fountain Creek Clean Up
In preparation of the stretch of Fountain Creek to be a viable habitat, on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 a hardy group of about 20 local folks gathered to clean up the stretch of Fountain Creek between the bridge on 21st Street and the bridge on Highway 24 / Cimarron Street.
Commitment to Conservation
The cleanup is part of a larger commitment that David and Becky Leinweber have, personally, to the conservation of the natural resources in the Pikes Peak region. The effort also reflects the principles that have been at the core of Angler’s Covey since its conception. David says, “Angler’s Covey is taking a direct caretaking responsibility for this quarter mile of creek.”
A Learning Environment
The Shop is in Year Two of a five-year lease agreement with the City for access to Fountain Creek. Over the next few years, David sees the Creek as providing an educational environment and resource for local high schools, for Colorado College’s Environmental Science classes, and in partnership with the Catamount Institute. In addition, the Pikes Peak Chapter of Trout Unlimited is involved to study the feasibility of creating effective stream structures for safe and healthy fish to thrive in urban settings. Because Fountain Creek is located in a stormwater corridor, it offers a terrific “outdoor classroom.” Its location is advantageous for local schools and organizations to have access without distractions from highly used and trafficked areas in other parts of the Highway 24 and I-25 corridors.
Future Vision
For the more distant vision? David hopes to be able to provide some basic restoration and rejuvenation to the Creek to create a safe spot for fish. “It would be great to someday provide fly fishing instruction there. Right now, though, we want to clean it up for both conservation and educational purposes.”
Check out the photos from the cleanup below:
Trout in The Classroom
As we wrote about earlier, Angler’s Covey is proud to host the Trout in the Community educational program for the Pikes Peak Chapter of Trout Unlimited. This program allows classroom teachers and homeschool families to study the life cycle, habitat, and behaviors of trout. Whether an avid fly fisher, a future fly fisher, an environmentalist, or a student of biology, students in the Pikes Peak region can take advantage of these resources for their learning experience.
At the “fry” stage, the small fish have eaten their yolk sac from the alevin stage and now move from the bottom of the river (or our tank) towards the light. The fry begin to feed on tiny insects in the water.
Mortality rates at this highly vulnerable stage are very high. The fry are just a few centimeters long and consume a lot of energy, so they need to find food quickly, and plenty of it. In the wild, they also become territorial and want to be out of sight of other fry, so they need habitat that has plenty of stones and plants to enable them to hide from the neighbors. The transition from living off the yolk to independent feeding is a critical life stage, and the one at which the majority of mortality takes place.
The lesson plans and activity ideas below are all shared by TIC teachers for the benefit of TIC educators everywhere; please feel free to use these ideas in educational settings and modify them to suit your needs. If you would like to publish these plans and activities elsewhere, please credit Trout Unlimited, in addition to any credits noted on each activity plan.
Trout in the Classroom: Science Lessons
- Trout Food Chain — based on Trout are Made of Trees
- Salmon Bracelet — finding the way around a stream ecosystem
- Scavenger Hunt — looking around the stream
- The Way of a Trout — a conservation classic (movie)
- TIC Hydroponics — understanding the nitrogen cycle
- What Trout Need — components of a healthy habitat
- Dream Stream — a perfect trout stream
- Catch the Critter — a macroinvertebrate game
- Webof Life Game — to see the many connections
- Mock Fly Tying — mimic trout prey
- Match the Hatch — the why of fly fishing
- Bye-Bye Trout Song — a farewell
- Cut it Out — trout habitat study and artwork
- Crayon Mural — reveals the whole ecosystem
- SMART Board Presentation — an intro to trout
- Trout Tag — to explore food web relationships
- EnviroAtlas — see EPA’s mapping resource
- Drawing Water — gravity’s role in water delivery
- Follow the Water — using maps to trace water’s route
- 3-D Topographic Maps — get a bird’s eye view
- Trout Across America — where all the trout live
- Crumpled Paper Watershed — visualize a watershed and land forms
- Rainbow Trout Journal — great booklet by Hope Cahill, NM TIC
- Water Rights — the Prior Appropriation Game
- Concentrations — understanding ppm
- Coldwater Conservation Education Guide — a series of lessons
- Crumpled Watershed w/ Pollution — visualize rainwater and runoffWatershed Computer and Board Games — a compilation of online resources
- When Will they Hatch? — development worksheet from Idaho
- Counting Trout — using proportion to estimate population
- Trout Markings — external features of a trout
- Trout Cookies — edible external anatomy
- Paper Bag Trout — external features focus
- “Guts” Collage — internal anatomy artwork
- Trout Length — one strategy for measuring
- Trout Dissection — how to go about anatomy and function
- Fish Feeding Behavior — some comparisons
- Water Quality Probes — using Vernier
- Trout Journals — a year long study of trout
- Identify and Photograph Macros — study morphology and learn about macroinvertebrates!
- Macroinvertebrate Collection — seining and kick-netting
- Postcards from the Watershed — observation and sharing
- Nitrogen Cycle Model — students are bacteria!
Social Studies
- Water Rights — the Prior Appropriation Game
- Trout Hatchery Visit — see where your trout come from
- Visit from an Angler — hear stories of fishing, connect with your local TU chapter
- Animals’ Origins — comparing trout to other well-known species
- Trout Across America — all the species in the U.S.
- Drawing Water — collaborative water system building
- Drawing Water — an alternative procedure
- 3-D Topographic Maps — get a bird’s eye view
- Mock Congress — deciding a water issue
- Mock Trial — defending a stream
- Write to a representative — express an opinion
- Clean a Stream — help keep trout habitat pristine with a service project
- Roots & Shoots — four step method to completing a successful
- stewardship project. a Jane Gooddall program
- Love Letters to Trout — expressing appreciation
- Bye-Bye Trout Song — a farewell
- Postcards from the Watershed — observation and sharing
Trout in the Classroom: Language Arts
- Love Letters to Trout — expressing appreciation
- Trout Haiku — and other short poems
- Nature Poetry — inspired by the outdoors
- Bye-Bye Trout Song — a farewell
- Trout Across America — report on N. American species
- Postcards from the Watershed — observation and sharing
- Trout Release Scrapbook — photos and captions
- Trout Life Cycle Comic — speech bubbles to fill in
- Expanding Imaginations — writing from perspectives (trout, macroinvertebrate, water)
- Read Trout Stories — choose from the TU library
- TIC Documentaries — a creative account of your year
- Journal Prompts — by Sandy Cunnigham, NY TIC
- Trout Release Worksheet — one way to record
- Trout Journals — a yearlong study of trout
- Journal page — one option from Todd Burleson in IL
- What do the trout eggs look like? Be very descriptive. What do you see inside?
- What was hatching like? How did you feel?
- Observe one fish closely for one minute. Follow it with your eyes. What does it do?
- How do the trout act in the morning? The afternoon?
- How do the trout act when it’s dark? Light?
- How do the trout act before feeding? After?
- How do the trout act in the cold/warm weather? What is your favorite trout job? Why?
- What is your least favorite trout job? Why?
- What happens when we feed the trout? Why do you think that is?
- Are there any special trout in your tank? Why are they special?
- What do you think the trout see when they look out of the tank? What are they thinking?
- How have the trout changed over the past few months? What is the same?
- How do you feel about our upcoming release of trout? Why?
- What advice would you give our trout on their way to their new home?
- What did you see while releasing our trout? How did they behave?
- How did you feel about releasing our trout? Why?
- What was the most important thing you learned from raising trout?
Mathematics
- Teaching Volume — by Sandy Cunnigham (.pptx), NY TIC
- 3-D Topographic Maps — get a bird’s eye view
- Water Quality Probes — using Vernier
- Concentrations — understanding ppm
- Trout Length — one strategy for measuring
- Water Quality Graph — plotted by tie or population
- Stream flow — velocity and volume
- Counting Trout — using proportion to estimate population
Great stuff Vince! What a cool project for these kids! Really appreciate you sharing!