Marin Students to Continue Tradition of 'Trout in the Classroom' Project

The following announcement was submitted for publication by Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent of Schools:

The North Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited has announced that its 28th Anniversary “Trout in the Classroom” Program will be conducting Frey releases the first two weeks in April, 2015. Eggs will be delivered on February 25, 2015. As they develop and hatch, teacher led lessons on conservation and the environment with a focus on hatching and release of fish are presented. Fish will be released during the first two weeks of April in Scottsdale Pond in Novato, Phoenix Lake in Ross and Lagunitas Creek between Lake Lagunitas and Bon Tempe Lake in Fairfax.

This year, the program will involve 79 classrooms, 1,600 plus students, 10 school districts, 22 public schools and 16 private schools. When the program began in 1987, only one classroom at Davidson Middle School was involved. Approximately 12,500 students have participated over the last 27 years. By the end of 2015, that number will reach 14,100.

The North Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited is a non-profit organization serving anglers and environmentally conscious friends in an ongoing effort to conserve, protect and restore North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. The “Trout in the Classroom Program” is supported by the by “The Rocky Foundation” through the Marin Community Foundation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Twenty-six volunteers from North Bay Trout Unlimited, directed by Chuck Schultz, lead the program.

Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent of Schools, said of the program, “This is another example of a community organization providing a “hands-on” program for our students that reinforces the work in the classroom on the importance of preserving the environment. We are grateful to the North Bay Trout Unlimited for their partnership with our public and private schools.”

For more information, contact Fred Mack at (415) 479-1497 or cfmack@aol.com.