A group of Hamilton fourth graders help carefully pour a big white bucket of squirming juvenile trout into the still waters of Hieronymus Pond. They just spent several months caring for the fish in a 50-gallon tank in the corner of their classroom.
The release is the grand finale of conservation nonprofit Trout Unlimited’s “Trout in the Classroom” program. It places trout and salmon tanks in schools across 34 states with a goal of getting students interested in freshwater ecosystems.
Student Auggie Rohrbach recounts the experience.
“Well, it’s a really amazing program, because it was really fun to see the fish, and it was really fun to see them as eggs, and see them hatch, and all the tiny, tiny — they were so tiny,” Rohrbach says.
The fish are released in a pond because rainbow trout aren’t native to Montana and the state doesn’t stock its rivers. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologist Jason Lindstrom is on hand to make sure the students follow procedure.
“It’s really cool because I think it really exposes these kids to the natural world in a time period of human existence where the natural world keeps seemingly getting farther and farther away from kids,” Lindstrom says.
The fourth graders and a high school class release more than 100 fish combined. Lindstrom says most won’t survive, but that’s alright. They’ll still play a crucial role in the ecosystem, feeding predators like larger fish and birds.
While the fish are adjusting to their humungous new home, the elementary schoolers enjoy a sweet treat before they gather with the older kids for a group photo.
Trout Unlimited says its Trout in the Classroom programs are almost all volunteer-run and reach more than 120,000 kids nationwide.
