ContactIf you are a teacher in Venango County and are interested in enrolling your classroom in the Trout in the Classroom program, please contact our environmental education coordinator. We will direct you to the appropriate contacts to help you with funding, equipment, and educational opportunities. Vacant Environmental Education Coordinator (814) 676-2832 ext. 2 |
Trout in the Classroom Program
Made possible by a unique partnership between the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited (PATU) and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), Pennsylvania Trout In the Classroom (PA TIC) is an interdisciplinary environmental education program in which students (grades K-12) learn about current and past impacts, management, and protection and enhancement opportunities of Pennsylvania's watersheds and coldwater resources, while raising trout in the classroom. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the importance of watershed conservation efforts, ecosystems, habitats, natural resources, and management strategies to protect and enhance coldwater resources. They are also introduced to recreational opportunities in which they can enjoy those resources and to the coldwater fish species that call those waters home.
Each TIC program is unique and has applications in environment and ecology, science, mathematics, social studies, language and fine arts, and physical education, while students explore myriad topics like trout life cycles, aquatic adaptations, water resource conservation, and watersheds. All classrooms end the year by releasing their trout into a “Stocked Trout Waterway,” a state-approved stream near the school or within a nearby watershed. Retrieved from Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom website. |
How to Participate in Trout in the ClassroomBy hosting a Trout in the Classroom project, your students will: (1) Raise trout by observing and monitoring a coldwater ecosystem in a classroom aquarium, (2) Identify stages of the trout life cycle, (3) Recognize brook trout as an “indicator species” for healthy coldwater streams and as the only native salmonid in Pennsylvania's streams, (4) Describe conditions needed for trout survival in your classroom aquarium and in nature, (5) Demonstrate an increased awareness of water resource conservation and management.
To get started, visit the Pennsylvania Trout in the Classroom's "Getting Started" webpage. Here, you can review several fact sheets and resource guides to become more familiar with the program. Then, find a program sponsor and partner. Program sponsors are organizations or individuals that provide funding to support TIC projects. Venango County teachers can reach out to the Oil Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited to see if they will be able to sponsor your TIC project. Program partners are organizations or individuals that provide educational assistance to your classroom through presentations, lessons, demonstrations, and the release day field trip. Venango County teachers can reach out to the Venango Conservation District environmental education coordinator for information about partnership opportunities for your TIC project. Teachers are also required to attend a training workshop before starting the TIC program (you must complete a workshop in order to receive trout eggs). By August 31st of each year, you will complete the online registration form. This will sign you up to receive trout eggs, food, curriculum resources, and technical support. After you complete these steps, you are ready to begin ordering your equipment (aquarium, chiller, etc.). Please email [email protected] for registration information. |
TIC in the News!
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Release Day Field TripsNo TIC project is complete without the release day field trip! All PA TIC classrooms end the year by releasing their trout into a "Stocked Trout Waterway," a state-approved stream near you. We can assist you in determining a location for your trout release, develop a program schedule for release day activities, and provide educational programs and activities for your students.
In the past, we have assisted teachers with their release day field trip by conducting an aquatic macroinvertebrate study (see our Stream Investigation Program page). We provide all the instruction and materials necessary for the activity. Students learn how to measure water quality through a biological field study and discover the kinds of bugs their trout will be eating in the stream. |
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