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MENOMONIE, Wis. (AP) — A fish tank at Menomonie High School means a multitude of educational opportunities across the curriculum as well as a chance for students to learn about conservation.
The Wisconsin Clear Waters chapter of Trout Unlimited received grant money from Fairmount Santrol and TicketPrinting.com totaling about $1,750 to help purchase a 75-gallon tank, chiller, filtration system, water testing equipment and eggs for science teacher Nathan McMahon's classroom. The eggs are from Seven Pines Hatchery in Frederic.
By studying trout, students will learn about life cycles, maintaining proper habitat and how to care for the trout from the egg stage on.
Dale Dahlke, who is part of the Clear Waters chapter, said the effort is intended to raise awareness about how critical water quality is for the survival of brown trout.
"That is going to translate into a general understanding of preserving cold water resources, and through that, more awareness of conservation," he said.
About 300 tiny brown trout eggs arrived at Menomonie High School early this year. Students will take care of the habitat and grow the eggs into alevin, or newly spawned trout with an egg sac, and eventually into fish in the spring.
The high school tank is a certified hatchery, and eventually, in the future, the trout raised there could end up in local waterways. Keeping the water in the tank cool and clean are important factors in the health of the small fish.
"One of the things that would be uplifting to me is to have a success rate that trout could be released to a place that the education system can continue beyond this," Dahlke said, "perhaps a stream or pond where the kids could continue the learning."
Alex Wittmershaus, an 18-year-old Menomonie High School senior, said he hopes eventually the eggs cared for by students could help restock brown trout populations.
"I think it teaches kids about things they might not get anywhere else," he told the Leader-Telegram (http://bit.ly/1lU4hUh ). "Not a lot of kids get outdoors. Maybe this will open their eyes to the outdoors and get involved in that more."
Waylon Quilling, 17, a Menomonie High School junior, said he hopes one day to work in wildlife, natural resources or at a fishery. Working with trout gives him a chance to learn more about the life cycle of those fish and how to best care for their habitat.
For Wittmershaus, the oddest aspect about the trout eggs is the eyes. Recently he sorted eggs, removing those that contained fungus and would endanger the health of others.
"You can see the eyes of the fish in the eggs," he said. "That can be a little creepy."
Having the tank in the classroom helps bring science to life, McMahon said.
"With our general biology students, they can read about it in books, and they come here and watch a life cycle," he said. "I think that gives kids a deeper appreciation."
Students use math, physical science and social studies skills as they study trout.
"It is very cross curricular," McMahon said, who teaches science, physical science, environmental biology and biology in the Menomonie district.
Clear Waters chapter members had wanted to support such a project at the high school for some time, Dahlke said. To do so required more science room space at Menomonie High School, and the approval of a referendum that included high school remodeling provided that space.
The health of brown trout is an indicator of the overall health of an ecosystem, Dahlke said.
"If our trout populations are healthy, that means our water streams are healthy," he said. And if streams are healthy, he said, it means groundwater is safe because that feeds into streams.
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Information from: Leader-Telegram, http://www.leadertelegram.com/
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