“Creating Excitement in Education”
Trout in the Classroom brings nature into the classroom and allows students to develop a personal bond and sense of the conservation ethics that are at the core of Trout Unlimited's mission.

Trout in the Classroom
A flagship program of Trout Unlimited's Youth Education efforts, Trout in the Classroom offers students of all ages chance to raise trout in a classroom setting and then release them into a nearby stream or river. During the eight months that classes spend raising trout, they closely monitor water temperature, water clarity, dissolved oxygen ammonia levels, and pH. Because trout are extremely sensitive to changes in their environment, students learn the importance of clean water and environmental protection.


Trout Unlimited's TIC
Teacher Request/Questionaire
Online Classroom Lesson Plans



Trout In The Classroom Locations
> Cannon School
> Country Day
> Davidson Community HS
> Davidson Day
> Lincoln Charter
> Providence Day
> Quail Hollow
and...   RiverGirl Outfitters, Todd, N
Trout in the Classroom (TIC) Contacts:
Bill Thomas
(704) 231-7492
bthomas999@gmail.com
Dana Hershey
Joe Harris
Tom Adams
Alen Baker
Jim Mabrey
...
The Vision
Trout Unlimited (TU) has a vision to ensure that robust populations of native and wild coldwater fish thrive within their North American range, so that our children can enjoy healthy fisheries in their home waters. Trout in the Classroom (TIC) brings the importance of this vision directly to the members of this next generation, allowing them to discover it for themselves. A network of teachers, supported by local chapters of TU, or private volunteers, pursue this goal. Here in the Charlotte, Metrolina area of North Carolina, Rocky River Trout Unlimited in  partnership with each school and the Fisheries Division of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission has established and supported uo to 10 trout tanks in Mecklenburg County for the past 5 years (2008– 2012)

Watershed Education
TIC is a unique way to teach the relevance of watersheds. Trout are indicator species; and their abundance directly reflects the quality of the water in which they live. In the TIC program, students learn to care about their trout and then the habitat in which trout live. As the program progresses, students see connections between the trout, water resources, the environment, and themselves. This hands-on, flexible program has won national acclaim and is in place in classrooms internationally. Raising trout in the classroom connects students to water quality and other real-life issues and inspires them to seek solutions to problems.

The Program
With a science teacher expressing an interest in the TIC program, the school provides a volunteer staff who help with setting up the tank system, provides continuing support to the teacher and students involved and $500 toward acquiring the equipment. An aquarium and chiller system is set up to incubate trout eggs in classrooms under the guidance of a Trout in the Classroom (TIC) coordinator (Bill Thomas). Students watch as trout develop from eggs to fry, with the final result being a field trip to release the young fish into the wild. Delayed Harvest regulated trout streams in both South Mountain State Park and Stone Mountain State Park are used as release sites. This hand-on experience develops students' interest in the environment and conservation issues as they learn what it takes to keep these trout alive and healthy. These interests inspire questions about the needs of humans and their relationship to the environment. The program encompasses not only science but language arts, mathematics, social studies, ecology and art.

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission and NC state council Trout Unlimited have formed an exciting partnership to promote shared goals of stewardship and education for students across North Carolina. NC Wildlife Resource Committee is committed to provide rainbow or brook fry eggs and issues release permits as needed for all TIC sites across the state. Their education division is developing a TIC "experience" manual and provides a continuing support help line to the TIC teachers and staff. A number of Trout Unimited Chapters in North Carolina have raised funds to supply aquariums, support materials and equipment to over 30 schools to date. Since 2008 in Mecklenburg County, students and teachers have collected data, regulated feedings, monitored water quality and successfully raised the trout to fingerling size. Each year the fingerlings are released into a Delayed Harvest regulated stream in either South Mountains State Park or Stone Mountain State Park.

Hands-On Science: Learning more about the Fisheries
Both state parks provides a beautiful panorama as the students and teachers bid goodbye to their trout during a series of releases. Thousands of trout have been released into the river as a result of this program with area students participating in the school wide programs that were responsible for the care of the trout from eggs to fingerlings. After theses releases the students sometimes get their feet wet. If there is sufficient time in their field trip schedule, they team up with nets and collection jars to sample the macro invertebrates in the stream, learning more about how to identify whats being found.

Improving Academic Performance
The teachers found creative ways to relate the young trout and their health to science, math, art, history, government, and writing. The enthusiasm generated by this hands-on project has been unprecedented, the teachers say, in producing students who want to come to school to learn. School administrators have been so impressed with the overall positive effect on classroom participation that some are planning to implement curriculum changes to parallel the TIC program.

Widespread Positive Results
The impact of TIC on the perceptions and attitudes of our students creates a positive atmosphere where participants learn the importance of preserving the local environment and the trout fishery within our parks. This translates to a better understanding of how clean, naturally productive streams affects everything from our drinking water to the local economy.
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Rocky River Chapter of Trout Unlimited (c) 2014