Trout in the Classroom Returns in 2022.

High Tech Elementary teacher Stephanie Lance, a first-time participant in the program, prepares to place a bundle of trout eggs in her aquarium.

Every January we get to play the role of the trout stork and deliver bundles of rainbow trout eggs to schools as part of the Trout in the Classroom program.  On January 21, 2022, we made the rounds to seven schools sponsored by The Escondido Creek Conservancy:

• Escondido High
• Valley Center High
• Bear Valley Middle
• Rincon Middle
• Quantum Academy
• High Tech Elementary Mesa
• High Tech Elementary North County

After having to pare down the program in the previous school year to just three participating schools due to barriers associated with the pandemic, we’re excited to have aquariums back in classrooms again this year. And you know who else is excited?  The students. Whenever we step into the classroom with our cooler filled with orange, pea-sized trout eggs, it’s always such a joy to be swarmed by a flock of curious children—children who simply cannot wait to finally get the chance to see the eggs and take on the role of caring mommas and papas.

Through the program, the students will raise these sensitive fish for eight weeks, witnessing various stages of a trout’s life cycle, before eventually releasing the fish in an approved lake in our region. In the process, they learn all about water quality, how human actions affect sensitive species like trout, and how they can be advocates for a healthier watershed.  With the help of this budding generation of stewards, the trout—and the watershed—are in good hands.

Support the Conservancy’s Education Fund.

SEED THE FUTURE EDUCATION FUND

The Conservancy launched the Escondido Creek watershed chapter of the Trout in the Classroom program in 2016, with repeated funding from SDG&E’s Environmental Champions to help continue the program.  Escondido’s Rotary Club has provided some additional support. For more information about the program, please visit: https://escondidocreek.org/education/#trout.