A fisheries biologist counts the eggs at the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex in Gardnerville, NV. Teachers receive an optimal number of eggs depending on tank size and water temperature.
Trout eggs are delivered to schools around the Lake Tahoe Basin and placed into aquariums set up by students 2 weeks prior to the egg delivery.
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout eggs are delivered to the
classroom for student discovery and life science education. Students learn how to care for the eggs and understand trout habitat requirements and the fragility of aquatic ecosystems.
Trout in the Classroom
Trout in the Classroom is an educational program designed to teach students about the ecology, biology, and history of trout and other aquatic life.
Through collaboration with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and California Department of Fish and Game, the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) is offering a unique opportunity for teachers and students to raise threatened Lahontan Cutthroat trout from eggs through their early life stages in their very own classroom.
The program is designed to improve teacher and student understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of aquatic ecosystems. As a positive educational tool, this hands-on, interdisciplinary project is appropriate for all grade levels and can easily be integrated into existing classroom curricula.
Students are able to observe the fish life cycle and gain an understanding of the aquatic food web. Instructors and their students set up an aquarium in their classroom, eggs are delivered under special Department of Fish and Game permits, and then are observed as they hatch and begin to develop.
Our goal is to educate young people about the problems and habitat requirements facing Lahontan Cutthroat trout so that these native fish may flourish once again in the Lake Tahoe and Truckee River Watershed. The program concludes when the students release the young trout (fry) into local waterways. This enhanced educational experience instills a sense of stewardship and an opportunity to learn about the fragile environment that surrounds Lake Tahoe. Students gain an awareness and personal responsibility for aquatic environments that may lead to future involvement in other conservation programs.
For more information, contact Heather Segale at (775) 881-7562 or hmsegale@ucdavis.edu.