SHS ecology students release trout in Cherry Valley
Stroudsburg High School students raise and return trout back to its environment
April 9, 2019
It has taken nearly years for this to happen. Finally, ecology students at SHS will be releasing trout into nature on April 10, 2019. This event will take place at Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
Ecology teacher Mr. James DeRenzis CP Ecology classes have been taking care of the trout (a kind of fish) since November 7, 2018.
“I’ve been looking for a partner in the community to sponsor my classroom for two years,” said DeRenzis. “Last year it came to fruition as the local chapter (Broadhead) of the national Trout Unlimited organization agreed to provide up to $1500 for acquisition and maintenance of the equipment.”
In this class, students have been observing the trout and learning how they grow and develop. They had also studied the animal’s habitat and the fish life cycle. The class would also run water tests as well in order to check its quality.
The ecology students also collected data, made observations, and made written records of their findings. They actually kept a special notebook just for these findings.
“It was pretty easy,” said senior Joshua Birndaum. “We just collected the data for it. We got see the growth from being little eggs to fingerlings.”
It was a very long process and the time to release them has finally come.
“You raise them and then you watch them go off,” said junior Chloe Buffone. When I got to see them grow because they were so small and now they are very big.”
“Seeing how fast they grow up, and then to bring into the wild where they belong. It was interesting seeing them being hatched in and then now released into the wild” said Alex Lepinski Stroudsburg High School senior.
Not only will the students release trouts into the wild, but they will also explore the entire natural habitat and learn as much as possible about it.
During this process, there will be multiple stations that the teacher will discuss with his classes.
This event will be features on WNEP’s PA Outdoor Life TV program with Mr. Don Jacobs. The entire process will be captured on television.
“Yes, we get to see something that we raised in the classroom into the wild and we are contributing to the environment more” said senior Joshua Birndaum.
The students are very proud with what they had accomplished and they are very excited as well to see the ending results of this amazing project.
DAN • May 9, 2019 at 8:50 AM
I WAS ON TV DURING THIS TWIP
Mr. DeRenzis • May 8, 2019 at 10:37 AM
Nicely written article. Thank you. I would also add that besides CP Ecology, the PA Wildlife classes participate in this project too. Here is a link to the POL TV program. https://wnep.com/2019/04/21/trout-in-the-classroom-3/ If any students are interested in this as well as raising Bobwhite Quail and other environmental project we do in class, sign up for either of those two classes. CO Ecology is more academic than PA Wildlife. Thanks again!