The PA Bass students finished “reeling” in an incredible week, and we couldn’t be more proud of them. This week the students engaged with professionals and immersed themselves into bass, stream ecology, habitat, watersheds, and fisheries conservation. As we celebrate this week’s class of Conservation Ambassadors, take a look at the highlights from PA Bass!
On Tuesday, the Bass students settled into field school and got acquainted with their peers. They jumped right into learning about bass natural history, watersheds, and fisheries management. Then they applied that new knowledge in the field with a macroinvertebrate survey. The students kicked, splashed, and waded around in the stream while identifying indicator species that determine stream health.
On Wednesday, the students dove deep into bass anatomy with a necropsy, a lecture on bass health and disease, and a session on what bass eat. The afternoon “Tips and Tools of Being a Naturalist” session was a hit as students learned about the importance of connecting with their surroundings. They then used those tips while nature journaling and capturing nature photos.
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students! They began their day with an electrofishing demonstration by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and conducted water quality testing. After lunch, the group traveled to Bald Eagle State Park to chat with PFBC’s Executive Director, Tim Shaeffer, about becoming a professional in the natural resources field. The students got their hands dirty building habitat structures and then enjoyed trips out on a boat to place them around the lake. It is safe to say that everyone had a blast fishing in the evening. Many students caught their very first fish this week!
The students started off strong on Friday morning with a career panel stacked with experts to answer all the questions they had about their futures. They then participated in a mock town hall meeting focusing on controversial conservation issues. They continued learning how to spread the conservation message with an introduction to print media, mock media interviews, and a lesson on leadership skills. In the evening, students constructed their trifold projects on a topic that they learned this week. They will take these trifolds home with them to use in their future outreach endeavors.
We are excited to celebrate this week’s class of Conservation Ambassadors. The PA Bass students will return home to conduct outreach projects – sharing what they learned at field school with others. Thank you to all the students, professionals, and volunteers who made this week “fin-tastic”. We can’t wait to see how these students will continue to make waves in their communities!
2026 Bass Field School Recap
Posted: June 27, 2026 by Katie Mace
The PA Bass students finished “reeling” in an incredible week, and we couldn’t be more proud of them. This week the students engaged with professionals and immersed themselves into bass, stream ecology, habitat, watersheds, and fisheries conservation. As we celebrate this week’s class of Conservation Ambassadors, take a look at the highlights from PA Bass!
On Tuesday, the Bass students settled into field school and got acquainted with their peers. They jumped right into learning about bass natural history, watersheds, and fisheries management. Then they applied that new knowledge in the field with a macroinvertebrate survey. The students kicked, splashed, and waded around in the stream while identifying indicator species that determine stream health.
On Wednesday, the students dove deep into bass anatomy with a necropsy, a lecture on bass health and disease, and a session on what bass eat. The afternoon “Tips and Tools of Being a Naturalist” session was a hit as students learned about the importance of connecting with their surroundings. They then used those tips while nature journaling and capturing nature photos.
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students! They began their day with an electrofishing demonstration by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and conducted water quality testing. After lunch, the group traveled to Bald Eagle State Park to chat with PFBC’s Executive Director, Tim Shaeffer, about becoming a professional in the natural resources field. The students got their hands dirty building habitat structures and then enjoyed trips out on a boat to place them around the lake. It is safe to say that everyone had a blast fishing in the evening. Many students caught their very first fish this week!
The students started off strong on Friday morning with a career panel stacked with experts to answer all the questions they had about their futures. They then participated in a mock town hall meeting focusing on controversial conservation issues. They continued learning how to spread the conservation message with an introduction to print media, mock media interviews, and a lesson on leadership skills. In the evening, students constructed their trifold projects on a topic that they learned this week. They will take these trifolds home with them to use in their future outreach endeavors.
We are excited to celebrate this week’s class of Conservation Ambassadors. The PA Bass students will return home to conduct outreach projects – sharing what they learned at field school with others. Thank you to all the students, professionals, and volunteers who made this week “fin-tastic”. We can’t wait to see how these students will continue to make waves in their communities!
Category: Youth Blog Tags: bass, featured, field school