The PA Brookies students just 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 brook trout, stream ecology, habitat, watersheds, and cold water fisheries conservation. As we celebrate this week’s class of Conservation Ambassadors, take a look at the highlights from PA Brookies!
On Tuesday, the Brookies students settled into field school and got acquainted with their peers. They jumped right into learning about trout anatomy with a necropsy, a parasitology lesson, and a session on what trout eat.
Getting to know each other.
Trout necropsy!
Team building!
The students evaluated brook trout habitat and assessed stream health with a macroinvertebrate survey on Wednesday. Their afternoon featured an electrofishing demonstration by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission along with water quality testing!
Macroinvertebrate collections for stream assessment.
PFBC electrofishing demonstration.
Team building!
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students! They spent the morning constructing habitat with Trout Unlimited. The students built a building a modified mud sill to prevent bank erosion and provide overhead cover for fish. The afternoon featured a quick field trip for a tour of a nearby fish hatchery. After a fly tying session and casting lessons – they spread out along the stream for an evening of fly fishing.
Habitat construction!
Hatchery tour!
Casting lessons!
Fishing time!
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. The afternoon “Tips and Tools of Being a Naturalist” session was a hit as students learned about the importance of connecting with their surroundings. 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. These students will return home to conduct outreach projects – sharing what they learned at field school with others. Thank you to all the “fin-tastic” students, professionals, and volunteers who made this week possible. Thank you for supporting the next generation of conservation leaders!
PA Brookies – Field School Highlights
Posted: July 13, 2024 by Katie Mace
The PA Brookies students just 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 brook trout, stream ecology, habitat, watersheds, and cold water fisheries conservation. As we celebrate this week’s class of Conservation Ambassadors, take a look at the highlights from PA Brookies!
On Tuesday, the Brookies students settled into field school and got acquainted with their peers. They jumped right into learning about trout anatomy with a necropsy, a parasitology lesson, and a session on what trout eat.
The students evaluated brook trout habitat and assessed stream health with a macroinvertebrate survey on Wednesday. Their afternoon featured an electrofishing demonstration by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission along with water quality testing!
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students! They spent the morning constructing habitat with Trout Unlimited. The students built a building a modified mud sill to prevent bank erosion and provide overhead cover for fish. The afternoon featured a quick field trip for a tour of a nearby fish hatchery. After a fly tying session and casting lessons – they spread out along the stream for an evening of fly fishing.
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. The afternoon “Tips and Tools of Being a Naturalist” session was a hit as students learned about the importance of connecting with their surroundings. 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. These students will return home to conduct outreach projects – sharing what they learned at field school with others. Thank you to all the “fin-tastic” students, professionals, and volunteers who made this week possible. Thank you for supporting the next generation of conservation leaders!
Daily Highlight Videos
See the Brookies students in action! Check out the highlight videos from each day of field school this week!
Day 1: Getting to Know Each Other, Trout Anatomy, and Team Building
Day 2: Stream Assessments, Electrofishing, and Macroinvertebrate Surveys
Day 3: Habitat Construction, Hatchery Tour, and Evening Fishing
Day 4: Mock Town Hall Meeting, Tips and Tools of Being a Naturalist, and Trifold Projects
Day 5: Closing Ceremonies
Category: Youth Blog Tags: featured, field school highlights, PA Brookies