Leechburg Area biology students raising brook trout — from eggs to spring release

A new project at Leechburg Area High School is making a splash with students.

There are 17 juniors and seniors enrolled in Ann Fischer’s Biology 2 “college in high school” course. It’s being offered at Leechburg through Westmoreland County Community College.

And they’re getting up close and personal with Pennsylvania’s official state fish — brook trout.

Fischer said the students are gaining hands-on conservation experience participating in the Pennsylvania Trout In the Classroom (TIC) program.

The curriculum provides students in grades third through 12th statewide the opportunity for individualized lesson plans and TIC has applications in ecology, science, mathematics, social studies, language and fine arts and physical education.

All classrooms end their five-month trout curriculum by releasing fingerling trout into a state-approved waterway.

Fischer, herself an avid outdoors enthusiast, hunter and trout fisherman, previously taught TIC at Ridgway High School in Elk County.

Fischer received a $1,000 community grant from Walmart in Frazer.

She said the total cost of setting up, operating and maintaining the program is about $1,000 to $1,500. Money from Leechburg Area’s science department paid for the rest of the materials.

For Fischer, bringing the outdoors inside to her classroom is a priority.

“It’s really important to me to bring this program to Leechburg because learning about nature and conservation may inspire some of my students to pursue a career in some sort of STEM or natural resources field,” Fischer said. “The students go everyday and check on the trout daily. They do really well with the them.”

The students are responsible for daily care of the trout, which includes feeding, checking the water for a proper pH balance, temperature, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels. Students record their findings daily in a shared journal.

Fischer’s biology room’s participation in the Trout In the Classroom program was made possible through a partnership between the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited. This partnership, coupled with assistance from local conservation organizations was created to introduce Pennsylvania students to cold-water resources and their importance to all communities. Brook trout are a native Pennsylvania cold water species.

The partnership provides brook trout eggs, trout food, technical assistance, curriculum connections and teacher workshops each year.

There are 353 participating classrooms across the state in both public and private schools this year.

Leechburg Area Superintendent Tiffany Nix is enthusiastic about the program’s addition.

“Ms. Fischer has done an exceptional job bringing new experiences and opportunities to her students,” Nix said. “I am excited to see how she ties the trout back into our community. She has been a tremendous addition to our staff.”

Hundreds of fertilized eggs — 322 to be exact — arrived from two Pennsylvania hatcheries in December.

Initially, the hatched trout feed off of their own egg sac for about a month.

When they get a bit bigger, they graduate to a finely ground food.

Fischer said all of the trout will not survive, and that is to be expected.

In nature, only between 1 and 10 percent of trout will make it to adulthood, she said.

The students carefully maintain a tank water temperature of around 52-56 degrees in a 55-gallon tank donated by fellow Leechburg teacher Debbie Young.

“This is not your typical fish tank,” said student Nick Cross. “To actually raise the trout, we need to chill that water.”

A special chiller does just that, continuously circulating the water to simulate a current that trout would experience in their natural habitat.

Ideally, the fingering trout will be several inches long when they are released this spring.

Fischer said she plans to take her students on a field trip with the Science Club to release the trout into Buffalo Creek in Freeport in May.

Joyce Hanz is a freelance writer.