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Bye, bye trout

Carol Montana - Reporter/Photographer
Posted 5/16/19

JEFFERSONVILLE -- Back in October, fifth grade students at Sullivan West Elementary School in Jeffersonville received trout eggs courtesy of the New York State Department of Environmental …

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Bye, bye trout

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JEFFERSONVILLE -- Back in October, fifth grade students at Sullivan West Elementary School in Jeffersonville received trout eggs courtesy of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. On May 9, they gathered in a small park owned by Jeffersonville businessman Jim Hughson to release the “fingerlings” into the cold waters of the Callicoon Creek.

It was all part of the “Trout in the Classroom” (TITC) program sponsored by the Upper Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Jeff Bank, now in its 11th year.

Pam Reinhardt is the TITC coordinator for the Upper Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited, a national organization whose mission is to conserve and protect cold-water fisheries. “We provide the equipment in the room for them to raise the fish and we maintain the equipment. The students are learning what we need to do to protect our environment …”

Retired Sullivan West teacher and now volunteer, Kelly Erlwein explained that since October the students have learned how to measure the pH and temperature of the water. “Throughout the year they've been writing about them … and learning about the lifecycle of the trout, so this is them saying goodbye.”

And they literally did say goodbye to the tunes of Delaware County resident and environmental musician Ira McIntosh, who entertained the children with a performance on watersheds and water quality that he's been doing for at least a dozen years in conjunction with Trout Unlimited and the Clearwater organization. McIntosh's performance of “Twist and Trout” included a performance of “Bye, Bye Trout” sung to the tune of the Everly Brothers “Bye, Bye Love.”

Besides releasing the fingerlings into the creek, additional highlights of the day included a stop at the Jeff Bank table where Jackie Poley helped the studentS make a deposit of their “trout dollars,” which were earned for good grades, good deeds and other tasks. Jeff Bank, a major sponsor of TITC, helps maintain the trout tanks in the classroom and sponsors the musical entertainment.

National Park Service ranger Jessica Newbern demonstrated an “enviroscape” that teaches about the connection between the on-land generation of pollutants and how they end up in our waterways.

The students also took part in fly casting and fly-tying lessons, a short talk on birds of prey, and an arts and crafts table where they made a solar bracelet that lets you know when to put on sunscreen. They wrote letters thanking the volunteers and posed for photos that they'll frame and decorate.

Pennsylvania resident and retired teacher, Tom Brown showed the children examples of the bugs the trout will have to eat to survive, including mayflies, caddis flies and stoneflies. “These kids love to learn things. I've been a lifelong fly fisherman … To me part of fishing is understanding what the fish are eating at any given time and how important the water quality is.”

Brown was clearly enjoying passing his knowledge along to the kids.

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