Trout In The Classroom.
Bringing the environment we protect into New York City Schools.
If you haven’t heard of Trout in the Classroom (TIC), it is a unique, hands-on program for pre-kindergarten through high school students. In New York, TIC is run by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with support from Trout Unlimited and the NYC and Croton Chapters of TU. It reaches more than 30,000 students from over 200 schools in New York, including 65 schools in all five boroughs of New York City.
More than fishing.
The TIC program begins with the annual trout egg distribution at the Fall TIC Teacher Conference in Hyde Park, NY. From October to early April, students raise fingerling trout from eggs in classroom aquariums while monitoring water, keeping journals, experiencing life cycles, and becoming part of a community to protect water quality. Classes then travel to a watershed stream to release their fingerlings and participate in other field trip activities including hiking, macroinvertebrate observation, journaling, and scavenger hunts. For many students, this is the first time they have been on a nature trail or experienced the joy and wonder of a trout stream for the very first time. The NYC Chapter supports these field trips every year through volunteer support as well as assistance with transportation costs.
In order to participate in Trout in the Classroom, teachers must fund their start up equipment, which costs about $1600. Through grassroots fundraising, grant funding and generous individual donations, the NYC Chapter is able to support several schools every year that would not be able to participate otherwise.
Support The Mission
If you are interested in supporting the program or volunteering to assist with trout releases, please let us know and we will connect you with the Trout in the Classroom Program Coordinator, Nicki Alexander. You can also learn more on the DEP website.
