Program Highlight — Trout in the Classroom: Connecting Students to Calumet County’s only Cold-Water Trout Stream
Stony Brook is a clear, hard water stream located in Calumet County and lies within the headwaters of the Manitowoc River Watershed, which eventually flows into Lake Michigan. Cold-water trout streams are highly valued waterways and Stony Brook is the only one of its kind in the county! Friends of Stony Brook (FOSB) is a group of stakeholders with the mission of connecting and educating the community to conserve, protect, and restore the Stony Brook Watershed. FOSB is one of 17 partner groups under Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership’s administrative umbrella.
Pictured: Overhead view of Stony Brook
Quality Habitat for Trout
Pictured: Culvert installation
Stony Brook was regularly stocked with brown trout from the 70s through the 90s, but stocking stopped due to poor fish return rates, likely influenced by habitat degradation such as sedimentation and channelization. Thankfully, conditions have improved! Monitoring efforts since 2015 by Water Action Volunteers (WAV), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and Fox Valley Trout Unlimited have shown that there is now an abundance of food in the form of macroinvertebrates (bugs), and adequate water temperatures, clarity, and flow for trout to survive.
FOSB, along with several key stakeholders, are continuously working to improve trout habitat by leading restoration projects such as the Hahn/Meyers Relocation Project, the Pingel Culvert Installation, and Sorhweide Phase 1. Thanks to close collaboration with private landowners, Fox Valley Trout Unlimited secured six conservation land easements so partners can lead projects and monitor along 1.25 miles of privately owned streambank. Project activities have included replacing culverts to reduce erosion and improve water flow, installing instream habitat for fish and spawning areas, and realigning the stream channel.
Connecting the Community to Stony Brook through Education
Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is a nationally recognized program and curriculum aiming to bridge classroom education with the natural world, fostering environmental stewardship in the process. The program is sponsored and supported by Trout Unlimited and is geared towards students in grades K-12. In 2016, community reconnection to Stony Brook began with bringing the Trout in the Classroom program to Chilton School District (CSD). Since then, Oshkosh Area School District has joined CSD in adopting this valuable program that teaches students how to raise trout and assess their habitat conditions in Stony Brook. Students feed the fish, perform water tests, and clean the fish tanks regularly until fish are ready for release into Stony Brook in the spring. At Chilton High School, teachers have even championed expanding the curriculum to include an aquaponics system, which uses the trout’s waste to fertilize plants.
Each spring on the trout release day students learn what it takes for trout to survive in their natural environment. They receive demonstrations on:
what macroinvertebrates exist in the stream
the need for proper water temperature for trout to survive
the impact of water clarity
the need for proper amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water
healthy habitat parameters
the impacts of invasive species
fly fishing casting
The students are also given a briefing on the improvements that have been made to Stony Brook that will enhance the survival of the trout they released. An expert Fish Biologist from the WDNR demonstrates through electro-fishing that the size and number of trout that inhabit the stream are a direct result of the Trout in the Classroom program, illustrating the students’ collective impact over the years.
Pictured left: Students learn about macroinvertebrates ; Pictured center: Students visit education stations around Stony Brook ; Pictured right: Trout fingerlings shortly before release into Stony Brook
Program Impacts
When the Trout in the Classroom program first started in 2016, the WDNR confirmed that the temperature profile of Stony Brook would support trout survival, though staff were still concerned about continued sediment and nutrient impacts on the stream. However, the trout release was a success! WDNR staff confirmed that the trout survived the first winter using PIT (passive integrated transponder) tags, which are small, durable microchips commonly used to track fish movement, survival and growth over time. Since the initial release, the WDNR has consistently found large brown trout, including several over 15 inches, and surviving brook trout!
Pictured: WDNR Fish Biologist measures trout
The COVID-19 Pandemic prevented the TIC program from taking place during the 2020-2021 school year, but presented an opportunity to determine if there would be natural reproduction in Stony Brook since fingerlings (baby fish) wouldn’t be stocked in the stream that year. The formation of the Friends of Stony Brook group during this time also facilitated additional habitat restoration efforts at the release site, further supporting the sustainability of the local trout population. An electroshocking survey determined that there was natural reproduction taking place in the stream, which hadn’t been documented by the WDNR in decades! This is a strong indicator of overall improved ecosystem health and puts Stony Brook one step closer to becoming a flourishing trout fishery.
The adoption of Trout in the Classroom programming led to what Chilton High School teacher Brittany Mayer describes as an “unexpected journey”. What started as a small initiative led to a big impact not only on the students, but also on the whole community. The curriculum allows students to easily connect what they do in the classroom to the everyday places they know, showing them the direct and immediate positive effects they’re able to have in their own backyard. Thousands of fingerlings have been released by local students, many of whom live in the Stony Brook Watershed themselves. In fact, two students who participated in the curriculum grew up on a farm along the banks of Stony Brook, the very farm that now hosts the spring trout release! Moreover, the success of the Friends of Stony Brook group, which started with a humble few teachers and community members, demonstrates to students what’s possible through collaboration centered on a central goal: stewarding a valued local natural resource.
Learn more and keep up to date with Trout in the Classroom and Friends of Stony Brook:
Acknowledgements
The Trout in the Classroom Program, and resulting community-wide impacts, would not be possible without contributions from dedicated teachers, students, residents, organizations, government agencies, and funders.
Teacher Champions:
Tracy Bartels - Chilton High School Teacher
Brittany Mayer - Chilton High School Teacher
Greg Sromek - Chilton Middle School Teacher
Brad Bowman - Merrill Elementary School Counselor
Collaborators:
Local private landowners
Fox Valley Trout Unlimited
Lakeshore Trout Unlimited
The Town of Stockbridge
The Town of Chilton
Chilton School District
Oshkosh Area School District
Water Action Volunteers (WAV)
Wisconsin Wetlands Association
Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fisheries
Calumet County Land and Water Conservation Department
Funders:
Fund for Lake Michigan
Friends of Stony Brook
DNR Trout Stamp Funds
In-kind support from collaborators
Chilton Area Community Foundation
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Surface Water Education Grant