Whitehall High School students released over 65 Brown Trout into Pigeon Creek to celebrate the conclusion of their Trout in the Classroom experience.

Guided by Agricultural Sciences teacher Melinda Goplin, the students raised the Trout from fertilized eggs to fingerling size in a classroom aquarium over the course of a semester.   The aquarium is equipped with cooling and filtration systems that require diligent cleaning, maintenance, and monitoring.   The process of raising the Trout helps the students understand the exceptionally clean and cold water required for the survival of Trout and other cold-water species.

Trout in the Classroom is an educational program of Trout Unlimited.  On the day of the release, Peter Jonas congratulated the students on behalf of the Clear Waters Chapter of Trout Unlimited and shared information on stream ecology in an agricultural landscape, habitat restoration efforts, and the mission of TU.