Trout In The Classroom Project

The Trout in the Classroom Project is a component of the collaboration between the 11th, 10th, 8th, and 3rd grades. The plan for this project was to share a common experience. We were able, with the sponsorship, certification, and grants given to us by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and SDG&E, to purchase the trout eggs, tanks, and materials for three classes. The trout we raised were Rainbow Trout, and additionally, we studied the Southern Steelhead, which is a rare and endangered species native to Southern California. We also learned how to properly raise aquatic life. This project involved numerous components, such as testing water quality, updating progress on the website, and working with the other grades to culminate in our final piece, which was raising the trout to the point that we could release them. It's important to note that the fish we released were sterile, meaning that they could not breed with the wild fish in the lake and expose them (and be exposed themselves) to diseases.
We took numerous trips during the course of this project, such as to the Elfin Forest, where we tested the water quality, and learned what exactly a watershed is.  We traveled to The San Dieguito Lagoon, where we tested for water quality and soil quality. After the fish had grown to a reasonable size, we went to Lake Miramar, and released them after and ran either a 1K, 3K, or 5K to raise money for a water bottle filling station.
Some pictures from our trip are below: