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| April 26, 2012 |
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Hatchery Project Connects Over 300 South Portland Students With Local ‘Impaired’ Stream |
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| What: Portland Water District’s Classroom Hatchery Program – The Release
When: Monday, April 30: 9-11 a.m.- Dyer Elementary- 70 4th graders Tuesday, May 1: 9-11 a.m.- Small Elementary- 50 5th graders Wednesday, May 2: 12:15-2 p.m.- Mahoney Middle- 75 6th graders Thursday, May 3: 12:15-2 p.m.- Mahoney Middle- 60 6th graders Friday, May 4: 9-11:30 a.m.- Skillin Elementary- 60 4th graders Where: Trout Brook, Meet at the end of Providence Ave in South Portland 15 minutes before start time. Rather than a usual fishing trip, where anglers catch fish from the stream, next week South Portland students will be adding Brook trout back into a local stream in the culmination of the Portland Water District’s Classroom Hatchery Program – The Release! Students from Dyer Elementary, Skillin Elementary, Dora Small Elementary, and Mahoney Middle School have been raising Brook trout since January. During the project the students have studied watersheds, the water cycle, the trout life cycle and related environmental topics such as stormwater runoff. The trout are now at the ‘fry’ stage; ready to be placed into their forever homes- a suitable river or stream. Each day next week one of the schools will travel to Trout Brook to set their fry free. While on site the students will perform water quality tests and evaluate the shoreline to identify what is good and bad for trout and their habitat. Then each student will release a trout fry into the stream. Trout Brook, which flows into Mill Creek, has been declared an impaired stream, but amazingly a small population of brook trout have been observed living there. Groups from the South Portland Land Trust, the City of South Portland, Cumberland County Soil and Water, and Portland Water District are working together to bring the area back to its former beauty and function so that residents can enjoy a little natural haven in the midst of a dense residential area. By involving local students in the project, it is hoped that those students will make a connection to the stream and to take a role in its future protection. |
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