Trout in the Classroom

What Is "Trout In The Classroom"?

As a part of our environmental science curriculum, SPFHS will be participating in a New Jersey Fish and Wildlife program known as Trout in the Classroom (TIC). TIC is an environmental education program that connects students with their watershed and serves as a gateway stewardship experience for students, fostering a new generation of wildlife advocates and environmental stewards. Through TIC, students learn to see connections between trout, water resources, the environment, and themselves. 

The program begins by assembling the 55 gallon aquarium system we will use to host hundreds of trout eggs. Once a healthy ecosystem is established for the trout, eggs arrive from the Pequest Trout Hatchery and the months-long process begins by monitoring tank conditions so that a percentage of the sensitive trout eggs survive.

Over the course of the next few months, students witness the trout life cycle and as their trout grow, so does their care for the trout and their environment. This care translates into a deep understanding and connection to the watershed systems on which all life depends. The program culminates with a field trip to Seeley’s Pond in Watchung Reservation, where students release their fish into a state-approved location. The funding for our TIC program was provided by a generous grant from the EEF. 

What Are Rainbow Trout?

Rainbow trout are a member of the salmon family (salmonids) and can be found on all continents except Antarctica today. These fish are an oxygen loving species and therefore inhabit cold streams and rivers since colder water holds more dissolved gasses than warmer water. They live on a gravelly bottom with enough vegetation that provides shelter. Rainbow trout are a popular game fish and an important food source for humans. Because of that, rainbow trout are often cultivated in aquacultures (commercial farms) throughout the world. Despite increased demand for rainbow trout, their number is still high and stable in the wild. These animals are not on the list of endangered species.

New Jersey has a surprising abundance and variety of self-sustaining wild trout populations. Brook trout, the state’s only native salmonid, occurs most often, followed by brown trout, rainbow trout, and lake trout. Because of their high water quality and habitat requirements, trout are valuable indicators of healthy aquatic ecosystems. Currently nearly 1,000 miles of streams, or five percent of streams statewide, in New Jersey contain populations of wild brook, brown, and rainbow trout. Wild trout require cold water temperatures year round and a rocky substrate suitable for spawning in order to survive and reproduce.

Like most fish, our rainbow trout will produce ammonia (NH3) as a waste product. To prevent ammonia from building up to toxic levels in the tank, we will seed our tank and filter with nitrifying bacteria which metabolize ammonia (NH3) into nitrite (NO2-) and ultimately nitrate (NO3-) which are less harmful. A weekly water change/vacuum will also help keep the water levels safe. 

Terrapins in the Classroom

What Is "Terrapins In the Classroom"?

As a part of our environmental science curriculum, SPFHS will be participating in a program to help raise hatchling Northern Diamond Terrapins. These hatchlings are collected from Island Beach State Park by Project Terrapin and distributed to schools around the state. These baby turtles hatched late and likely would have struggled to survive on their own in the wild, so we are helping to give them a head start when they are released in June. 

Terrapins in the Classrooms helps to connect students with their environment and serves as a gateway stewardship experience for students. Through the program, students learn to see connections between human impacts (including their own) and the natural world. It is an opportunity to help conserve an endangered species and protect biodiversity in our own backyards. 

The hatchlings are hosted in our 20 gallon aquarium, complete with an underwater heater and filter and multiple basking platforms to help keep the young turtles comfortable. Over the course of the next few months, students develop a deep appreciation for the value of wildlife as they learn to take on the role of environmental stewards. The program culminates with a field trip to Beach Haven, where students release their terrapins into a state-approved location. The funding for our Terrapins in the Classroom program was provided by a generous grant from the EEF. 

What Is A Terrapin?

Terrapins are a turtle found in estuaries, bays, lagoons, and creeks along the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States. There are seven subspecies of terrapins throughout their range. The subspecies in

our area, the Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin), is within the northernmost part of the range.

Terrapins feed in marsh systems on invertebrates and small fish. Their diets consist of snails, shrimp, crabs, worms, and mussels. Adult females grow larger than males, becoming mature in 6 to 8 years. Males mature in 3 to 5 years. Females dig nests on barrier island bay beaches and small dredge islands. Females deposit clutches of eggs (between 4 and 20) which incubate approximately 60 to 90 days. Hatchlings emerge in late summer and average only 5 grams. Sometimes hatchlings remain in the nest throughout the winter (called overwintering).

Quail in the Classroom

What Is “Quail in the Classroom”?

As a part of our environmental science curriculum, SPFHS will be participating in a program to help raise Northern Bobwhite Quail. Eggs will be hatched in our class incubator and the chicks will be raised for several weeks before release into the wild in June. This approach helps to revitalize local populations of bobwhites and restore the species. 

Quail in the Classroom provides students with a unique opportunity to not only model agricultural practices and study animal behavior, but also connect students with their environment and serves as a gateway stewardship experience for students. Through the program, students learn to see connections between human land use and the natural world. It is an opportunity to help conserve a species in perilous decline and protect biodiversity in our own backyards. The funding for our Quail in the Classroom program was provided by a generous grant from the EEF.

What Is A Northern Bobwhite Quail? 

Northern Bobwhite Quail (sometimes referred to simply as “bobwhites”) are a popular game bird native to the southern two thirds of the United States, which includes New Jersey. Because of its history as a game bird, the Northern Bobwhite is one of the most intensively studied bird species in the world. Scientists have researched the impacts of various human activities, from pesticide application to prescribed burning, on both wild and captive bobwhites.

Northern Bobwhites were once a common species in eastern North America, but experienced widespread, sharp declines of approximately 3.1% per year, for a cumulative decline of about 81% between 1966 to 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. If this loss continues, their numbers will be halved in less than ten years. 

Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 5.8 million and rates them 12 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of relatively low conservation concern. However, Northern Bobwhite is included on the list of Common Bird in Steep Decline, for species that are still too numerous or widely distributed to warrant Watch-List status but have been experiencing troubling long-term declines. 

In New Jersey, the decline is even more severe with “New Jersey’s declines among the most precipitous recorded” according to the northern bobwhite action plan and the species is now believed to be extirpated or functionally extinct in the state. The graphs to the right summarize this trend.