We completed our first class trout release of the season with students at Caroline Elementary school this past Thursday (May 20), taking advantage of the school's wonderful "Wilderness Campus" trail system that runs along Six Mile Creek.  

Students observed and evaluated stream (riparian) zone conditions along the trail, noting ground cover, erosion potential, shading and diversity.  They also recalled animal sitings from trail cams place along the trail by Cayuga Nature Center, which is pretty cool. 

Once we got to the stream, we got set up to collect and assess stream macroinvertebrates using the "Water Quality Report Card" developed by the Community Science Institute.

Students from Anna Chapman's and Jen Wilkie's 4th grades felt the stream was in pretty good shape, and found LOTS of mayfly larvae, stoneflies, crayfish and other cool critters living amongst the rocks. 

These creatures are all great food for young trout, of course, so we decided this would be a good habitat to release the students' young trout into.  Each student got to release one or two of the trout they've been raising all year... they are in the containers that each student is carefully managing!