Seven classrooms across Summit and Wasatch counties will have the unique experience to hatch and raise trout this spring. Over the course of the monthslong program, students will learn about water biology, how to take care of tanks, and the lifecycle of the fish.“Right before the summer recess, most of the teachers have what we call a release party where they release their fish, which are by that time around 3 or 4 inches big,” explained program coordinator David Leta. “They take them to watercourses, ponds and streams that are approved as release sites by the Division of Natural Resources, and they release their fish into the wild.”Trout in the Classroom is a nationwide program sponsored by Trout Unlimited, an educational nonprofit dedicated to the conservation, preservation and expansion of cold water fisheries in the United States. Leta also serves as the secretary for the Utah branch of Trout Unlimited.“Trout in the Classroom introduces students to aquatic biology in a real hands-on experience where they get to raise trout from fertilized trout eggs in aquariums that are set up in their classrooms,” Leta said.Program coordinator David Leta, right, helps to sort the eggs into smaller cups for transport. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe annual program has 72 participating schools across the state this year, seven of which are in the Summit County and Wasatch County area: Old Mill Elementary, Park City Day School, Park City High School, Parley’s Park Elementary, Round Valley Learning Academy, Wasatch High School and Weilenmann School of Discovery.Leta, Trout Unlimited, the Utah Division of Natural Resources and a number of volunteers met in Salt Lake City in early January to distribute and transport trout eggs, which need to be kept between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, to classrooms across the state.“We have more schools, more classrooms that are at the elementary level,” Leta said. “I think the sweet spot is somewhere between second and fifth grade, but we also have first graders, we have high schoolers, we have programs where there’s actually an academic program about aquatics that participates in the program. It’s a wide range of schools.”Eggs are measured and divided before heading to classrooms where students will watch the life cycle of a trout begin. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordEggs are measured and divided before heading to classrooms where students will watch the life cycle of a trout begin. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe fertilized trout eggs come from hatcheries approved by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The hatcheries’ main purpose is to raise and release fish in the spring and summer to replenish fishing spots across the state.“The process of getting the eggs all around the state is pretty complicated,” Leta said. “It usually starts in Springville, where it’s close to a hatchery. Schools, for instance, up in the Park City area will pick up their eggs in Springville. … Then the eggs are transported from Springville up to here where we have more schools in Salt Lake and Tooele counties. Once the eggs get here, one of the DNR representatives will take a large quantity of eggs north and distribute them to the schools that are in the north, so it’s a bit of a military operation. The coordination is the hardest part of this.”Utah started its Trout in the Classroom program about 10 years ago with three or four schools, according to Leta. Now Utah has the most participating schools per capita than any other state, and Leta said they’re always looking for new schools and new volunteers.“Sometimes teachers get STEM grants that allow them to acquire the equipment,” Leta said. “We ask the teachers or the schools to provide the equipment. Then, they have more of an ownership interest in it and maintain it for their own use. What we provide are the eggs and the fish food and volunteers that help the teachers get the tanks set up and maintain the tanks and work with them on egg delivery, like today, or work with them on fish release in the springtime.”Teachers interested in the Trout in the Classroom program can visit troutintheclassroom.org/teachers/state/utah/ for more information.Eggs were divided up into cups that would be transported to classrooms on Jan. 8 at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources – Salt Lake City Office. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe post Wasatch Back students raise trout in classrooms appeared first on Park Record.