An orange bucket sat on the riverbank beside the Chattahoochee on an early December morning—just a few feet from blue-green water that sparkled under the winter sun as it flowed over rocky shoals. Inside the bucket wiggled dozens of juvenile rainbow trout, unaware that their horizons were about to expand exponentially.
Over the preceding six weeks, students in science classes at McClesky Middle School in Marietta had cared for the trout after they hatched from eggs provided by the Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU): a conservation group dedicated to protecting coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Now it was time to release the fish into one of only three trout rivers in the world that flows through a metropolitan area of a million or more people.
Before the construction of Buford Dam in the 1950s, the Chattahoochee was a warmwater fishery, unable to provide the coldwater habitat necessary for trout survival. Today, the river below the dam is called a tailwater fishery, meaning it exists solely because of the influence of the upstream dam. Cold water stored at the bottom of Lake Lanier is released into the river below its dam, creating a trout-friendly environment.
Trout in the classroom
A thirty-year-old environmental education program created by the national Trout Unlimited organization, “Trout in the Classroom” (TIC) brings science to life and connects young people to their watersheds. More than 100,000 middle schoolers across the country participate in the hands-on learning program every year.
Jim Byrd has coordinated the TIC program in Atlanta within the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area for the past five years. Beginning with two schools in 2018, TU’s Upper Chattahoochee Chapter has expanded the program to nineteen schools across the metro region—from Marietta and Norcross to Decatur and College Park. Byrd says that the program’s “conservation message” is particularly important. Before releasing the trout into the river, students visit educational stations where they learn about the history of the Chattahoochee, water quality testing, and how development can harm fish habitat with polluted stormwater runoff; they also practice fly casting.
First-year program expenses to set up a specialized, coldwater tank in each classroom total $1800, split equally between the national and local TU organizations and the school; annual costs for subsequent years are $250, funded by the local TU and the school. About 125 eggs are delivered to each school in the fall and placed in tank water chilled to 50-53 degrees Fahrenheit. Within a few days, the trout life cycle begins to unfold as the eggs transform into fingerlings. Students learn about water chemistry and how to care for their trout in a healthy ecosystem.
At the river
As 150 seventh-graders emerged from big yellow buses on that chilly December morning, I watched them move in chattering groups toward the education stations where Trout Unlimited members readied themselves for the energetic, curious, and (a few) cautious middle-schoolers. For many of the students, this field trip was their first visit to the Chattahoochee River and the national park. The squeals and shrieks at the sight of spiders, bugs, and (imagined) snakes were not unexpected; as one teacher told me: “Seventh graders are dramatic about everything.”
The students grew quieter as the morning progressed, seemingly more relaxed in nature and intent on the instruction being provided. At the riverbank they lined up, patiently waiting for their chance to release several of the trout they had raised into a much wider watery world.
As each student moved to the front of the line, a Trout Unlimited member dipped a net into the orange bucket, transferred several trout to a cup filled with water, and then handed the vessel to the student. Carefully, almost tenderly, the students poured their fish into the clean, cold water and watched them dart away. One asked me if he could kiss his fish goodbye: a nice sentiment, but tricky to achieve, so he settled for a simple goodbye.
A fish story
On the opening day of trout season in the mid-1990s, I joined Bill Couch, then the manager of the state’s Buford Trout Hatchery on the river. I had gotten up early and driven upstream from the city in the dark. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light in the thick mist over the river, I could see dozens of people, quietly moving into their boats. Each had a rod in hand, ready to test the waters that had been off-limits (at that time) for nearly half a year.
Bill and I paddled slowly into the middle of the stream. As I watched, the people around us baited their hooks and dropped their lines. Within minutes, they began pulling trout into their boats. I wasn’t lucky with any fish that day, but it didn’t matter. I had seen the pure joy that overcomes people of all ages, especially the young, when they pull handsome, wiggling fish out of clean, cold water. That was more than enough.
The men and women who fish the Chattahoochee are among her best defenders. They understand how eroding soil and damaged stream buffers can harm water quality and habitat for trout, warmwater fish, and other aquatic species. During my years with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, I loved speaking to Trout Unlimited and other fishing groups about the issues facing the river. Working with these anglers in schools, at the state legislature, and, when necessary, in the courts was always a pleasure. Our goals were the same: clean, accessible waterways for everyone.
Visit troutintheclassroom.org for more information. If your school would like to participate in the Chattahoochee Trout in the Classroom program, contact Jim Byrd at jamesbyrd@mindspring.com.
