Schools across New York State are doing their part to restock native trout, and students in Mr. Rizzo's Science classes took part. They had been raising Brook Trout as part of the NYS DEC "Trout in the Classroom" program. After receiving 100 eggs from the DEC, they raised the trout in a tank until they were big enough to release into nearby Choconut Creek.
Out of all the eggs, they were able to release 16 trout into the creek. These numbers were a little smaller than previous years. Mr. Rizzo has been participating in this program with his students for five years and estimates that he has helped release 150 - 200 trout. When they arrived at the creek, he reminded students of what factors will allow the trout to thrive, including food and well-oxygenated water. They looked for a well-shaded area of the creek with moving water in which to release the fish.
We appreciate their efforts to help sustain our native species!