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RC sixth-graders release salmon into river

ROGERS CITY — During the school year students who aren’t even in Holly Wirgau’s sixth graade class make trips to her room.

The reason people make special trips to her classroom is to examine the Chinook salmon raised in a tank.

“I’ve raised fish in the classroom for about 13 years,” Wirgau said. “Every year we release the fish into the Trout River Dam. They really help provide extra educational lessons about the Great Lakes and environment.”

When she first began the program Wirgau was given $1,000 from the Hammond Bay Area Anglers Association. She continued the program from there.

Wirgau receives the eggs from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in the fall. This year she estimates the class started with about 200 eggs. Not all survive, she said.

The children will watch the different growth stages, feed them, clean the tank and help keep the water clean.

Kaitlin Nowicki, 12, said she always liked to help in different ways.

“We liked to clean out the fish tank. I got to see them a lot of the time,” she said. “We also got to test the pH of the water. We fed them. I liked seeing them it was pretty fun, because we could watch them and hold them (to examine their feature). That was the coolest part about it.”

Ways to be responsible weren’t the only lessons the students were taught.

“We are also studying the data collected at the macro invertebrate station to check on water quality and relate it to the ecosystem of the river,” Wirgau said.

She said students also kept track of the fish lifecycles.

Then it came time for the salmon release, which took place Tuesday.

Before the salmon were released into the river, the students recorded their length and weight.

Nowicki said the largest fish was 7.5 inches long.

Fellow student Erik Alexander, 12, enjoyed the entire outing.

“It was really cool. It was a nice day out. All the fish were really small; they were really quick,” he said. “We named a couple of them. The biggest was named ‘Big Al’ the smallest was ‘Jim.’ I really loved the nature walk. We looked at everything. It was one of the best field trips.”

Northeast Michigan Stewardship Initiative Network Coordinator Meaghan Gass said during the nature walk the class, before the release, journaled and wrote poetry about their surroundings.

She said community partners for the program included Huron Pines AmeriCorps, Lafarge, DNR, and Michigan Sea Grant.

Wirgau said the students tend to love the lessons. She even incorporates the number of fish, length, and weight into some math problems.

“They really enjoy it,” she said. “Many (students) will go back to the tank and watch them. It takes them away from what’s going on. Others will go back there and look for changes in the fish; be more scientific.”

Jordan Spence can be reached via email at jspence@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.

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