The brook Trout, West Virginia’s only native trout, have been extirpated from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia due to degradation of habitat and poor water quality. "A Place to Call Home" will engage 7th grade students from Wildwood Middle School in the feasibility of re-introducing Brook Trout into Jefferson County (WV) streams.
By examining the question “Can Brook Trout Return Home to Jefferson County?” students will:
- study and observe the life cycle and habitat requirements of brook trout
- evaluate the multiple factors that influence water quality
- use technology to conduct and communicate research
- study literature which describes a “sense of place”
- make a difference in their community through service learning
- practice basic fly fishing skills
- promote community investment in the new Flowing Springs Park in Ranson, WV
With support from community partners students will develop technical science and communication skills to examine the life cycle and habitat needs of brook trout while discovering local natural resources. Ultimately the goal is to achieve what West Virginia author George Constantz calls “the power to see wonder in a common place.”
Our work this year is made possible by a $10,000 Toyota TAPESTRY grant. Administered by the National Science Teachers Association, Toyota TAPESTRY is the largest K-12 science grant program of its kind in the United States. Each year, the program awards 50 large grants of up to $10,000 each and at least 20 mini-grants of up to $2,500 each—an annual total of $550,000. Over the past 16 years, Toyota TAPESTRY has awarded more than $10 million in grants to 1,197 teams of teachers.
Grants are awarded for innovative classroom projects in the fields of environmental education, physical science, literacy and science education.
