Atilyn DiedrichMimbres, NM — Two classrooms at the Harrison Schmitt Elementary School and the entire student body at San Lorenzo Elementary School participate in the Native Fish in the Classroom program which is sponsored by the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). The students are provided with a stewardship and science based curriculum, aquariums and Gila trout, and the fish biologists on the Gila National Forest assist with monitoring and supporting the classrooms. The students also write poems in preparation for the Gila trout to be released. The poet from Harrison Schmitt Elementary School was Joshua Trout's "Goodbye Fish" and for San Lorenzo Elementary School the poet chosen was Atilyn Diedrich's "Goodbye Trout"

Gila troutBetty the MuleThis is the third year that Silver City Consolidated Schools and the Cobre School District have been part of this program. This year the students took responsibility for the care and raising of fish eggs and also young fish. When the fish reach the appropriate stage, the Gila National Forest, the Mora Fish Hatchery and the USF&WS assist with transporting the fish for the students to release – both in Sapillo Creek and in Lake Roberts. The fish are transported in aerated tanks; moved to special paniers and loaded on a mule to be released in Sapillo Creek in the Gila Wilderness; and the fingerlings and the larger four-year old Gila Trout are transported by truck to Lake Roberts.

Each of the younger students released their own Gila Trout; and the older students released fingerlings and the four-year old Gila trout. Additional activities included petting Betty the mule, learning more about fish, a Gila trout habitat game, snow cones and more.
For information on the Gila National Forest, check out our website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila or join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GilaNForest/ or follow us on Twitter @GilaNForest.