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Plants and Insects and Trout, Oh My!

Redlands, CA – The Classroom Aquarium Education Program, known regionally as Trout in the Classroom, is regulated by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). CDFW supplies the trout eggs to the classrooms and partners with sponsors to provide the necessary equipment and support for teachers. Inland Empire Resource Conservation District (IERCD) sponsors teachers from within their District boundaries to participate in this program. The goals of the Trout in the Classroom program are to introduce students to aquatic environments and to instill a sense of responsibility for natural habitats.

Fabiola Guzman at Loma Linda Academy and her fourth graders participated in the October 2018 egg delivery. She received training from CDFW and supplies and classroom presentations from IERCD. During the release event on December 19th, 2018 staff members from IERCD, California State University of San Bernardino, and CDFW led stations to educate the students on healthy habitats. The stations consisted of; water quality (Dr. Jennifer Alford from California State University of San Bernardino), wildlife (IERCD), plants (IERCD), aquatic entomology (IERCD), casting (CDFW), and trout release (CDFW).

The Loma Linda Academy students, their teacher, parent chaperones, and their principal thoroughly enjoyed the educational stations. It was a wonderful learning experience and a lot of fun! The hope is to continue the program and allow other teachers throughout IERCD’s large service area to produce more environmentally educated students with authentic experiences caring for wildlife.

The IERCD is a public agency that provides preservation, restoration, education and outreach services to over 25 cities and unincorporated communities in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.  The District operates under the guiding principle that the quality of the environment determines the corresponding quality of life, and works accordingly to improve local habitat sustainability for the benefit of all area dependent species.  The Trout in the Classroom program is just one of the many events planned and/or participated in by District Board and staff, in an effort to spread the message of the importance of conservation of natural resources.

If you would like to know more about IERCD or participate in any workshops or events please visit www.iercd.org or call (909) 799-7407.

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