As impossible as it might seem, every student who participated in the Trout Unlimited first, annual “Students Exploring the Outdoors with TU” event caught at least one trout…and some caught many more.  This was a partnership effort developed by the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU), Ligonier Valley School District, the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and local landowners.  The intent was to introduce 5^th graders to the sport of fishing and use the school sanctioned field trip to teach a little about stream ecology, water safety, trout bugs and becoming responsible environmental stewards.

The event was held April 18 and 19 on a trout stream near Ligonier where property owners and neighbors had remediated a section of stream specifically for youth anglers.  The neighbors sponsor a youth event each year on the traditional first day of trout season, but this event went above and beyond.  Each day, forty students from Ligonier Valley elementary schools were bussed to the site and divided into groups of five to seven students, then rotated every half hour through six learning stations.  The stations, managed by TU volunteers and partners taught casting, stream ecology and macroinvertebrates, water safety, fly tying, the value of riparian buffers, and of course…trout fishing.  

In preparation for the event, the PFBC stocked the stream and TU purchased another delivery of trout from a local hatchery in an effort to up the odds for the students to catch fish.  “That might not be how it works in nature”, noted Angie Schultheis, Education Committee Chair and event organizer for TU.  “But in order to get the students “hooked” on the sport, they needed to ensure a “fish-on” experience for each student.”  Mission accomplished!

It was rewarding for the volunteers to see the excitement of the young anglers landing, what in many cases, was their first fish ever.  Mr. Ryan Podlucky, Health and Physical Education Teacher at Ligonier Valley Middle School, and coordinator for this event, arranged for ten students from the District’s Life Skills program to participate in the fishing also.  They had first shot at the trout on the second morning.  Those students all enjoyed a memorable experience catching trout, and releasing them unharmed.

Mr. Podlucky provided eight Junior Mentors each day from his school to assist the younger students.  The Junior Mentors had just completed a winter-long program with TU and were anxious to demonstrate their newly developed skills to the fifth-graders.  In just three months of working with TU in the classroom and on the stream, the students grew from being learners, to being instructors.  Being close in age, the Junior Mentors and new learners worked well together. 

Local Waterways Conservation Officers, a Game Warden and adult TU mentors worked alongside the Junior Mentors to help the 5^th graders read the stream, cast to likely hiding places, set the hook, then net the fish and safely release it.  Students took a break at noon to enjoy a bag lunch provided by the school district.  TU cooks provided a grilled lunch for the volunteers as they caught their breath for the afternoon session.  Over twenty volunteers and teachers worked like a well-oiled-machine to provide the students with a rewarding outdoor education and memorable experiences.