This morning I began the day with a short hike down a pine-shaded trail behind the barn. On the way back, I was greeted by one the full-time residents in her pen.

After meeting at the barn, we carpooled back over to the computer lab at Wilson Middle School to work on class assignments.

After lunch, we gathered in the barn to hear ideas for implementing TIC/MWEE programs.

Day 4

Mary Baldwin College Teacher-in-residence and co-instructor Betty Gatewood led the group in demonstrations of nature journaling, fish printing and dissection, and a puppet show entitled "June Mountain Secret."

Day 3

We began our day on Madison Run with Paul Bugas, fisheries biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Paul demonstrated fish shocking, a technique used to stun fish so they can be handled and studied. We found numerous species in the process including the native brook trout. We performed water quality tests including: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and tubidity.

Our next stop was lunch and a behind-the-scenes tour of the environmental education center at Grand Caverns.

From there we met Chesapeake Bay Foundation educators, Pat Calvert and Allan Thomson for a float down the beautiful Shenandoah. At the end of the float, we performed quantitative water quality tests including: temperature, pH, nitrate, phosphate, and dissolved oxygen.

Trout Tank Demonstration

Course participants met this morning at Beverley Manor Middle School, Staunton. Trout Unlimited and Trout in the Classroom representatives including Brian Williams, Mark Zimmerman, Richard Landreth, and Urbie Nash talked to the group about TU and TIC.

Brian talked about the impact the program has made in the Martinsville area and he and Richard walked the group through a demonstration tank setup with helpful suggestions.

July 7, 2008

After eating lunch in the shelter at Constitution Park, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Regional Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Coordinator, Dr. Robert Brent led the group in a macroinvertebrate study at the South River, Waynesboro. Dr. Brent monitors stream health indicators for the Valley Regional Office.

Dr. Brent explained why the South River is considered to be impaired by not supporting a healthy and diverse aquatic macroinvertebrate biosystem. The South is also listed as impaired because of the high levels of bacteria.

After collecting bugs from the water, the group
headed over to nearby INVISTA for a tour of the manufacturing operations but mainly to see the company's wastewater treatment facilities and talk to officials about what measures they take to ensure water quality.

Trout in the Classroom Course, July 7-11, 2008

This blog presents some of the events of the Mary Baldwin Masters of Arts in Teaching environmental education course, Trout in the Classroom, July 7-11, 2008 hosted at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton.