By Topf Wells
Fabulous. The kids loved it as did all of us who were in a teaching or kid watching mode.
The day started with with Mitch Trow and his DNR crew electro-fishing the stream. They explained their jobs with the DNR, encouraging the kids to think of such careers ( a theme that recurred throughout the morning).
They found buckets of fish, including some large trout. They showed the fish to the kids, explained how each species was adapted to its niche in the stream, answered questions, and let the kids hold a fish. A number of kids decided to kiss fish, especially the white suckers. Those lips are irresistible, I guess. The kids love all the species. They are as delighted by the sculpin and suckers as by the trout. A lesson for us grown ups. No fish were harmed during this adventure.
Andy Morton kick sampled the riffle to find more buckets of stream life, this time for Bobbi Peckarsky to teach the kids how to be citizen scientists by examining the invertebrate life of streams with a few questions in mind. Bobbi is extraordinary; she is a retired stream ecologist from Cornell. She’s great with kids. They identified many species of invertebrates and learned how different species reveal the health of the stream. They concluded Black Earth Creek is a fairly healthy stream. Andy is a long time member and leader in SWTU; Bobbi and he are mainstays of the Black Earth Creek Watershed Association.
Good science produces good answers and more questions. And so it was yesterday. Bobbi was astounded that we did not find one New Zealand mudsnail at the Scherbl Rd. riffle, our location on Black Earth Creek. That’s an invasive species that causes great concern whenever it appears in a North American stream. Upstream in the creek at Zander Park, the snails are abundant. So, why the huge and significant difference?
Huge and most sincere thanks to SWTU and SoWBA for sponsoring this event and to all the folks who volunteered. Carolyn Byers and Mickenzee Okon are the SoWBA educators who have worked with the LIncoln School kids all year. This day shows how successful their work has been. Biggest thanks to Josie Guiney, her fellow teachers, assistants and to the Lincoln School 4th graders.
The kids are wonderful – smart, interested, fun, well behaved, respectful, just a joy to be around.
Photos courtesy Carolyn Byers, Director of Education for the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
Fish-focused Field Trip Fun With Lincoln 4th Graders
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Posted: July 2, 2026 by Drew Kasel
By Topf Wells
Fabulous. The kids loved it as did all of us who were in a teaching or kid watching mode.
The day started with with Mitch Trow and his DNR crew electro-fishing the stream. They explained their jobs with the DNR, encouraging the kids to think of such careers ( a theme that recurred throughout the morning).
They found buckets of fish, including some large trout. They showed the fish to the kids, explained how each species was adapted to its niche in the stream, answered questions, and let the kids hold a fish. A number of kids decided to kiss fish, especially the white suckers. Those lips are irresistible, I guess. The kids love all the species. They are as delighted by the sculpin and suckers as by the trout. A lesson for us grown ups. No fish were harmed during this adventure.
Andy Morton kick sampled the riffle to find more buckets of stream life, this time for Bobbi Peckarsky to teach the kids how to be citizen scientists by examining the invertebrate life of streams with a few questions in mind. Bobbi is extraordinary; she is a retired stream ecologist from Cornell. She’s great with kids. They identified many species of invertebrates and learned how different species reveal the health of the stream. They concluded Black Earth Creek is a fairly healthy stream. Andy is a long time member and leader in SWTU; Bobbi and he are mainstays of the Black Earth Creek Watershed Association.
Good science produces good answers and more questions. And so it was yesterday. Bobbi was astounded that we did not find one New Zealand mudsnail at the Scherbl Rd. riffle, our location on Black Earth Creek. That’s an invasive species that causes great concern whenever it appears in a North American stream. Upstream in the creek at Zander Park, the snails are abundant. So, why the huge and significant difference?
Huge and most sincere thanks to SWTU and SoWBA for sponsoring this event and to all the folks who volunteered. Carolyn Byers and Mickenzee Okon are the SoWBA educators who have worked with the LIncoln School kids all year. This day shows how successful their work has been. Biggest thanks to Josie Guiney, her fellow teachers, assistants and to the Lincoln School 4th graders.
The kids are wonderful – smart, interested, fun, well behaved, respectful, just a joy to be around.
Photos courtesy Carolyn Byers, Director of Education for the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
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