WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. — With most Oregon schools calling it a year and heading into summer break, here’s a fine end-of-the-year story with a lesson that lasts for years. It’s called "Eggs to Fry" and finds thousands of Oregon school children lending a hand each year to raise rainbow trout, sometimes in unique fashion.
There's so much water running under the covered bridges of Linn County that it’s no surprise you'll cross paths with some real whoppers at the Roaring River Trout Hatchery, where rainbow trout tip the scales at 15 pounds apiece and outdoor education is easy to find.
The hatchery, operated by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department, is one of several facilities that raise more than a million catchable trout for stocking at 96 lakes and ponds across northwest Oregon. In fact, Roaring River Hatchery’s super-large rainbow trout produce so many trout eggs that something special happens to the surplus eggs: they go to school!
“While visitors are on site, it’s an ideal place to educate them about trout,” said ODFW employee Tim Schamber. ”Not only about what goes on at the hatchery, but about other parts of our resources. So, we try to put as much energy as possible toward that type of education.”
And the education continues in many Oregon classrooms! It's the kind of education that retired teacher, Leroy Schultz, says we need more of. Schultz insists there’s no rocking chair for him in retirement after 35 years as a classroom teacher. These days, he’s always on the move down school hallways and into classrooms.
Each fall and spring, thousands of surplus salmon and trout eggs leave the hatchery and end up in the hands of dedicated volunteers like Schultz. He and his friends are volunteers who work for a nonprofit sport fishing and conservation group called the Association of Northwest Steelheaders.
“I wanted to have a tank in my classroom, and so I joined the Northwest Steelheaders because I heard they were going to start this program called Eggs to Fry and they needed help. I said, ‘that’s for me, because I love to fish and kind of grew up cuz as an outdoorsy kind of guy,'” Schultz said.
That was 30 years ago! Back then, there were just a handful of classes participating in Eggs to Fry. The limiting factor was the specialized and expensive aquarium tanks, with their chiller units that cool that water to a fish-friendly 50 degrees.
But then Northwest Steelheaders stepped things up by donating thousands of dollars to buy the $700 classroom aquariums, so teachers and students could raise the trout eggs to baby fish over the course of six weeks.
Schultz has been a part of the program from its early days, and now he watches over 70 Washington County classrooms — like Mrs. McOmie’s second grade class at Banks Elementary School in Washington County — that receive hundreds of salmon and trout eggs each fall, and again in the spring. Schultz says the experience is a launching point for important teachable moments.
“They’re going to be the keepers of our rivers and lakes, and we want them to know that they are going to carry that responsibility and carry on for us in the future,” he said.
After delivering tank and effs, Schultz will remain on-call throughout the six-week period as the eggs develop into fish.
“Just to see the kids; the enjoyment they get out of this, and they get a hands-on education, and that’s so important for kids to have hands on,” he said.
After six weeks, it's moving day. Each student fills a bag with water to carry their fish. The kids, their parents and the fish travel together to Scoggins Creek, a small stream that flows into Henry Hagg Lake in Washington County.
“Water’s important to all of us and to the fish — especially cold, clean water — this reinforces that message,” said Schultz. “By taking care of the fish and releasing them into this stream, it’s a lesson and important hands on experience for them.”
It was chilly trip in March when the previous group of students traveled to Henry Hagg Lake and, despite fresh snow fall and freezing temperatures, made it to Scoggins Creek to release the baby fry that had developed in their classroom tank.
“We tell the students that for the fish, it’s like getting into a cold shower,” said Schultz. “So, the kids need to acclimatize the fry in plastic zip bags for a few minutes before they release them into the creek. It’s all pretty exciting!”
More recently, warmer days arrived and the most recent group of students got their chance to share something fishy with their families during the last week of the school year.
Mrs. McOmie greeted the parents and told them, “We have been rehearsing a play for you, and it’s called 'Over in the River.' It is based on our experiences with the eggs to fry project — the story of our rainbow trout and what we learned about keeping them safe and healthy.”
The stage play was weeks in the works, and featured costumes galore as the students played varied roles that showcased the story of a rainbow trout family who make a life in a small stream and have to deal with all of the environmental effects on their aquatic habitat.
The costumes were donated by retired teacher Joni Huntley, who used them in her classes at Forest Park Elementary in the Beaverton School District.
Mrs. McOmie said the one-of-a-kind performance engaged the kids as they learned it’s important to take care of the outdoors and especially our water — the same water that people need to survive.
"The play is tactile, it’s visual and almost all these kids have told me they’ve been fishing before, so there’s a connection to the outdoors. I also enjoy doing art with them because they respond so well. You can’t go wrong," she said.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Eggs to Fry program, so thousands of Oregon youngsters have now had the chance to learn about aquatic ecology and develop ownership in Oregon’s great outdoors. But it's just one of many programs offered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Department that many schools can tap into for valuable educational opportunities.
You can connect with the Association of Northwest Steelheaders for more information on how your classroom or school can get involved in the program.
Be sure to watch the weekly half hour program of Grant’s Getaways. The show airs each Saturday and Sunday at 4pm on KGW. You can also learn more about many of my favorite Oregon travels and adventures in the Grant’s Getaways book series, including:
- Grants Getaways I, Photography by Steve Terrill
- Grant's Getaways II, Photography by Steve Terrill
- Grant’s Getaways: 101 Oregon Adventures, Photography by Jeff Kastner
- Grant’s Getaways: Guide to Wildlife Watching in Oregon, Photography by Jeff Kastner
- Grant’s Getaways: Oregon Adventures with the Kids, Photography by Jeff Kastner
The book collection offers hundreds of outdoor activities across Oregon and promises to engage a kid of any age.
You can reach me at Gmcomie@kgw.com.