Merry Christmas!
"He told us about Christ’s disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman."
-Norman Maclean
Blog Dec. 25th, 2008
Steelhead in the Classroom
Humboldt County, CA. After thinking the program was all but dead, the CDFG has decided 'Salmon in the Classroom', one of California’s most important fish and wildlife education programs, will be back for another year.
'Salmon in the Classroom' is a program that introduces students to salmon and steelhead, through interactive in-classroom rearing. With oversight by the teacher, students observe steelhead as they develop from eggs into young smolts. Watching the eggs hatch and emerge as fry, students follow the progress of the small fish until they are ready to be released into local area streams and rivers. Proponents of the program argue 'Salmon in the Classroom' provides crucial interaction with nature and biology at a time when young people are being bombarded with constructed digital information.
Ethan Heifitz, a retired teacher and past participant of 'Salmon in the Classroom' will help new teachers in Humboldt County prepare for the program. Ethan a long time fan of the program, still has former students approach him to say that raising steelhead was one of their best school experiences. "And it’s something that can be used as a means to approach other subjects. It’s just an amazing springboard for everything else."
We couldn’t agree more. During the production of Rivers of a Lost Coast, it was remarkable to see how anglers' perceptions and ideas about steelhad and salmon changed and matured with age. Time after time, the interviewees explained how steelhead and salmon fly fishing gave them a greater appreciation for the beauty and importance of life.
We are glad to see the Humboldt County "Salmon in the Classroom" will continue to introduce young students to the wonders of our steelhead and salmon.
Eureka Times-Standard article by John Driscoll "Salmon program officially on track for January"
