Trout In The Classroom.

Bringing the environment we protect into New York City Schools.

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If you haven’t heard of Trout in the Classroom (TIC), it is a unique, hands-on program for pre-kindergarten through high school students. In New York, TIC is run by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with support from Trout Unlimited and the NYC and Croton Chapters of TU. It reaches more than 30,000 students from over 200 schools in New York, including 65 schools in all five boroughs of New York City.

Sign Up for this Year's Trout Releases
A young girl in a white outfit and hat holding a clear plastic cup with water and ice, smiling at the camera. Two people in the background squatting and smiling, on a black textured surface with white zebra-like patterns and a logo of the New York City Chapter 447 Trout Unlimited.
Four children gathered around a rectangular glass terrarium with a gravel bottom, observing its contents in a colorful room with yellow and multicolored wall art.
Three children in outdoor jackets holding small cups with water, smiling and enjoying a moment in a forested area.

More than fishing.

The TIC program begins with the annual trout egg distribution at the Fall TIC Teacher Conference in Hyde Park, NY. From October to early April, students raise fingerling trout from eggs in classroom aquariums while monitoring water, keeping journals, experiencing life cycles, and becoming part of a community to protect water quality. Classes then travel to a watershed stream to release their fingerlings and participate in other field trip activities including hiking, macroinvertebrate observation, journaling, and scavenger hunts. For many students, this is the first time they have been on a nature trail or experienced the joy and wonder of a trout stream for the very first time. The NYC Chapter supports these field trips every year through volunteer support as well as assistance with transportation costs.

In order to participate in Trout in the Classroom, teachers must fund their start up equipment, which costs about $1600. Through grassroots fundraising, grant funding and generous individual donations, the NYC Chapter is able to support several schools every year that would not be able to participate otherwise. 

Support The Mission

If you are interested in supporting the program or volunteering to assist with trout releases, please let us know and we will connect you with the Trout in the Classroom Program Coordinator, Nicki Alexander. You can also learn more on the DEP website.

A group of children gathered around a tank with fish, observing closely. They are in an indoor setting, possibly a school or educational facility, dressed in casual clothing with backpacks.
A young girl with a white baseball cap and a white jacket is holding a clear plastic cup with a bubble tea drink, smiling at the camera.
Three children looking at classroom study materials about trout, with illustrations of various aquatic bugs and creatures, and a New York City Trout Unlimited logo in the top right corner.