TIC Update: More Fish Than Eggs

Almost all of the eggs have hatched. Now everyone is anxiously awaiting the alvein to use up all of their yolk sacs and swim-up. Once they swim-up the students will feed them a small pinch of food each day until the time comes to release them. Check out the picture below. Do you spot anything strange?

If you look closely you will see two fish connected at the belly forming a Y and two connected at the tail forming a V. Genetic mutations, like this, happen in nature and those individuals best suited for their environment survive.

Trout In the Classroom Update

The brook trout eggs that the students at Waterville Valley Elementary School have been caring for are beginning to hatch! So far there are about 30 that are out of their eggs and are now in the alevin stage of their life cycle. Check out the picture below and you will see the alevin with their yolk sac. The fish will absorb the yolk sac over the next few weeks. As their yolk sac disappears the trout will start swimming up looking for food. Generally this is when we would release them, but if there is still ice on the river then we will have to feed them until conditions are right for the trout to enter the river. Let's hope that we can keep the aquarium water cold enough to slow down the development rate so the river will be ice free when they start swimming up. Check back in a week or two for an update!

Curious George's Winter Vacation in Waterville Valley

Curious George and the Man With the Yellow Hat made their first ever winter visit to Waterville Valley Resort on Saturday, January 19, 2013 for the Curious George Cottage Winter Family Festival. The event, held at the Waterville Valley Ski Area, was a benefit for the Margret and H.A. Rey Center made possible by the generous support of Waterville Valley Resort and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishers.

The fun began with one of Curious George’s favorite events, a banana pancake breakfast, held at T-Bars, where families had the opportunity to visit with Curious George and the Man With the Yellow Hat while fueling up before they hit the slopes for the day. Following breakfast, Waterville Valley’s own Bruce the Moose joined the characters for a parade from the Courtyard to the J-Bar area. Curious George fans of all ages had the opportunity to pose for photos with the fun bunch. Curious George and his buddy spent the afternoon greeting skiers and riders in the base lodge and got to meet some of their youngest fans during a visit to the ski school. The Man With the Yellow Hat, accompanied by a couple bananas, even took a few runs down The Pastures while Curious George cheered them on. The day wrapped up with Curious George crafts and Curious Characters by local artists Maryelln Sakura and Denise Siraco at the Margret and H.A. Rey Center in Town Square.

The day would not have been possible without the help of the following volunteers: Chris Jakubowski, Elizabeth Parker, Shaina Buckley, Samantha Brode, Lucy Crowley, Mike Conlan, Claudia Conlan, Brian Eisenhauer, John Halloran, Nancy Halloran, Maryellen Sakura, Vicki Goldberg, Tina Koppel, Mike Koppel and Beth Szymczak. Waterville Valley Ski Area staff Kelsey Chaon, Bob Fries, Bobby Foster, Tom Gross Jack Salivonchik and John Carpenter also provided invaluable support.

Local professional photographer Willey Peckham generously lent his talents and expertise to the day by capturing on film the fun and excitement of seeing Curious George and the Man With the Yellow Hat at the Ski Area. View and purchase photos from the day at Willey Peckham’s website: http://willeyswildlifephotography.com.

Join us for the 7^th Annual Curious George Cottage Family Festival on August 10-11, 2013 when Curious George and the Man With the Yellow Hat will return to Waterville Valley for their annual summer visit. Visit TheReyCenter.org for details and to purchase tickets.

Margret and H.A. Rey, authors of the Curious George children’s books series and former summer residents of Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, were artists and adventurers, historians and naturalists, gardeners and stewards. Today their spirit lives on in the Margret and H.A. Rey Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the Reys’ legacy through art, science, and adventure programs for all ages. For more information please contact the Margret and H.A. Rey Center at 603-236-3308 or visit TheReyCenter.org. 

Trout in the Classroom

Eggs arrive at Waterville Valley  School on Jan. 16th
By: Raymond Kucharski

Trout in the Classroom (TIC) comes to Waterville Valley  Elementary School (WVES). The TIC program is part of the NH Fish and Game  Department Watershed Education Program (WEP) and is supported by the  Margret and H. A. Rey Center and the Pemigewasset chapter of  Trout  Unlimited (TU). Students in grades K-12 raise trout from eggs to fry,  monitor tank water quality, engage in stream habitat study, and foster an  understanding of ecosystems and watersheds. Each teacher tailors the  program to fit his or her curricular needs in science, social studies,  mathematics, language arts, fine arts, and physical education. Students  end the year by releasing their trout in a state-approved stream near the  school or within a nearby watershed.

The students at WVES are  creating an art exhibit "Fish Go to School" that will share what they  learned through the Trout in the Classroom project. Students work will be  on display from March 15-May 10 at the Margret and H.A. Rey Art Gallery in  Waterville Valley's Town Square.

Insulated Tank to keep the water close to 38 degrees Fahrenheit

Leigh Ann Reynolds from the Margret and H.A. Rey Center pours eggs into their new home

Eggs settle to the bottom of the tank

Dead eggs are removed with a turkey baster

Students hold an undeveloped trout egg

January 24th Update

The Waterville Valley Elementary School students calculated the swim-up date to be the end of April based on 38 degree water. The temperature was 42 degrees on 01/16/13. The temperature will be lowered even more to delay the fish from swimming up too soon. It would be ideal to have them swim up in early May for a June release. Once the eggs hatch TIC will be able to get a better idea of the exact stage they are at since TIC guessed they were about 47% when we received them.

The Waterville Valley Elementary School students got a close-up view of dead and live eggs through a microscope during one of their classes. The students made measurements and sketches of the brook trout eggs.