MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Negaunee Middle School students helped out a local ecosystem Thursday.
The Fred Waara Chapter of Trout Unlimited led over 100 students to the Dead River in Marquette to release approximately 90 Chinook salmon fry.
The students have been raising the salmon in their classrooms since they were eggs. Their release into the Dead River is the culmination of a six-month program through the Trout Unlimited chapter.
In addition to the release of the salmon fry, the students participated in five science rotations led by the DNR, FWCTU, the Marquette Conservation District, and a geologist. Students learned about healthy stream habitats, invasive plants, invertebrate identification, local geology, and the DNR’s role in Michigan.
FWCTU board member John Reinertsen tells WZMQ this is Negaunee Middle school’s first year in the program, which has 14 schools across the UP. He says those 14 schools will be releasing over 1,000 salmon fry into Great Lakes tributaries throughout the month of May.
To learn more about the Fred Waara Chapter of Trout Unlimited, click here.
The photos below are all courtesy of John Reinertsen:
