We're off and running!

The egg deliveries begin!
After months of anticipation, many of our schools got their eggs earlier this week; most of the rest will get theirs before the week is out.

Here's Bob Wible's report on January 4 deliveries to TIC schools supported by the Central Vermont Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Thanks to Paul Urband, Landon Dennison, Dick Giard, Frank Hagerty, Barry Parker, John Quinn, Chuck Goller, Jack Price, and Syl Stemple, 3,200 eggs were delivered to 30 schools in five counties. These generous individuals have volunteered their time to a very important Trout Unlimited program. Now the fun starts with the students getting involved and maybe finding a connection to their watersheds.

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Ingenuity in Hartland
You may recall the urgent plea for help, back in December,  sent out by Tiffany Tucker, of Hartland Cooperative Nursery School, when she discovered that one of the metal joints of her tank--where the crossbar in the middle of the top of the tank met the side of the frame--was coming apart. As a result, the sides of her tank were starting to bulge outward. Yikes! Here's what that joint looked like.

Well, I'm pleased to report that Tiffany came up with a great and inexpensive solution. First she tried using silicone cement, but that didn't work. Then she became more creative. Below you'll find a slideshow of three photos that illustrate what Tiffany's repaired tank now looks like.

​Babysitting eggs
Two of our southwestern Vermont schools don't yet have their chillers operating, so two area teachers and their students have volunteered to "egg-sit" for these classes. As a result, on Friday when we deliver eggs to 23 of our 26 schools, two of those schools won't be getting any eggs--yet!--and two schools will be getting double-batches of eggs. Thanks to Seth Bonnett and Melissa Rice, of Manchester Elementary and Middle School, and to Guy Merolle, at Castleton Village School, and to their students for taking good care of a neighboring school's eggs.


Pick your temperature plan!
Please review the discussion in the 12/18/17 blog about picking a temperature to use as your trout move through the egg, alevin, and fry stages. You may recall that we are encouraging that you choose--and stick to--one of three options.

Option 1: Cool and slow (especially for southern Vermont schools receiving eggs on 1/12)
The goal of this approach is to prevent your fish from swimming up while you're away on your (comparatively early) winter break and to have them swim up after you and your students are back in school. Here's what you should do:

1. Set your chiller thermostat for 43 degrees several days prior to the day when you'll receive your eggs.
2. Keep your tank temperature at 43 degrees until 2/15, the day before your break starts.
3. On 2/16, raise the temperature one degree to 44 degrees.
4. When you return from break on 2/26, raise the temperature to 47 degrees and from this point forward, take the front and top foam off during the school day.
5. On 2/27, raise it to 50 degrees.
6. On 2/28, raise it to 52 degrees (and keep it there for the remainder of the project).

If our calculations are correct and if your chiller maintains temperature at the desired setting, your alevin's cumulative DI should be approximately 85 on March 4. Cumulative DIs should reach 100% on March 14. Past experience indicates that a significant percentage of your fry, say between 25 and 50%, should start swimming up as the DI approaches 85. This is when you should begin to give them the slightest pinch of food.

Option 2: Cool and slow (especially for north-central and northwestern Vermont schools receiving eggs on 1/4)
The goal of this approach is to prevent your fish from swimming up while you're away on February break and to have them swim up after you and your students are back in school. Here's what you should do:

1. Set your chiller thermostat at 43 degrees on the morning of 1/3.
2. Keep your tank temperature at 43 degrees until 3/6.
3. On 3/6, raise the temperature to 46 degrees and from this point forward, take the front and top foam off during the school day
4. On 3/7, raise the temperature to 49 degrees.
5. On 3/8, raise it to 52 degrees (and keep it there for the remainder of the project).

If our calculations are correct and if your chiller maintains temperature at the desired setting, swim-up should start approximately on March 6. Cumulative DIs should reach 100 on March 17.

Option 3: Warm and quick (especially for north-central and northwestern Vermont schools receiving eggs on 1/4)
The goal of this approach is to get your fish swimming up before your February break. Here's what you should do:

1. Set your chiller thermostat to 46 degrees on the morning of 1/3.
2. Set tank temperature to 49 degrees at end of day on 1/4.
3. Set tank temperature to 52 degrees on morning of 1/5.
4. On 2/1 and from this point forward, take the front and top foam off during the school day.

If our calculations are correct and if your chiller maintains temperature at the desired setting, swim-up should start approximately on February 3. Cumulative DIs should reach 100 on February 14.

My local stream today
As often as I can, I visit a local stream to see what it looks like. (You may want to do the same. If you do, please send me any photos you take,) While I drove past a few small streams completely encased in a snow-and-ice cocoon, the Castleton River nearest my house looks like this. (Kinda makes you want to get out into nature, doesn't it?)