WEST Fellows, Teachers, and Students Ready Wetland for the Introduction of Native Fish

WEST Fellows, Teachers, and Students Ready Wetland for the Introduction of Native Fish

Wetland Provides Unique Learning Opportunity for Escalante Elementary Students

Teachers from Escalante Elementary have teamed up with scientists from the Dept. of Wildlife Resources and the University of Utah’s WEST (http://www.earth.utah.edu/west) program to provide a unique conservation and education opportunity for students. A threatened Utah native fish, the least chub, will be introduced into the recently constructed wetlands at Escalante Elementary School. The least chub is a small fish native to the Bonneville Basin. Its numbers have severely declined largely due to the introduction of nonnative fishes and loss of habitat. Currently it occurs in a few springs and streams in western Utah. This project will provide students with a rare opportunity to become directly involved in the conservation of a native Utah fish, and improve the quality of their school wetland while applying core science concepts at all levels.

The wetland itself is the result of a $100,000 Ford Motor Company/National Geographic “Radical Renovation” grant to improve school grounds. The water comes from a natural spring, which had been flooding the school’s playing fields every year. Now, spring water is diverted to two man-made ponds, which are connected by a small stream. Additionally, a native garden was constructed and filled with many plants native to Utah. Ever since its completion in June 2005, the wetland and native garden have served as an outdoor science classroom and a source of pride for Escalante students. Instead of reading about wetlands, students can make observations and run experiments in their own schoolyard. Students have designed and carried out projects comparing water quality of their wetland to the Jordan River, monitored pollution indicators, identified macroinvertebrate species, and identified adaptations for aquatic life. The addition of a threatened native fish species to the wetland will not only help balance the wetland ecosystem, but will also give students a chance to help conserve a threatened Utah fish.

The introduction of the fish to the wetland will occur on November 14th at 1:00 p.m. The wetland is located in the NE quadrant of the Escalante Elementary schoolyard.

See KSL TV's coverage here.
Read Salt Lake Tribune article here.
Listen to KCPW's radio coverage here.

Contacts:

1. Machelle Dahl, 4th grade teacher at Escalante Elementary, 578-8496 (w), machelle.dahl@slc.k12.ut.us.
2. Chris Harbison, WEST Fellow at Escalante Elementary, 585-9742 (w)
870-7279 (c), harbison@biology.utah.edu.
3. Holly Godsey, WEST Project Manager 801-209-2940 (c), 801-587-7865 (w), godsey@earth.utah.edu.
4. Escalante Elementary School, 1810 W. 900 N., 578-8496 (o)
5. Larry Madden, SLC School District Science Specialist 801-578-8270 (w), 801-809-6249 (c), larry.madden@slc.k12.ut.us.
6. David Chapman, Dean, U of U Graduate School, WEST Director 801-581-7642, 801-581-6926, chapman@earth.utah.edu.
7. WEST website: www.earth.utah.edu/west
8. Dept. of Wildlife Resources: http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/search/Display.asp?FlNm=iotiphle,

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