Butler students release fish in culmination of school-year project

April 27, 2024 Last Updated: April 28, 2024 08:10 PM Local News

Sullivan Run fun

Emma Pistorius, 4, gets help from mom Jennifer to release trout during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

BUTLER TWP — There was something fishy going on at Alameda Park on Saturday, where a few dozen children and adults could be seen along the banks of Sullivan Run.

Students from Butler Senior High School, Butler Intermediate High School and Summit Township Elementary School gathered in the Jaycees Shelter in preparation of releasing trout into the rain-swollen stream during Fisheries Science Trout Release Day.

The students had participated in the Fisheries Science program held by the Butler Area School District each year.

At the intermediate and senior high schools and Summit Elementary, students grew trout from eggs, which includes maintaining the proper water temperature and quality in the program’s aquariums for the entire school year.

“I learned there are a lot more species of fish than I was expecting,” said Noah Karnes, a senior at Butler High. “And you have to keep the water a very specific temperature and chemistry to replicate their natural habitat.”

Noah appreciated the opportunity to participate in the program.

“I’m going into finance, but I really like fish,” he said.

Dave Andrews, who leads the program, said the eggs were received in October, and were placed in 55-gallon aquariums at the schools.

“The aquariums were chilled because trout are a cold-water species,” he explained.

Andrews, who also is the president of the Connoquenessing Watershed Alliance, said in 2020, the alliance performed stream improvements on Sullivan Run just downstream from the Jaycees Shelter to enhance the fish habitat.

“We now have trout holding over here, which is fantastic,” he said, meaning trout released into the stream remain there a year or two later.

Andrews said the biggest trout, which were 7 or 8 inches long, were released into the stream first, then the smaller fish.

After the initial fish release, Andrews taught students about the microinvertabrates, or bugs, that the fish eat in Sullivan Run.

Gracie Patton, a third-grader at Summit Elementary, came to help release the fish raised at her school.

“I like the program, because I life fishing, but when I was younger, I was scared to touch them because they’re slimy,” Gracie said.

Her father, Brad Patton, said because his is an outdoorsy family, he is thrilled with the Fisheries Science program.

“What they have done at the school is phenomenal,” Patton said. “It’s such a good nontraditional learning experience we have here.”

He hopes the program will continue as his two younger children progress through Summit Elementary and the Butler secondary schools.

“As a parent, you want your kids to be exposed to everything and have different ways to learn,” Patton said.

Harrison Hasek, 2, looks a trout diagram with mom, Hannah, during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Silas Patton, 7, finds the perfect spot to release his bucket of trout during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Grayson Houston, 6, and Emma Pistorius, 4, release trout into a stream during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Emma Pistorius, 4, smiles after releasing her bucket of trout during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Joshua Pistorius, 6, hunts for microinvertebrates during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Madilynn Pistorius, 9, helps sister Emma, 4, look into a microscope to view a macroinvertebrate sample during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Joshua Pistorius, 6, hunts for microinvertebrates during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Grayson Houston, 6, looks into a microscope to view a macroinvertebrate sample during the Fisheries Science Trout Release Day at Alameda Park’s Jaycees Shelter on Saturday, April 27. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle