[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

NFC: AATP in NC



Well I wanted to let y'all know my meeting with the teachers at Orange
County High School went very well.  They've got a nice budget to build a
tank and get some collecting gear.  I'm going to remain in contact with them
to gently guide them along, but it sounds like they are in the right
direction now.

Initially they knew they wanted to do this, but didn't know how to go about
doing it or what kind of goals they should set.  After some dialogue I
offered the suggestion that they adopt a short stretch of the Eno River that
runs not far from the school, and try to emulate a cross section of it in
the classroom.  Everything in the tank except the water will come from the
local river.  Substrate, stones, plants, fish, you name it.  Species that
are not compatible with one another peacefully will be mixed so the student
can see nature in action.  This project will consist of a few field trips as
well as lesson plans surrounding the tank itself.

If this works out, there are two directions that they would like to explore
expanding into:

1) Breeding native fishes.  This was their idea and something they may
explore in the fall.
2) More activity surrounding the river.  Once the students learn more about
the river, if they seem interested, the teachers will nurture their interest
in preserving their adopted stretch of river.  Maybe an extra credit "Eno
River Clean-Up Day" would be part of this, and also current events in our
community that impact the river will be discussed in class.

The two teachers will be subscribed to the AATP mailing list shortly.  Renee
Smith and Bill Kenyon are their names.  Hopefully we can get future updates
right from their classroom.