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FISH TALES FALL 2015 P A G E | 1
Trout in the Classroom: a very big thank you to our instructors Trout in the Classroom was an enormous success in 2015. Over 1,100 students in 24 schools actively participated, and many more interacted on the periphery as they observed trout in their peers’ classrooms. Twenty-two schools attended trout release field trips in April and May. Generally, over 100 students attended each field day, where they participated in a variety of activities that included fishing, macroinvertebrate collections, fly-casting and fly-tying, lure making, fish dissections, nature hikes, aquarium tours and live animal presentations. These events were a huge endeavor and well beyond the scope of what our staff could handle alone. We relied heavily on your help to make these days a quality experience for all participants, and we have you to thank for their success! Feedback from teachers, students and parents was overwhelmingly positive. We received many comments from teachers and parents that it was the best, most educational field trip they’d attended.
Fish Tales Fall 2015
LINDSEY CHIZINSKI MATT GRUNTORAD TORI MULLINS LARRY PAPE [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 402-471-5591 402-471-5447 402-471-5591 402-471-5447
A linocut rendering of a rainbow trout by Tori Mullins was printed on t-shirts as a thank you to this year’s Trout in the Classroom field trip volunteers.
Youth Fishing Instructors and volunteers from Trout Unlimited, Cornhusker Fly Fishers and UNL contributed
over 400 hours to Trout in the Classroom field days.
Thank you!
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FiNS: Fishing in Nebraska Schools Training for the Fishing in Nebraska Schools (FiNS) program took place in July. We hosted workshops in Kearney and Gretna for teachers from 12 schools who volunteered to pilot the curriculum in their classes.
Early feedback is positive. Jarod Rush, PE teacher at Calloway Public Schools, reports that his fourth grade students started the school year off right with a three week fishing unit. Jarod even got the art teacher involved with some of the activities, and he says that the kids loved it.
We saw the benefits of FiNS lessons firsthand when we fished with All Saints Catholic School’s third through fifth grade students at Aksarben Aquarium. Prior to their fishing outing, PE teacher Theresa Kehler completed casting and knot tying activities in her classes. She even brought in nightcrawlers so students could practice baiting their own hooks. The kids arrived at the pond ready to fish, and the practice paid off. Many students caught their first fish that day.
A guide titled Going Fishing was developed as a reference for FiNS teachers and also serves as an excellent resource for anyone looking for information about fishing basics. The guide is available online at https://fishingnebraska.wordpress.com/fins/, and we hope to have copies in print soon. We encourage Instructors to utilize Going Fishing in their programs!
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes As it inevitably happens with any budget, we at Game and Parks find ourselves having to tighten our belts in the current fiscal year. This will result in changes to a few
agency programs in the near future. Aquatic Education is fortunate that we are retaining all of our current programs, with a few adjustments. We view this as an opportunity to look critically at our existing programs and come up with creative ideas on how to do more with less. The agency budget cuts will affect Youth Fishing Instructors in the following ways.
We regret to announce the agency cancellation of the 2016 Conservation Education Conference (CEC) that would have been held in February. We will miss the opportunity to gather with everyone in a social setting and are hopeful for better times to allow us to hold the conference again in coming years.
Family Fishing Events are one of the most valuable methods to introduce kids and their parents to fishing. Over the years, the program has grown from a local effort in the Lincoln and Omaha communities to over 20 venues statewide. However, a recent evaluation of program costs revealed that events held outside of the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas were 36 times more costly per participant. Additionally, we found that 70 percent of adult participants attending Family Fishing nights outside the metro areas are current permit holders and therefore not our target audience, whereas 70 percent of adults attending Family Fishing nights in the metro area are not permit buyers. Therefore, in consideration of recent staff reductions and increasing travel costs, we will scale back our staff-hosted Family Fishing efforts in 2016 to those that are the most cost-effective.
We want to impress on you as Instructors that despite these adjustments, the opportunity for statewide Family Fishing venues still exists. Fishing Activity Trailers are stationed across the state and available for you to continue hosting Family Fishing nights in your favorite locations. If you want to host a Family Fishing Night in your community, we will work with you to provide access to a Fishing Activity Trailer and as much publicity and support as we can offer.
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In addition to these changes, we have also elected to suspend the gift card incentive program for the 2015 and 2016 calendar years. Active instructors will continue to receive an annual thank you gift and subscription to NEBRASKAland Magazine and the gift card incentives program will resume when our budget allows.
Instructor Spotlight: Dennis and Sharon Gregory Interviewed by Tori Mullins
You two have been involved in the Youth Fishing Program for quite some time! Will you tell me a little bit about how you got involved and why? We got involved 20-some years ago fishing with veterans at the vets’ home. I’m thinking it’s safe to assume that you both find the program to be important for many reasons. What is the most important aspect of being a Fishing Instructor? It’s important to us to get kids out of the house and teach them what fishing is about and how much fun they can have.
Dennis, if a young person came to you asking what the most important thing for living a good life is, what would you say? Enjoying time with your family and having fun in the outdoors.
Sharon, what do you do for fun? I like to camp, do crafts, garden, hunt and fish.
Do you have any memorable fishing events that really stand out as being your favorite? If so, why? All the time spent with kids is great, especially special needs kids.
What kind of fishing is your favorite? What kind of rig is your favorite? We like pond fishing, using top water lures and setting at the edge of the lake watching the bobber.
Do you have a favorite fish? Northern pike fishing is great, and so is catching a nice bass.
And lastly, what’s your best fish tale?! The sparkling eyes of a little one when they catch their first fish.
A note from Larry Pape about Sharon and Dennis Gregory: Sharon and Dennis manage the Fishing Activity Trailer stationed in Scottsbluff to meet fishing needs in western Nebraska. As stewards of the trailer, they keep it busy at events throughout the panhandle. The trailer makes regular visits to Cabela’s fishing events in Sidney, the Scottsbluff EXPO and many functions where kids and families need help with fishing, including several Family Fishing Nights throughout the summer.
The Youth Fishing Program owes a debt of gratitude for the work that Sharon and Dennis put into this trailer. They store the trailer on their property and make certain it is properly stocked and prepared for use between events. Sharon, Dennis and their children spend many hours repairing and maintaining the supply of 50 rod/reel combos, tackle kits and activities that are included.
Fishing Activity Trailers belong to all Youth Fishing Instructors, and we encourage you to use them wisely and to assist trailer stewards in keeping them ready for future events. To find out how to use the FAT trailers stationed in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Kearney, Columbus or Lincoln, visit http://fishingnebraska.wordpress.com/.
New Instructor Certification Please join us on Saturday, October 17th at the Aksarben Aquarium in Gretna for instructor certification. The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. – noon. We encourage our current Instructors to attend and experience how the training has evolved and to network with new instructors. Contact Lindsey if you plan to attend.
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Staff News In October, Matt Gruntorad will be leaving us to fill a position at UNL as a research coordinator within the Human Dimensions of Wildlife program in the School of Natural Resources. We are heartbroken to see Matt leave his role as manager of the Family Fishing program at Game and Parks, but excited to see what he contributes in his new position. Don’t be surprised to receive a hunter or angler survey designed by Matt in the near future!
Even though Matt will be employed elsewhere, we are certain that he’ll be a continued presence at Family Fishing Nights as a Certified Fishing Instructor. Next time you see Matt, congratulate him on his new job and more importantly, on the recent arrival of two new Gruntorads! On August 27th, Matt and his wife Laura welcomed Luke and Rose to their family.
Fly fishing at Ponca SP
Thanks to a recent donation from Fishing Instructor and Trout Unlimited 710 member Mike Kelly, Ponca State Parks is set to receive 10 Orvis fly rods and a variety of flies that will be available as part of the tackle loaner program at the park. Mike was inspired to make the donation after he visited Ponca this summer and witnessed one of the park’s naturalists Chris Chase leading a fly-fishing
workshop for park guests. Thanks to Mike for his generosity and to Chris for sharing his love of fly fishing.
Looking for a new fishing hole? Prairie Queen Reservoir near LaVista and Kramper Reservoir at the Danish Alps SRA in northeast Nebraska are as new as it gets! Both reservoirs were constructed using Sportfish Restoration Funds and opened in 2015. Fishing is good at Prairie Queen, a 105-acre lake visible from Highway 370. According to surveys conducted by the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at UNL, in April immediately after the lake opened to the public, anglers caught an estimated 10,833 largemouth bass and 574 bluegill. The reservoir is also stocked with black crappie, redear sunfish and channel catfish. Visit Daryl Bauer’s blog, Barbs and Backlashes, at http://neblandvm.outdoornebraska.gov/2015/03/new-reservoir/ for more information about this prime fishing spot in the Omaha metro. Kramper Reservoir, a 226-acre lake, was planned with shoreline-fishing and boat-fishing in mind, and a wide spectrum of aquatic habitat features were incorporated to make this new reservoir suitable for fish to reproduce and grow rapidly. The lake has been stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, walleye and channel catfish. A grand opening of the Danish Alps SRA took place in August and the lake is now open to fishing. Fishing Instructor Ken Whisenhunt reports that he caught some very nice bluegill with his fly rod in mid-September. You should also consider Burchard Lake in southeast Nebraska as a destination for new fishing opportunity. An Aquatic Habitat rehabilitation project was completed in 2013 and the 150-acre reservoir was recently reopened to the public sporting a new boat launch area, improved shoreline access and a handicap accessible fishing pier. Additionally, offshore breakwaters were placed to protect shorelines, and a sediment retention basin was added on the reservoir’s north arm. Aquatic habitat was enhanced by deepening areas near the breakwaters and by placing underwater rock shoals and cedar tree fish attractors along areas popular with anglers. Burchard has a longstanding reputation as one of Nebraska’s high-quality fisheries where you can catch largemouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, crappie, bluegill and channel catfish.
Rose and Luke Gruntorad photographed at two weeks old.
