Maybell Elementary students traveled to Loudy-Simpson Park on Wednesday to release their temporary class pets into the Yampa River.

In October, the school received a shipment of trout eggs, and the students set to work raising them in their classroom.

During the trout release at the park’s newly constructed boat ramp, multiple students recalled their favorite part of the project as their observation of the trouts’ growth, especially in the early weeks when the trout were still developing in their transparent eggs. For others, the excitement peaked during the release itself, where the students took turns carefully transporting the tiny trout to the water’s edge in plastic cups.

Maybell Elementary has an enrollment of 15 students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, and all were on hand to help with the trout release.

In total, the students shepherded 109 juvenile trout into the Yampa River, with some receiving last-minute monikers such as Tyreek Hill, Michael Jordan, Mr. Fish, John No. 1 and John No. 2.

Maybell Elementary teacher Kristin Allen shared her enthusiasm for the project, noting that it was likely the first of its kind for any of the Moffat County schools. Allen has collaborated with Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Schools and Outdoor Learning Environments program, or SOLE, for the past seven years and learned about the Trout in the Classroom program during a meeting.

SOLE and Great Outdoors Colorado funded the project, gifting Allen and her students the roughly $2,000 necessary for supplies and equipment including the fish tank, upgraded filter and chiller.

Allen said that since she will have the same students next year, she is considering turning the project over to one of the district’s Project Lead the Way teachers for potential future use.

And while the Maybell students will miss their fishy friends, they’re already busy imagining the sorts of adventures they’ll get up to in the Yampa River.

One student mentioned that fish return to the same place they hatched to lay their eggs, leading to laughter from the other students at the thought of the released trout knocking on Maybell Elementary’s door next next year.

The students have some ideas of what their fish will be doing in their new home, including exploring the Loudy-Simpson section of the river and eventually moving downstream.

Colorado Trout Unlimited’s Trout in the Classroom program aims to connect students with their local watersheds and promote environmental conservation by engaging students in various activities, from raising trout and monitoring water quality to studying stream habitats and learning about ecosystems. The program fosters a conservation ethic and an appreciation for water resources.

Like Maybell Elementary’s, most programs end with the release of trout into a state-approved stream, which not only enriches the students’ educational experience through hands-on learning but also contributes to local conservation efforts.