Trout in the classroom

2 the Outdoors: Trout in the classroom -WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. - Recently, a special delivery was made to Banks Elementary School in Washington County. Leroy Schultz paid a visit to the school to deliver a 28-gallon aquarium.

Schultz is part of a volunteer army that delivers this unique equipment that enables youngsters to learn about their environment.

The large tank will soon be a new home for 600 trout eggs in a second-grade classroom at the school.

The fish eggs are donated to the "Trout in the Classroom" program by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The eggs come from the Roaring River Hatchery in Linn County.

The hatchery produces 70 percent of Oregon's rainbow trout. Huge female trout are live-spawned and their surplus eggs are donated to the Northwest Steelheaders for the classroom program.

In addition to the donations of tanks, which are worth $1,000 each, volunteers from the Steelheaders gather in February to collect the many packets of 600 eggs. Each volunteer delivers the trout eggs to a different classroom.

According to NWS member Ben Rand, the project spreads an important message: "What it takes to raise fish, how we should appreciate the fish. Hopefully, a little bit of (an) ecology lesson too. I am sure the youngsters are excited about raising fish."

Schultz made his delivery to Chris McOmie's second-grade classroom at the Banks school. Her students were very excited about the prospect of raising fish.



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Comments: Not much more to say than cool story and idea!

The Longevity of your Pet

The Longevity of your Pet Could be Affected by its Diet More than any Other Factor -What are we really feeding our pets? What pet manufacturers don't want us to know.

Kansas City, MO (PRWeb) February 23, 2007-- Don't be fooled by those slick ads on TV run by the major brands of your favorite dog and cat foods says entrepreneur/direct marketer John Karstetter. You've heard the expression, "You are what you eat?" It is especially true for pets. Like humans, pets may also be lacking in a daily nutritious, antioxidant and digestible diet.

Most pet foods sold today contain the 5 D's… dead, diseased, dying, disabled and drugged animals. Also included in the ingredients labeled as byproducts are animal intestines and brains, chicken heads, duck bills, fish heads, chicken and turkey feet, hides, feathers, hair, bones, dead animals that may have been treated with antibiotics or hormones, beef tallow or animal fat (lard), animal digest and "road kill".


For the full article, please click above.



Comment:

Not really an aquarium or pond story, however I have been to many dog and cat food nutrition seminars when I was more involved in the Dog and Cat aspect of the Pet industry and I have to concur.

I also would like to note that this is also a common problem in most fish diets as many aquarist unknowingly throw trash foods such as TetraMin or BettaMin down their fish throats and then wonder why they have sick fish (such as the disease Dropsy) or their aquarium gets cloudy.


For more information about fish nurtrition, please visit this article:
Quality Fish Food; What ingredients are needed for proper fish nutrition, growth and health.

Central Point might give exotic pets the boot

Central Point might give exotic pets the boot -An ordinance banning nontraditional critters in the city is under discussion tonight at 7

By buffy pollock
for the Mail Tribune

CENTRAL POINT — Exotic pets ranging from wolves to raccoons to large snakes could be banned in town under a new ordinance before the City Council.

The council will consider the animal ordinance at 7 tonight in City Hall, 140 S. Third St., Central Point.

The proposed law would allow existing pets to be grandfathered in if they are registered with city code enforcement officials by March 12.

The current policy on keeping pets came under scrutiny after neighbors of Blue Grass Downs homeowner Nick Kessler complained about Kessler's pet bobcat, Kona. The Kessler family moved into the subdivision — across from a city park — last summer.

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Comment:

Not really an aquarium or pond story, but considering snakes are being considered, many fish can be thrown into this ban as well. Not that we don not need boundaries on which pets we can keep and not keep, it is possible as in some local and state governments to go too far, especially when bad information is used such as California’s statement that Piranha would populate the water ways (which is not true even for Piranha, as this fish will die off in water below 60-65 F, which there in not a body off water even in LA that does not get this cold in the winter.


BASIC AQUARIUM PRINCIPLES; Information for the proper set up, maintenance, care and feeding for freshwater aquariums

For a great Aquatics Forum where Everything Aquatic is discussed:
EVERYTHING AQUATIC; Aquarium Forum

'Marine Ecology for the Wet and Wild' offered at Oregon Coast Aquarium

'Marine Ecology for the Wet and Wild' offered at Oregon Coast Aquarium -The Oregon Coast Aquarium is offering a rare opportunity for intermediate SCUBA divers. "Marine Ecology for the Wet and Wild," is an extraordinary experience for divers who will go into the waters of the aquarium's "Passages of the Deep" exhibit, home to hundreds of marine animals. The class is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, and includes a review of the 13 major groups of invertebrates inhabiting Northwest waters.

Vallorie Hodges, dive safety officer at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, described what students in the class will experience, "We'll be right up close to many common - and some uncommon Pacific Northwest fishes and invertebrates. This is an ideal place for divers to learn about marine life because you would have to log many hours diving in the open water of the Oregon coast to find and identify the marine life you will see in one dive at the aquarium."

In this setting at the aquarium, divers learn in more focused manner. "You see the animals through the acrylic, learn about them in a classroom and then dive into Passages of the Deep at the Aquarium," Hodges says. "You really get to see them up close and walk away with a solid knowledge of what you see in Pacific Northwest waters."

For the full article, please click above.



Comment:
This is a cool place to visit, anyone who loves fish keeping or the ocean should make this a must see if traveling the Oregon Coast!

AQUARIUM INFORMATION

For a great Aquatics Forum where Everything Aquatic is discussed:
MSN Groups- EVERYTHING AQUATIC