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Tony Brady demonstrates to the teachers
how glochidia are harvested from
gravid female mussels.
Photo by Jennifer Seydel (ELS).
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If Each One Could Reach a Class Room…. Educating Educators to Get Kids in Nature
Genoa National Fish Hatchery, like many other hatcheries, has been hosting kids fishing events for several years. In addition to fishing events the Genoa NFH hosts outreach exhibits at fair, school classrooms and give tours of the hatchery. These events give the hatchery staff a single opportunity to introduce each group of kids to nature. In 2008 the Genoa NFH has added an additional angle to their outreach arsenal. This new angle is to educate educators about the work performed, animals cultured, and conservation efforts that are being conducted, by the hatchery.
On 12 June, the hatchery's mussel biologist Tony Brady was invited by the Expeditionary Learning Schools (ELS) Outward Bound's Midwest office, located in Dubuque, IA to give a presentation on mussel reproductive biology and the art and science of culturing mussels. Expeditionary Learning Schools work to "instill a positive school culture while promoting rigorous and engaging curriculum; active, inquiry-based teaching; and a school culture that demands and teaches compassion and good citizenship".
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| Currently there are about 150 EL Schools located in 30 states. Teachers from seven states as far away as New York attended the mussel workshop. As the hatchery is in the middle of its propagation efforts, Brady was able to show and tell the teachers about every life stage mussels undergo in their lifetime. The presentation included a gravid female fatmucket mussel that was willing to show off her fish attracting lure, while another gravid female was used to harvest the larval stage (glochidia). Largemouth bass from the hatchery were then used to demonstrate how the hatchery inoculates mass numbers of fish for their production efforts each spring. A newly transformed mussel was active under the microscope for the class to see its unique foot movements. To top off the day, three year old sub-adults of three species cultured by the hatchery were passed around for the class to get an up close look at the animals they were studying. Armed with this unique experience, these teachers will be able to reach class room after class room with mussel knowledge and conservation efforts to save an endangered species that will inspire the next generation of conservationists.
- Tony Brady
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Looking for a Summer Job? |
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Danielle Tyler of De Soto, Wisconsin and Mitch Moore of Viroqua, Wisconsin have joined the staff at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery. These summer employment opportunities were provided by Genoa National Fish Hatchery using the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Program. Recruitment for the 2 summer positions started in April by staff at Genoa contacting numerous local schools. Fifteen applications were received for these two positions. Danielle and Mitch were chosen by a random drawing. The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Program is a summer employment program for young people who are between the ages of 15 - 18 and are citizens of the United States.
The objectives of the program are for these enrollees to further the development and maintenance of the nation's natural resources by America's youth, to increase self-discipline, learn work ethics, and how to relate to peers and supervisors. Danielle and Mitch received a pair of safety shoes, an orientation of the Hatchery, and an overview of the fisheries program and work responsibilities. After completing the obligatory paperwork, Fish Biologist, Nicholas Starzl, explained that the following work projects were to be completed during their 8 week employment: general building maintenance, hatchery facility and equipment maintenance, day to day fish culture activities, and cleaning.
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Mitch Moore and Danielle Tyler
report for duty at the
Genoa National Fish Hatchery.
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This valuable program has allowed the station to serve the community by providing jobs to local youth. It also has allowed the station to accomplish projects that may never have been completed through a temporary boost in the summer work force.
- Darla Wenger |
Great discovery! A shy garter snake
was gently captured and released.
(Photo by Darla Wenger)
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Southern Bluffs Elementary visits Genoa National Fish Hatchery's Outdoor Classroom
Outdoor classrooms are important for creating a lasting connection with nature for students studying ecology, nature conservation, and scientific theory. Being in nature and experiencing its processes first-hand is how 5th grade teacher Susan Houlihan believes her students learn best. On May 15, Ms. Houlihan and 22 Southern Bluffs Elementary 5th graders visited the Outdoor Classroom in Genoa National Fish Hatchery's Sense of Wonder Discovery Wetland to learn about wetlands, get in touch with nature, and make a lasting impression on students. The Outdoor Classroom at Genoa developed from a partnership between the Southern Bluffs Elementary and Genoa NFH to get kids out in nature and make experiencing nature part of daily life for students. |
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In Genoa's outdoor classroom kids
get DEEP into nature.
(Photo by Darla Wenger)
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Connecting with nature has been proven to increase performance in school, provide emotional stability, and increase overall health for children. Helping make these connections has become a top priority of the Service. Students enjoying the Outdoor Classroom benefit from nature experiences while fulfilling 5th grade curriculum science and health standards.
After two planning meetings to ensure that activities would support the 5th grade curriculum for La Crosse School District, and that students would enjoy the maximum benefits of the first day in the Outdoor Classroom, Ms. Houlihan (of Southern Bluffs Elementary School), Ms. Wenger (of Genoa NFH), and Ms. Walker (of Genoa NFH) were able to enjoy the Sense of Wonder Discovery Wetland with students, while teaching conservation ethics, stewardship, and different ways to make nature discoveries. Students kept a species list of wildlife discoveries, went on a scavenger hunt for native and exotic species, saw how humans can affect wetland processes, and discovered how humans can enjoy and appreciate nature. The field day was a hit with both students and teachers, and Ms. Houlihan plans to bring her class back next year for 4 visits throughout the year. |
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This collaborating effort with Ms. Houlihan and the 5th graders at the Southern Bluffs Elementary School was established as a pilot project in January 2008 to allow 5th graders to experience the natural cycle of a marsh and to get children outside. When students come back in the fall, there will be additional changes to the wetland that will enhance the capabilities of the outdoor classroom area due to a visitor services enhancement allocation. With this dedicated money, staff at the Genoa NFH will construct a handicap accessible boardwalk with observations decks leading into the discovery area. Each deck will feature seating, and plenty of space for explorers to watch for wildlife. The main observation deck will double as the main stage for the outdoor classroom. In addition, a handicapped accessible fishing dock will be a permanent addition to one of Genoa's National Fish Hatchery's earthen ponds.
- Jenny Walker &
Darla Wenger |
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Michelle Bartsch displays one of her
experimental baskets that will be used
to study the diets of freshwater mussels.
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Genoa National Fish Hatchery Provides Mussels to U S Geological Survey for Nutrition Study on the St. Croix River.
Genoa National Fish Hatchery and the Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center (UMESC) have had a long standing partnership that has produced successful conservation efforts and multiple research projects. The two offices are constantly targeting science support projects aimed at addressing critical research that will enhance the hatcheries ability to rear healthier fish and mussels. At the same time, Genoa's ability to culture sub-adult mussels (length > 10 mm) has proven beneficial to UMESC's in several research projects. Currently Michelle Bartsch from UMESC is conducting a research project in which she hopes to determine the riverine diets of freshwater mussels. |
The 120 mussels for this project were provided by the hatchery to UMESC after being cultured for up to three summers in cages. Bartsch plans to place multiple baskets containing mussels in the St. Croix River where she will allow the mussels to filter food from the river, and then compare tissue samples to water samples to narrow down the list of food items the mussels are consuming. As zebra mussels continue to spread throughout the Mississippi River system suitable mussel culture cage locations may become harder to find. The knowledge gained from Bartsch's study might help develop a commercial diet that one day might make rearing mussels in closed environments such as the hatchery as healthy as mussels cultured in the river.
- Tony Brady |
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Welcome Pollinators!!Staff at Genoa National Fish Hatchery celebrated National Pollinator Week (June 22-28) by incorporating butterfly and other pollinator attractors into the landscaping at the hatchery office entrance.
The plants will provide food and shelter for native butterflies and other pollinators such as bees, beetles, moths, and birds. The staff hopes to communicate to visitors that by making small and beautiful changes, such as choosing pollinator plants for an outdoor garden, everyone can help out with wildlife conservation. Habitat loss and degradation, along with pesticide use are the biggest threats to pollinators. Providing habitat for pollinators is one of the best ways to help. For ideas on how to help pollinators in your area check out the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Pollinator website: http://www.fws.gov/pollinators/PollinatorPages/YourHelp.html
- Jenny Walker |
YCC student Danielle Tyler waters the
new flowers that adorn the Genoa
NFH entryway.
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FWS employee herds the last fish
into the pond harvest kettle at
the Genoa NFH
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Genoa Produces Walleye for Lac Coutre Oreilles
Every June, the Genoa National Fish Hatchery (NFH) staff drains a portion of the station's outdoor rearing ponds in order to harvest walleye which were stocked only a month and a half prior as hatched fry. Why so soon? By maximizing the production in the ponds, the small fish eat themselves out of house and home.
A timely harvest is key to having many healthy walleye which are also large enough to survive in the wild. This year, four hatchery ponds were stocked with a total of 475,000 walleye fry in early May of 2008. The fry came from the hatchery's April spawning operation carried out on the Upper Mississippi River. In addition to the Upper Miss. walleye, the Genoa NFH also reared strain specific walleye for the Lac Coutre Oreilles tribe near Spooner, WI for the first time this year. After 44 days of growth in the facilities coolwater production ponds, the walleye grew to approximately 1.5 inches. The ponds were drained in mid June with a total harvested number of 163,293, indicating a 34% survival rate. Approximately 30,000 were stocked into Iowa waters, 58,083 went to Legend Lake for the Menominee Indian Reservation, and 3,000 were given to the Upper Mississippi River Science Center for research. Lac Coutre Oreilles received 36,810 fingerlings, and the remaining fish (35,400) were retained on the station to support requests for advanced fingerlings (6" fish) for several tribal governments and to provide yearling host fish for the endangered Higgins Eye Pearlymussel as well as other state listed mussel species.
-Nick Starzl |
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The Genoa National Fish Hatchery Aims to Replace Traditional Sturgeon Diets for Lake Sturgeon with Commercially Formulated Diets.
The Genoa National Fish Hatchery (NFH) has been involved in lake sturgeon propagation since 1995 to support restoration efforts in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri. In 2007, the Genoa NFH raised approximately 30,000 seven inch lake sturgeon using natural diets that cost many thousands of dollars.
Using natural diets for feeding sturgeon has several draw backs including: decreasing supplies and increasing costs, labor intensive preparation and feeding requirements, potential chemical contamination in the feed and the possible disease transmission from the feed. Genoa NFH biologist Nick Starzl and maintenance worker Jeff Lockington recently designed and constructed an experimental fish rearing battery which has been put into operation to evaluate the suitability of replacing natural food diets for rearing lake sturgeon with commercially formulated diets.
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Three sets of three tanks are used
to scientifically test each diet.
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Fingerling lake sturgeon cultured
at Genoa NFH.
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The current study is evaluating a Rangen® semi moist diet and an Otohime® larval fish food diet against the standard natural diet. The diets are being evaluated with three replicates each for a total of nine tanks. If a particular diet is found to be promising future studies will refine its utility with the hope of converting it to a production scale use.
- James Luoma |
For additional information about any accomplishment report please contact Genoa National Fish Hatchery.
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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