Snapshot: Yancey and Mitchell County, N.C. Students Explore Local Streams

Toes in the Toe Event Gets Area Fifth-Grade Students In the Water

Sep 28, 2023

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Since 2009, barring a pandemic interruption, Yancey County, N.C. fifth-grade students have come out to the South Toe River to learn about the river from experts and personal exploration. In 2010, the opportunity was expanded to neighboring Mitchell County, where students have traditionally visited the North Toe River.

Two people standing on a black top holding signs, one of which reads Brookies — High school students in Yancey County, N.C. wait for elementary-school students to arrive so they can lead them through the Toes in the Toe education stations.

Dubbed “Toes in the Toe” after the names of the rivers, the event was the brainchild of Service staff and local residents looking to connect area students with streams in their community, which are home to the endangered Appalachian elktoe mussel and the Eastern hellbender, an aquatic salamander currently under consideration for Endangered Species Act protections.

Several kids running toward a shallow river, some holding nets — Yancey County, N.C. students head to the South Toe River to collect aquatic invertebrates.

Students spend the day rotating through educational stations that explore different facets of streams, stream life, and local agriculture. Given the streams’ importance for the Appalachian elktoe mussel, the Service has traditionally staffed a station focused on aquatic invertebrates, having students collect and identify invertebrates, then use that information to draw a basic conclusion about stream health. Service staff also assist with the fish station, working with students to collect and identify fish and discuss what the fishes collected say about stream health.

Trio of kids standing in a stream around a small kick net — Mitchell County, N.C. students search for aquatic invertebrates in Cane Creek as part of the 2023 Toes in the Toe educational event.

For the first time, the Mitchell County event was moved from the North Toe River to tributary streams close enough to local elementary schools to allow students to walk to the event, cutting out the need for bus transportation.