I want to thank the chapter membership for welcoming me as Education Chair. I volunteered for this role because I am passionate about the next generation of anglers, and I believe that education volunteerism and participation are a great doorway to increasing member engagement. I’ve been involved in Youth Education programming for a number of years, and in addition to the chapter position, I serve as Headwaters Youth Programs Committee Chair for the state council, I’m co-director of the state River Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp, and state director of the STREAM Girls program. I’m excited by the prospect of growing St. Vrain Chapter’s education programming by expanding existing programs and adding new ones.
Trout Unlimited uses a Stream of Engagement model for youth programming. The basis of this model is to provide a suite of age-appropriate STEM-based programs to inspire and engage the next generation of river stewards. These programs span extra-curricular, in-school, and summer opportunities for youth to experience the “hook” of fly fishing to connect with nature, physical recreation, and to appreciate healthy ecosystems and trout habitat. In Colorado, there are about a dozen nationwide programs that our fellow chapters support and deploy in addition to some unique chapter educational activities.
Over the years, our chapter has steadily increased environmental-based STEM education for youth in our community through a number of Stream of Engagement programs that we actively support. At the elementary school age, there are 2 major programs that we sponsor. One is Kids Learn to Fly Fish, an introduction to fly tying, trout diet, behavior and habitat, and basic fly casting for youth 8-13. This program has been on pause since the onset of the pandemic, but we plan to resume the program in its original form in the winter of 2023. We also sponsor a Trout in the Classroom installation at Lyons Elementary. Trout in the Classroom is an integrated learning program where students raise trout from eggs and release them into local waters at the end of the school year. Teachers use the trout rearing experience in all sorts of lesson plans from science and technology to literature and art. The chapter is seeking other opportunities to set up Trout in the Classroom installations in our area. We’re also currently exploring initiating the National Fishing in Schools program at Lyons Elementary, where the school will include a standardized fly casting curriculum into their physical education program in the future.
At the Middle School level, the primary programs that St. Vrain Chapter supports have been in collaboration with scouting. STREAM Girls is a statewide collaboration with Girl Scouts of Colorado where TU Volunteers lead an outdoor watershed experience that employs STEM-education plus recreation and arts to explore a local stream. Throughout the course of completing 8 activities the scouts have the opportunity to observe St. Vrain Creek as scientists, anglers, and artists while developing a picture of what their local stream could mean to them and earning a patch. Chapter volunteers have also supported local Boy Scout troops with programs to help them in earning their fly fishing badge.
For high school students, St. Vrain Chapter has been a consistent supporter of the River Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp hosted by the state council. We recruit campers annually, and provide scholarships to youth from our watershed. This year, in 2022, there will be 3 youth from the Longmont area attending camp. The camp itself is a mini-St. Vrain Chapter volunteer event, 5 of the camp volunteer staff represent this chapter. Camp is a keystone experience for teens where the connection between fly fishing and river conservation becomes real for them. Many of our campers come back and engage in the chapter as volunteers, and are motivated to join TU/Costa Five Rivers Clubs in college. Ideally at this point, they are one step away from becoming lifelong TU members.
About 2 years ago, the chapter leadership changed the committee name from Youth Education to Education with the intent of engaging our membership with an even broader spectrum of educational opportunities as participants and volunteers. We piloted a Fly Fishing 101 and Introduction to Fly Tying class in partnership with Carbon Valley Regional Library prior to the pandemic and hope to resume these. Last month we hosted our first Social Fly Tying and had tying leaders present to teach some basic patterns, and we plan to continue this in the fall. We’re really interested in knowing the appetite of our membership for adult workshops that are technique-based or target specific demographics, for example veterans and first responders, women, etc. Please share your thoughts and ideas with us stvraintu@gmail.com.
Is sharing your angling, tying, and river knowledge your thing? I’d like to invite you to join the Education Committee. We need organized leaders, and have opportunities to fill roles with existing programs or lead new ones. All of the programs mentioned above wouldn’t be possible without volunteers leading and supporting the activities. Use this link to our Volunteer Form to volunteer for an education program or to join our committee.