S2S Youth Cohort completes Angler Surveys during Module 6 of the Manassas YFSP!
After getting some practice in our last module, Youth Cohort members seized the day and caught several more fish during Module 6!
We had a great day this past Saturday, fishing the pond and working on our Angler Journaling for our Military-Affiliated Youth Field Science Program at Manassas National Battlefield Park. The weather was beautiful, though windy at times, and the water clarity was low after the rain last week. However, our Park Spies-in-training were undeterred, as they each got better at casting, baiting hooks, and landing catches! They have become so capable, and I had time to walk around the pond handing out snacks.
Another great catch!
Today’s focus was angler journaling, a key data set helpful to fisheries biologists and local fishermen nationwide. We discussed recording basic information about our catches in diaries, and we discussed how this information can help local scientists and fishermen better understand the health of fish in lakes, rivers, and streams across the United States! S2S is very familiar with this as we participate in a 30 year study of trout with adult veterans at Great Basin National Park in Nevada! We also put together some resources to discuss the history of angler journaling over the centuries and how this process grew from a angler hobby to a key activity in marine science. Throughout the day, we caught a bunch of sunnies and a crappie, but the bass still eluded us. The minnow cages had a few tadpoles, and the last check of the day produced a baby bluegill too. It was another very enjoyable outing spending time with the cohort and their families - something I look forward to each week.
In two weeks, we will finish where we started and return to the picnic area near Brownsville. Leading the program has been a great joy. In exposing our Youth Cohort to many diverse acts of citizen science, my team and I hope to broaden their understanding of how easy it is to participate in real world science that can make a difference at local, state, and national parks. From conducting nest box check protocol, to cover board checks, to angler journaling, to a BioBlitz, there are many activities young people and their families can do to turn a hike into a scientific investigation, and we hope our participants will continue this work in the years to come.
Another Beautiful Day! We have been so lucky with the weather!
If you are a veteran or a part of a military family, and you are interested in S2S programming, please don’t hesitate to contact us at soldiers2scientists@gmail.com. We have a number of projects and programs that are available throughout the US and more in the works for this coming fall. We can also help connect you with projects in your area through local and state parks. Let us know what you would like to do, and we can help! Stay tuned for one more module post in a few weeks and check out some more photos below!
