S2S Youth Field Science Program - Fly Fishing and Season Recap!
S2S Director Michael Cohn with members of the Youth Cohort!
Soldiers2Scientists concluded its Youth Field Science Program at Manassas National Battlefield Park this past Saturday. Youth Cohort participants spent the last two months exploring much of the Battlefield Park: from fields to wetlands and from forests and to ponds, each area offered a distinct ecosystem to explore and study. S2S coordinated expert guides from the local area to lead the participants in learning about the wildlife common to the park and Northern Virginia. From ornithologists to master naturalists, from falconers to herpetologists, S2S coordinated a knowledgeable team to help teach these young park rangers about how to be a field scientist, both in etiquette and practice. Yesterday, S2S closed the program with some refreshments at the Brownsville Picnic Area, a final informal BioBlitz, and an exciting opportunity to learn about Fly Fishing from the Trout Unlimited Chapter in Northern Virginia.
Participants, Family Members, and Volunteers gather to learn about Fly Fishing!
Fishing with spin reel and bait is a great way to learn the basics of angling as a field science method, but the impact can sometimes be rough on the fish. Good Park Spies strive to be gentle in their techniques and minimize disturbance as much as possible. That’s why no Park Spy’s kit is complete without knowing how to wield the light saber/samurai sword of field science tools, a fly-fishing rod. As we wrapped up the season at Manassas NBP, our military-affiliated Youth Field Science Program cohort received the expert tutelage of Northern Virginia Trout Unlimited (some also veterans), teaching both students AND parents how to cast, tie flies, and more about the integral relationship between stream health, macroinvertebrate abundance, and good fishing. Thank you to Tony, Aaron, and Gus! For anyone interested in continuing to learn more about fly fishing or to schedule a family fishing day with expert Trout Unlimited guides, please reach out any time and I will help coordinate! (soldiers2scientists@gmail.com)
With their training now completed, our cohort also conducted one more recon at the spot we first started. With all of the equipment we’ve learned to use, like nets, insect grabbers, cameras, apps, and a minnow cage, our final sweep uncovered more sightings of tadpoles, frogs, spiders, a myriad of insects and a water snake - adding dozens of new observations to the many hundreds we’ve recorded this season. Both participants and parents took home new leather-bound nature journals and branch pencils to continue our work wherever they may travel to next.
One last foray Off Trail!
One of the great benefits of working with local conservation groups like Trout Unlimited, Master Naturalists, and Audubon, is their national reach, with chapters all over the country. Whether in Northern Virginia or elsewhere, you’re often only a stone’s throw from local folks that share our passion for the outdoors and offer opportunities and activities like we’ve covered in our program at Manassas. To help connect with our local Virginia partners or with a chapter somewhere else, please never hesitate to reach out to S2S in the future. We are always happy to make connections and facilitate.
And so, with that being said, our Spring season has concluded. We will plan to get together for some nest box, coverboard, and game camera monitoring and installations over the summer and reconvene again in the fall. Our First Class of newly minted wildlife intelligence agents have graduated to fully trained contributors to the parks ongoing biodiversity catalog and research. They will now serve as leaders and models that will help guide and train the next cohort. I couldn’t be more proud of them!
It’s been very rewarding to see them pick up the skills and practice them on their own. They frequently caught stuff I missed. Their eyesight and observational skills are off the charts - often spotting snakes, frogs, and bugs before any of the scientists and naturalists that joined us! They grew to work together as a team, and they were just as concerned for the welfare of any specimens as they were curious to see some up close. The perfect combination for good Park Spies! Their enthusiasm is why the season was a success. It has been my honor introducing them to the world of field science, and I have no doubt they will continue to do good work and serve as good examples for their peers. Take a look below at some highlights showcasing their experience over the last two months!
The success of the program was also in large part due to the wonderful partners S2S has the pleasure of working with. Our aligned missions are to preserve our outdoor experiences and train the next generation to do the same. Thank you to all the staff at Manassas National Battlefield Park and the National Park Foundation for giving us the opportunity to do so in a National Park! A special thanks to the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists who have long supported our work at the park and joined us for every module!
National parks are living historical monuments. Their story continues to be written everyday. We are now part of that story. Our role may be small, but it is not unimportant. We look forward to advancing our mission at Manassas National Battlefield Parks and other parks interested in community field science events. Thank you to all who followed along with these modules in the newsfeed. You’re interest helps us spread the word about programs like this and expand our outreach throughout the United States!
Stay tuned for more blog posts as S2S gears up for the 2026 EcoRecon Expedition at Great Basin National Park! We are excited for what the rest of 2026 will hold! Check out some additional photos below, and if you are interested in learning more about our programming, please explore the website or email us at soldiers2scientists@gmail.com.
