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The Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery joined forces with their partners to give 180 Freshman students from Fannin County High School an education on trout.The Blue Ridge Mountain and the Chattahoochee/Nantahala chapters of Trout Unlimited provided the kids with a look into how to tie flies and also gave them an opportunity to do a little casting with the fly rods.Jacob Williams from the University of Georgia extension office came out and taught the students all about the macro-invertebrates in the stream.Georgia Department of Natural Resources biologist Tiffany Penland came out and taught the kids about trout anatomy and dissected trout for them.Motor Vehicle Operator Charles Hood showed the students the inside of the hatchery building and explained what went on in there, while Deputy Project Leader Joseph Helseth and Maintenance Worker Jamey Mull spoke of the outside raceways and what it takes to get the fish up to stocking size.Project Leader Kelly Taylor stepped in and let the students get their creative juices flowing with an art project of creating their own fish.Students had to draw the fish, name it, tell where it lives and what it eats and then present it to the rest of the group.It was an exciting day with fun had by all.The Friends of the Hatchery provided a BBQ lunch for all the volunteers that day.
