Public Education Committee
Chairperson
Lauri Monnot
lauri.monnot@deq.idaho.gov
Cassi Wood
casellewood@tu.org
Overview
The American Fisheries Society is an organization of professionals that is dedicated to strengthening the fisheries profession, advancing fisheries science, and conserving fisheries resources. Public education and outreach activities that increase understanding and respect of aquatic resources are critical to achieve this mission.
Members of the Idaho Chapter Public Education committee come together from varied backgrounds with different strengths and a common goal to share knowledge and foster respect for aquatic resources. Our committee has a hand in educating people of all ages about aquatic resources and helping budding fisheries professionals achieve their career goals
Mission
The mission of the Public Education committee is to increase public knowledge, respect and stewardship for aquatic resources.
Goals
The committee will seek to accomplish the mission through the following goals:
- Support K-12 classroom activities promoting aquatic resource stewardship.
- Increase general public knowledge of current issues and stewardship of aquatic resources.
- Provide monetary support for higher education students pursuing fisheries-related degrees in Idaho.
Recent Accomplishments
- Advertised and awarded annual high school, undergraduate, and graduate Chapter scholarships, the Susan B. Martin graduate scholarship, and the Travel Opportunity or Project grant
- Coordinated with Trout in the Classroom schools and Trout Unlimited to create fish bookmarks to distribute to registrants at our annual meeting
- Provided grants for transportation costs and field supplies for Trout in the Classroom fish release field trips
- Supported a Donnelly Elementary school proposal to fund video equipment upgrades and software for a fish behavior study and associated community outreach
- Supported Council School District project to purchase water quality sampling equipment and an underwater camera for habitat use observations
- Supported a Wild Science Explorers proposal to purchase macroinvertebrate investigation and fishing gear for stream ecology lessons
- Distributed more than 450 copies of Rising From the Shadows cutthroat DVD
- Participated in the Make a Splash Collaborative Summer Reading Project at six Idaho libraries
- Developed a lottery application process for Trout in the Classroom equipment
- Awarded a new chiller a new Trout in the Classroom project at Clair Gale Junior High in Idaho Falls
- Supported a community watershed stewardship and streambank restoration project for Boulder Creek, a tributary to Cascade Lake