TIONESTA, Pa. (EYT) — Wildlife Conservation Officers (WCO) visted West Forest School to educate the students on the local ecosystem.

(Left to right: Alexa Carll, Destiny Ginnery, Grace Flick, Mitchell McWilliams, Andrew Dando, WCO Erik Shellgren, WCO Gregory Pochran, and Mark Dando.)

WCO Erik Shellgren and WCO Gregory Pochran visited the fourth- and tenth-grade cell biology students on Tuesday, March 6.

The students had the opportunity to learn about runoff and chemicals that affect local trout streams.

A PowerPoint presentation was shown with information about brook trout in our local streams. Several slides showed damage to local creeks from brine, chemicals, and sediment runoff.

To enhance the lesson, WCO Shellgren showed the students how sediments cover the spawned eggs in the streams in a small aquarium. This depletes the oxygen for the eggs preventing hatching.

Cooking oil was also used to show how oil floats on top of the water. Oil can also damage local streams and harm the trout.

The students always enjoy learning about our local ecosystems.