WIC Forest Club facilitates fish farming experience for students

IRON RIVER – The Iron West County High School Forestry Club gives students hands-on experience in conservation efforts throughout Iron County.
Since the fall of 2000, Joel VanLanen, a faculty sponsor, has facilitated experiences from fish farming to insect collecting to swamp exploration.
“Our goal is to raise awareness among students to learn to care for their environment and learn about invasive species,” VanLanen said.
At the end of the school year, VanLanen coordinated a fish stocking experience for the Forest Club in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Last May, students assisted Kynzie House, a DNR technician at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery, stocking lake trout in Ottawa Lake and Golden Lake.
With House providing guidance and instruction, the students handled the fish and released them into their new aquatic environment.
“It’s an alternative way to learn,” VanLanen said.
Forest Club students also contribute to the maintenance of Perch Lake each fall and spring by helping to place and remove containment nets. The nets are designed to prevent invasive species from inhabiting Perch Lake. Last September, after a diver examined the nets for possible contaminants, the students helped remove the nets.
“It’s a preventative measure,” VanLanen explained.
Invasive species can be easily and unknowingly transported from lake to lake by fishing boats that are not cleaned between boat launches. Rinsing every boat is a simple measure that can prevent area lakes from being exposed to invasive species.
Students also collect soil samples from fields, meadows and rocky terrain near rivers. After collection, they divide the samples into sand, silt and clay and then assess the mineral content. Students have the opportunity to attend various field trips, which allow them to roll up their sleeves and experience what they have read about in their textbooks.
The school district has a forest where students can gain experience in tree farming. The school’s forest is undergoing logging, and students will have the opportunity to see the harvest in person in the spring of 2023, as bad weather postponed their planned fall field trip.
VanLanen described the process the students will see firsthand: how trees are selected for harvesting, the value of the trees, how the bidding process works with a forester and where the trees are transported for processing after being cut. Students will learn how different tree species respond to various types of harvesting and replanting plans.
Many students are not familiar with this process, even though logging is one of our major industries in Iron County, VanLanen said. The Forest Club offers many an opportunity to explore a great career opportunity.
VanLanen has had several students discover their love of forestry, environmental engineering and the biological sciences through the Forest Club, leading them to these degree paths in college.