\nMay 22, 2026\n<\/p>\n
Thousands of Students from New York City and Upstate Towns will Participate in the Environmental Education Program; Additional Photos are available on DEP\u2019s Flickr Page<\/a>.<\/p>\n The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently joined Trout Unlimited, the Watershed Agricultural Council, and 30 students from Pace High School in Manhattan to release juvenile trout that the students have raised in their classrooms since October of last year. Sixty fingerlings were released into the Cross River where it passes through the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Westchester County. The Cross River feeds into New York City\u2019s Cross River Reservoir.<\/p>\n \u201cDEP is proud to partner with Trout Unlimited and the Watershed Agricultural Council on Trout in the Classroom, giving students from pre-K through high school the chance to explore our shared water resources through visits to watershed streams and reservoirs,\u201d said DEP Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia. \u201cThis collaboration gives Manhattan students, along with thousands of students across the other boroughs and beyond, a deeper understanding of the water supply, the watershed ecosystem, and the importance of protecting our drinking water.\u201d<\/p>\n Since 2002, DEP and Trout Unlimited, a national grassroots non-profit organization whose mission is to conserve, protect, and restore North America\u2019s cold-water fisheries and their watersheds, have worked together to educate students from New York City and upstate communities about the importance of protecting our shared water resources through the Trout in the Classroom program. The conservation-oriented environmental education program teaches young New Yorkers, ranging from pre-K to grade 12, about the connections between trout, the New York City water supply system, water quality, and students from both sides of the City\u2019s water tunnels.<\/p>\n In October, more than 140 classroom teachers and educators joined the Trout in the Classroom Program\u2019s Fall Teacher Conference and received trout eggs from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Thousands of students from schools in New York City, as well as the City\u2019s upstate watersheds, incubated the trout eggs in their classrooms and raised them into juvenile trout, which are also called fingerlings. This hands-on, eight-month long program culminates with students taking part in designated field days between March and June during which they release the fingerlings into New York City watershed streams. During these trout release field days, students experience firsthand a watershed stream and forest, participate in nature hikes and macroinvertebrate studies, and sing \u201cHappy Free Day\u201d to their beloved fingerlings.<\/p>\n About the NYC Department of Environmental Protection<\/p>\n DEP manages New York City\u2019s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents, including 8.5 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP also protects the health and safety of New Yorkers by enforcing the Air and Noise Codes and asbestos rules. For more information, visit nyc.gov\/dep<\/a>, like us on Facebook<\/a>, or follow us on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n