[Editor’s note: We’ve posted before about this great youth organization in Upstate New York (see here), and Alberto Rey recently sent us the video above.]
A few days ago, the children and parents of the Sportfishing and Aquatic Resource Educational Programming (S.A.R.E.P.) Youth Fly-Fishing Program participated in their annual ritual of reintroducing brook trout back into their local stream, Canadaway Creek. The mature brookies are ready to spawn when they are placed near cold springs located at the creek’s headwaters. The hope is that, over a number of years, a wild strain will arise again and will be able to survive on their own, as they did a century ago.
The program does all its own fundraising to purchase the fish and to host an annual stream clean-up/tree-planting event as they continue their efforts to restore the stream.This is just one of the several initiatives started by this youth program, which was founded by an Orvis-endorsed guide, Alberto Rey, fifteen years ago.
For more information about the group go to: the S.A.R.E.P. homepage and for more movies on their work go to :S.A.R.E.P. news page.
What a great program! SAREP and Alberto Rey do a fantastic job working with local kids to reintroduce the brook trout and engage them not only in fly fishing, fly tying but also discuss the habitat and environment.
Kudos to SAREP.
Speaking as one of the parents (that’s my son in the camo), it was a great thing to be a part of. Through the SAREP group we have learned about fly fishing (of course), about the environment and also some of the history of our local culture. Taking kids fishing, and involving them in events like the one above, is the best! My son and I love doing these things together, and SAREP provides a comfortable,friendly and encouraging learning environment for us to do them. Our thanks go out to Chico, Mr. Wilcox, Mr. Straight and everyone else involved. Tight lines!!
That’s awesome to have kids involved like that. We do the Trout in the Classroom project in our district in Texas. It is a highlight for the kids to raise rainbows and browns and have them released into their natural habitats. As a father of a young fly fisherman, I greatly appreciate the conservation programs kids like these are doing. I want my future grandchildren one day to enjoy the sport as much as my son and I do.
Thanks for sharing this.