Local/Regional News

Lake sturgeon return to K-12 classrooms across the state

WCMU | By Teresa Homsi

Published October 20, 2023 at 12:11 PM EDT

Eight schools across the state are receiving a prehistoric class pet to teach students about conservation.

A five-month-old lake sturgeon is now swimming in a classroom tank at the Cheboygan Middle School. The six-inch fish was raised at the Black Lake hatchery and will be released in the spring.

Ann Douglas is a teacher at the school and coordinator with the Sturgeon in the Classroom program. She said the school has been participating in the program since it first started 11 years ago.

Cheboygan middle school teacher Ann Douglas holds up the school's new class pet. The hatchery-raised sturgeon will be released in the upper Black River in the spring when it's about a year old.

Douglas said she hopes to expand the program into new districts — and inspire more generations to care about the threatened species.

"The sturgeon are going to live 75 to 150 years, and I'm not," Douglas said. "So, in order to keep [our conservation work] going, I've got to get the kids involved. We need to buy in from them so that they will continue to do this."

As part of the program, students are responsible for maintaining the tank, testing the water quality and feeding the sturgeon.

Over the years, Douglas said she's seen the students' attitudes change toward sturgeon. She recalls how students used to find the fish gross — but now, often describe it as "adorable."

Sturgeon in the Classroom program coordinator Andrew LaLonde poses by the sturgeon's tank in a Cheboygan Middle School classroom.

Former students will sometimes return to the classroom to see the new fish, as well as interested parents.

"We went from my first class, most of whom didn't even know what a sturgeon was — to everybody in this whole school now knows what a sturgeon is," Douglas said. "And [the students now are] very supportive and want to help."

The school will be voting on a name for the fish later this week. Previous names include Chief (the school's mascot's name), Bart Swimpson and Gillbert.

Sturgeon were also placed at schools in Onaway, Indian River, Alcona, Frankenmuth, Holt, Zeeland and Lansing.

This story was produced as part of WCMU's Report for America service project. Teresa leads a school newspaper at the Cheboygan Middle School, introducing students to journalism. Stay tuned to WCMU for more coverage on lake sturgeon from Cheboygan students.