6/1/07, Mr. Sheridan's 4th-grade salmon-release field trip

Mr. John Sheridan, Horace Mann Elementary teacher raises and releases salmon fry with his students

Every once in a while it's nice to have a happy story to tell.

At Horace Mann today, I enjoyed my usual time with my 5th grade "lunch buddy" Dallas. Dallas's taught me how to set up a "gmail" account and ever since then I've nick-named him from his gmail handle -- "Dallas 2-fast."

I bumped into Mr. Sheridan aka "Mr. S". He's a 4th grade teacher and is known throughout the school and district for inspiring children with the salmon fry he grows in a big tank in the school lobby. It just so happened he and his students were going to release the fry TODAY into Bear Creek at Ferrel McWhirter Park. And, I was invited!!

John Sheridan has been instilling love and respect for fish & wildlife in Horace Mann students for over 16 years. Every year he conducts field trips for bird identification and behavior and the release of Coho salmon fry.

My daughter had Mr. Sheridan for a teacher.  I'll always remember the day she exclaimed "her bird" would be the Western Tanager that she swore she saw over the east fence at Mann. We walked over to ID it without any luck. But, I still have the tanager picture she drew on my office wall.

"Dallas2fast" really liked Mr. Sheridan when he had him last year. Dallas remarked: It's fun to be in his class. Besides the field trips, Mr. Sheridan takes lots of pictures and students each get a photo album at the end of the year. He is also "knows technology". At lunch students will take video and edit skits they create. Fairly recently, Mr. Sheridan won the teacher-of-the-year award.

Today was a treat. I'd never been on one of Mr. Sheridan's salmon trips. He asked me to help dip the fry out of the huge tank. It was fun poking around with the net for the baby, 1.5 inch coho. Passing students ogled. We gently placed the fry into a large cooler with a bag of ice -- all 230 of them! Lesson #1 - salmon need cool water to live!

Mr. Sheridan told me lots of cool stuff during the dipping. He got the $1500 tank from another school via a WSDFW "Adopt a Stream" grant. In December, he cleans the tank and then in January he places 250 developed eggs from the fishery in the tank. The children watch the eggs hatch and grow all year! In early June the kids release the fry.

Each child was given a bowl of water with several fry. They walked to the creek and slowly released them. It was a very special time. Some children have a hard time letting them go. Some give them names.

Mr. Sheridan said about 80% of the fry will make it out of the river, but very few will return. (~ 1-2%). The fry need to stay in the river a full year so they are good prey to birds. These little guys are tank fed and used to rising to the surface to feed!

After some fruit Popsicle, photos by the huge Big Leaf Maples, and walk through the animal barn, the fun ended. No doubt many of these children will remember this day for a lifetime.
Thank you, Mr. Sheridan! You are a one-of-a -kind special teacher!

May, 2012 Comment:   The salmon were released in Mackey Creek near it's confluence with Bear Creek.  (Mr Sheridan retired a few years ago and enjoys playing golf 24/7) BY