To engage young minds and provide a hands-on learning opportunity for students, the Charleston District hosted five schools at the St. Stephen Powerhouse and fishlift and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ Bayless Fish Hatchery this spawning season. To make the students visit more beneficial, Joe Moran, fish biologist, went into the classrooms and gave students an overview of the history of the powerhouse, the function of the fishlift, the types of fish that pass through and the purpose of the hatchery so that the students had all the background information they would need prior to visiting.
With a national theme of “Engineering New Horizons,” the District was excited to host four schools that had never been to the fishlift before. Charleston Charter School of Math and Science visited Feb. 25 to celebrate Engineer’s Week, which was Feb. 22-28, Timberland High School and Ashley Hall visited during March and Porter Gaud and South Carolina State University visited in April. The students toured the fishlift, where they watched fish pass through and learned more about the mechanics of the lift. During the tour of the hatchery, the students learned about fish tagging, breeding, how fish are raised in the hatchery and their release into their natural habitat.
The Charleston District is proud to be making an impact on so many young minds, more than 100 students were exposed to this unique facility.
“I really like the fact that [DNR] are breeding more fish to put back into the ecosystem,” said Rachael Baker, a CCSMS student. “I didn’t know they did that here.”
During spawning season, Feb. 1 to May 15, self guided tours are available from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Guided tours are available every day, including Saturday and Sunday, but must be scheduled through the Dennis Wildlife Center in Bonneau, SC, at 843-825-3387.