Fishing Adventure for lucky Barry County students

Augusta, MI—Two days each spring Wintergreen Lake at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary is open to a select group of fishermen, the special education students at the Barry County ISD.  Since 2006 the students have come on a spring day in May to disturb the slumber of the bluegill and sunfish that live in the lakes’ depths.   This is the one time of year the lake is ever fished.

Biologists at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station have been studying the water and wildlife of the Sanctuary’s lake for the past 80 years.  It is estimated that 30,000 bluegill inhabit the lake and a harvest of 1% will not negatively impact the size of the breeding population or the research that occurs in the lake.

While the students are at the Sanctuary they also learn about the lake’s biology, how much their fish weighs and then staff and volunteers will clean the fish and prep them for a fish fry!

The event is made possible by the generous donation of time and funding of the Sportsmen’s Outreach Team, Inc. (Sportsmen).  The Sportsmen is a local non-profit with a mission to engage people of all abilities in hunting and fishing activities in the great outdoors!  Since 2006 the volunteers from the Sportsmen along with staff from Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station have put time and resources together to offer this program for the special education students of Barry County ISD.  For more information about the Sportsmen please contact, Dave Neeson, daveneesoncareof@hotmail.com.

Pictures from this year's event: