Young Public School Headwater Chub Project

[ypsgreenhouse]

Our greenhouse was built last year. We have 13 students in our high school and 7 in our greenhouse class. Since last year, we have made some progress with preparing to grow plants and head water chub. These past few months we’ve been working on the greenhouse drainage system and building the growing tables to grow plants using hydroponic techniques. We just finished assembling the growing tables.
Our project that we received the grant to complete involves an aquaculture system that will allow us to raise head water chub and grow lettuce at the same time. Head water chub are small fish that are threatened to be endangered species. We are using aquaculture techniques to raise the fish and let them reproduce. We will then release the fingerlings back into their natural habitat in order to raise their population and reduce their risk of becoming endangered. This coming Monday will be the day that we work on the aquaculture tank, getting them prepared for the head water chub.

[ypsgreenhouse]

This past week working in our greenhouse has been useful to discover small mistakes, fixing them, and working on our aquaculture tank. We are now working on drilling holes for more bulkhead fittings and we’re slowly going to start connecting the whole aquaponics system together. Yesterday, we placed the bulk heads on the aquaponics tank and the fingerling tank. The aquaculture tanks are getting closer to being completed. Today, we finished placing all the PEX on and around the greenhouse. PEX is a pipe used for getting water from one place to another. Today, we finished with the red PEX pipe or hot water pipe. The blue PEX pipe or the cold water pipe was completed before the growing tables were completed. (I bet installing the blue PEX was easier then, installing the red PEX because we had to climb on the growing tables. Don’t worry we didn’t damage the tables.

[ypsgreenhouse]

The YPS Greenhouse is currently working on curriculum for the elementary students that will teach about our aquaculture system and growing plants in the greenhouse. We are downloading standards for the elementary students. In early spring, we will go and gather the Headwater Chub fish for our aquaculture tanks from Spring Creek. Jerry Ullum, a local based “Master Gardener,” is helping with getting the greenhouse up and running. We are updating our books and binders to show that we have done or we are doing those activities or jobs.