<< Back 5/15/02 Trout in the Smokies Annual festival brings fun with an educational focus By Scott McLeod 13th Great Smoky Mountain Trout Festival • Music on the main stage from 9-5 p.m., and music in the pavilion from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. • C.A.T.C.H. (Caring for Aquatics Through Conservation Habits) clinic and Kids in the Creek from 9 a.m.-noon (must be pre-regis tered) • Fishing clinics — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. • Trout dinners — 11 a.m.-2 p.m. • Haywood County Watershed Action Plan presentation — 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. • Deadline to adopt a trout — 3 p.m. • Trout race — 4 p.m. • Trout race winners announced — 4:30 p.m. at main stage The 13th annual Great Smoky Mountain Trout Festival combines traditional festival fun with a focus on educating people about clean water and the environment. “It’s a complete one-day festival, and it definitely has an environmental bent,” said Greg Padgett, the festival and special events director for the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce. “Everyone’s looking for something different, and this is that. Anytime you emphasize keeping waterways clean and involved children, it’s a good situation,” said Padgett. The trout festival, planned this year for May 25, started in Waynesville but has called Maggie Valley home for the last two years. It is held at the town hall/pavilion area and across the street on the grounds of the Maggie Valley Methodist Church. One of the highlights of the festival is the C.A.T.C.H. youth clinic held from 9 a.m. to noon. The C.A.T.C.H. (Caring For Aquatics Through Conservation Habits) program is designed to teach young people how, when and where to fish as well as to introduce lessons in aquatic ecology, water safety, fishing ethics and respect for the outdoors. Dave Dudek is a biology and wildlife instructor at Haywood Community College, and his students work with children in the C.A.T.C.H. program. “Our students receive training in C.A.T.C.H., and they apply that to working with youngsters. I think they enjoy it as much as the kids,” said Dudek. The program includes three stations that the children rotate through: safety, fishing equipment and skills, and aquatic ecology. At the end, children get to fish for about an hour. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will stock Jonathan Creek, and the young anglers can either catch and release or take their fish home. Volunteers will help clean them. The C.A.T.C.H. Clinic is open to youth between ages 6 and 15. Necessary equipment will be furnished. A parent or guardian must register and attend with the youth. Pre-registration is required and the numbers of participants will be limited. Registration must be received by May 17. The event is sponsored by the Natural Resources Division of Haywood Community College and the Haywood Waterways Association. To register or for more information, call Dave Dudek at 828.627.4564, or Jenny Carver at 828.627.4560, Haywood Community College, Natural Resources Division, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. A new activity this year will be based on Kids In The Creek aquatic education program and will involve collecting and identifying aquatic bugs as well as testing water quality. This program is sponsored by the Haywood Waterways Association and focuses on the assessment of water quality through analysis of aquatic life and chemical analysis. It also includes a watershed demonstration using a model called “Enviroscape.” Also taking part in the festival is the Friends of the Smokies, an advocacy group for the Great Smoky Mountains National Pari, and Jennifer Murrow, who is heading the elk restoration project in the park. The trout race will begin at 4 p.m. in Jonathan Creek. Participants for the race adopt one or more of the wooden, biodegradable trout for an adoption fee of $5 per fish. The first fish across the finish line wins $800, second place $400, third place $200 and fourth place $100. Activities also include fly-casting and fly-tying demonstrations, a children’s area, food vendors, craft booths and a trout dinner. Proceeds for all festival events will be used for clean water initiatives and educational projects for children. Padgett said about 60 vendors will participate. Additional parking will be provided beside Cabbage Rose, and shuttles will be available from there. For information call the Maggie chamber at 828.926.1686.