UNC Asheville students joined Etchison and his team on multiple excursions to learn to identify fish, snorkel in the river, hand net the fish themselves, and help relocate them alongside experts. David Gillette, professor of environmental studies at UNC Asheville, organized the field trip as part of his fish ecology class to give students field experience and a chance to connect with professionals.
“The students love this too, because they get to connect with the community outside of the university,” Gillette said.
Junior environmental studies major Alex Guilfoyle said experiential learning opportunities like this are what make the class a unique experience.
“It really just makes the class that much more worth it. It puts into perspective all the things you got to learn about in the classroom and seeing it in real life just opens your eyes in a different way,” Guilfoyle said. “What you learn is going to stick in your mind a lot longer.”
Classes in the environmental studies major often involve outdoor field trips to familiarize students with the local flora and fauna. With a wide variety of subjects covered in the major — ranging from trees and birds, to, of course, fish— these trips help students determine what subject or field work they may pursue as a career.
Carter said she transferred from a larger school where she was a biology major, because she was seeking a smaller student body and more localized focus in her classes. UNC Asheville has few large lecture halls, and the average class size is 14 students.
“It's a complete difference, where there are 50 to 100 students in a classroom, we didn't really go out on field trips,” Carter said. “But at UNC Asheville, we go almost every week and do actual field work.”
Because the trips are to nearby areas, the field work benefits the surrounding community and gives students specialized knowledge and a chance to work with local professionals.
“I think it's better for trying to get a job in the local area. I'm really interested in staying here and helping to restore the areas here to their maximum potential,” Carter said. “I get to meet these people out in the field, see what they're doing, ask them questions one on one, face to face. It's really helpful to have those connections, to have that networking.”
Etchison said he hopes collaborating with UNC Asheville classes not only gets students interested in healing river ecosystems but also helps develop them into professionals, with relevant experience, that NCWRC could someday hire.
“When I was a student I would have killed to get an experience like this where you get to make a difference,” Etchison said. “The hope is that someday these students will be qualified candidates with good experience in the field.”
On top of getting to network with experts, students get a chance to work and bond with each other. Working together to catch a slippery, elusive fish can create fast friends.
“You have the time where you need to be sitting in a classroom learning but then you get a chance to do these kinds of fun excursions and these trips are gonna be something that you really get to make friends on,” Guilfoyle said.