Marcia McCollister’s class assisted the GA Department of Natural Resources with a sturgeon replenishing project by releasing sturgeon into the Oostanaula River.  The hope is that the population of sturgeon will be replenished in the Coosa Valley River System. Gary Beisser, fishery biologist met the class at the boat ramp near the National Guard armory on Hwy 136 with a large aquarium-type wagon that the children could look into and see the sturgeon up close.  Mr. Beisser talked to the students and their parents about the physical features of the fish as well as their life cycles. Also he told the students that these fish cannot be harvested and should be released if caught by fishermen. Each student then was allowed to take nets of "fingerlings" to the edge of the river and release the fish into the water. These fingerlings,or small fish, were recently hatched in Georgia from eggs collected in Wisconsin. The students noticed one fish in distress in the water. The fish had gotten entangled in discarded fishing line, and would have perished had it not been rescued. An important ecological lesson was learned, and the students were reminded that we are responsible for our environment and how what we do can affect wildlife.