On April 18, the Michigan State University Fisheries and Wildlife Club partnered with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to host a steelhead stocking event on MSU’s campus. The initiative, held along the banks of the Red Cedar River, sought to boost the local steelhead population, one that cannot naturally reproduce in the river, while encouraging angling, environmental awareness and hands-on conservation education.
The event was part of a larger effort to connect students and the campus community with Michigan’s natural ecosystems — starting with the Red Cedar River, a familiar feature many cross daily but rarely stop to consider.
“This river supports a lot of biodiversity — there’s a lot of life in it,” said Braydon Sprik, a third-year Fisheries and Wildlife major and the fisheries chair of the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club. “My goal is to educate students on campus about the fisheries Michigan has to offer through hands-on opportunities. This event perfectly provided that opportunity.”
The MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club, open to all students regardless of major, works to provide a community for students to explore career paths in conservation, develop skills outdoors, build social and professional networks and gain confidence to construct a promising future for themselves and natural resource conservation. For Sprik, the mission is personal.
“I grew up surrounded by woods and water. From the earliest I can remember, I was fishing with my dad,” he said. “I remember how I felt the first time I caught a fish and the inspiration I felt in that moment. Seeing others have that same feeling or build the same appreciation I have is very gratifying for me.”
The stocking event engaged students, faculty and Spartan community members in placing juvenile steelhead into the Red Cedar. Steelhead, a migratory form of rainbow trout, play a key role in Michigan’s coldwater fisheries. Stockings help sustain their population while providing real-world learning for future conservationists and the public.
Jay Wesley, the Lake Michigan Basin coordinator for the Michigan DNR and an MSU alum, emphasized the importance of community awareness and involvement in river stewardship.
“Students cross the Red Cedar every day and probably don’t know much about what’s living in it or that they can even fish in it,” Wesley said. “This event helps change that. It educates people about the river system and highlights the opportunities it provides. That awareness is key.”
Beyond fish stockings, the DNR works on habitat restoration and regulation development, among other activities, to conserve, protect and manage Michigan’s natural resources. Wesley believes collaborating with student organizations like the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club is a valuable way to bridge education with practice.
“I really appreciate what the club is doing — it goes far beyond just stocking fish,” said Wesley. “I enjoy working with students, giving them a chance to apply what they’re learning in a real-world setting and helping them start thinking about the kind of difference they want to make in their future careers.”
This story originally featured on the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources website.
