The Ferretti Lab in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Department (FWC) at Virginia Tech is responsible for an ongoing research and educational program in the Kennedy Tree Farm lake systems in Dillwyn, VA. Through this program, FWC students have the opportunity to conduct research and educational activities on the Kennedy family property in order to learn how to assess pond health, create sustainable management plans for recreational fishing, and processes to improve freshwater ecosystems’ structure and function. These activities can support multiple FWC courses, where students can use the Kennedy Family Tree Farm ponds as natural labs to develop course projects and participate in hands-on activities.

This Fall, we are organizing our third ever fishing tournament, during which participants will collect data on species composition and measure fundamental biological characteristics (e.g., morphometrics) in order to assess population structure of the fish stocks occurring in the four lakes. For more info and registration (free) please contact Brendan Shea (bshea@vt.edu), Jeremy Jenrette (jjeremy1@vt.edu), or Dr. Francesco Ferretti (ferretti@vt.edu). There is a cap of 32 participants, so we will close the registration when we reach this number. And there will be prizes!