By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
With eyes wide open, students from Chocowinity Middle School watched as fish swam gracefully in a mobile aquarium housed in a large trailer.
The sides of the trailer held large glass windows, with one side showcasing specimens from a coastal river habitat and the other featuring fish from mountain streams.
“There are large mouth bass, bluegills, a green sunfish and a long nose gar,” Gerald Klauss said as he pointed to various fish in the tanks. Klauss works with the N.C. Wildlife Inland Fisheries, one of several agencies taking part in last week’s annual Dan Windley Environmental Field Days.
The four-day event was sponsored by Beaufort Soil and Water Conservation District and hosted by Goose Creek State Park.
“We certainly couldn’t do it without the help of Goose Creek,” said Ann Williams, office administrative assistant with Beaufort SWCD.
Along with Inland Fisheries and state park staff, other agencies taking part in the field days included the Natural Resources Conservation Service, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Weyerhaeuser’s Cool Springs Environmental Education Center, N.C. Division of Forest Resources, a private consulting forester and Beaufort SWCD, according to Williams.
The field days educational project has been held for more than 20 years.
“It is named for the late Dan Windley, who founded it and who served as board supervisor and chairman for many years,” Williams said.
An estimated 600 fifth-graders from throughout Beaufort County took part in this year’s event.
Schools represented were S.W. Snowden Elementary, John Small Elementary, Chocowinity Middle, Northeast Elementary, Bath Elementary, Pungo Christian Academy, Washington Montessori Public Charter, Emmanuel Christian and Terra Ceia Christian.
“Goose Creek State Park is fortunate to have an educational facility to host an event such as the Dan Windley Environmental Field Days each year,” said Kevin Bischof, a ranger at the park. “The week is truly a success with the cooperation of so many agencies, all with the sole purpose of teaching young people the value of water and soil quality, the importance of our forests, the uniqueness of various wildlife and their habitats and wetland conservation.”
Those who work at Goose Creek State Park enjoy hosting such events, Bischof added. 
“The staff looks forward to seeing these students each year and enjoys seeing them again when they return to the park with their families because of the great experience they had during this fun-filled and educational week,” he said.