Governor’s School Group II-- Water Issues
The interns at Sedge are incredible! The blog that follows is written by two of them.
Governor’s School groups are always a treat to have at Sedge. Every year they are cooperative, motivated and willing to learn. Kevin Wolback’s group was no different. The first day they arrived, they hopped in the kayaks (a new experience for most) and learned to paddle. They paddled to a nearby cove to meet Tom Virzi and intern Carly Coughlin to band an osprey chick. Very few groups got this opportunity this season. They all seemed amazed at the fierce look and enormous talons. Pete McLain joined us to photograph the experience and then taught the group about eelgrass, Peregrine Falcons and osprey. They all seemed to appreciate the impact Pete has had on the marsh. Carly Coughlin, author
Early Thursday morning the group woke up to good fishing and a poor weather forecast that cut short any hope of paddling to the dike. Instead, they loaded up the seven person canoe (the first Gov. School group to paddle this boat) and went off for some clamming in the Horsefoot Slough. In the afternoon they seined, cleaned baby oysters, and finished off the night with some team-building activities. As the sun set and the cool breeze blew across the calm waters of the bay, the fireflies, biolumiscent dinoflagalates, stars and Barnegat Light were the only lights on the marsh. By starlight intern Paolo netted a terrapin and group leader Kevin hooked a sea urchin. Brett Chicotelli, author
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posted by Sedge Island at 6:24 PM
1 Comments:
As I had mentioned at the end of my stay, my experiences on the Sedge Islands were nothing short of authentic. Meeting with Dr. Jim Merritt, Pete McLain, and all of the helpful interns and staff members made our two-night stay particularly enjoyable. Looking back in my journal, my favorite aspect of Sedge seems to be the challenge of subsisting naturally and living sustainably, while at the same time basking in the utter simplicity of nature. Indeed, clamming in the sand after kayaking and gazing at the stars following the observation of a tangerine sunset made my experience well worth the mosquito bites. Sedge was a perfect balance between aesthetic beauty and scientific interest. Monitoring water quality, tagging terrapins, and witnessing the banding of an osprey incited the sensory emotions as well as the curiosity of my class. Because of my experiences on the Sedge Islands, I will never look at salt marshes or wetlands from the Parkway in the same way again. In fact, I have changed my perspective on nature's intrinsic values to include the drive for conservation, motive for sustainability, and affinity for the values of resourcefulness and teamwork.
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