Exploring Science at the Wetlands Institute
By Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
Would you like to see
an osprey’s nest that measures
three to four feet across housing a patient osprey atop whose
wingspan is six feet? That and the diamondback terrapin are
just two of the wonders that await at the Wetlands Institute
in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. The hands-on exhibits include
a pilot whale’s skull, a terrapin nursery and exhibits
with names that invite exploration like “Secrets of the
Salt Marsh” and “Sex and Gluttony on the Delaware
Bay.”
Phil Broder, the Director of Education, explained that many
school groups as well as families access the guided nature
trails (both self and with volunteers) throughout the year.
Third and fourth graders can catch minnows, crabs and snails
off the dock while others can opt for inner views via pontoon
and kayak tours of the wetlands area.
As our guide, Angelica
Krut explained, marsh grass is the most important part of
the marsh—it’s the glue
that holds the wetlands together—and is composed of dead
fish, grass, detritus and decaying matter. In fact, the “pungent
marsh smell is a sign that a healthy ecosystem is at work.” New
vocabulary words learned as well as seen on this field trip
were spartina (marsh grass); phragmites (common reed); fiddler
crabs which eat detritus; and 40,000 black-head laughing gulls,
the largest number in the country.
Horseshoe crab mating takes place in May and June when there
is a high tide and full moon.
|
Phil
Broder, Director of Education |
|
Connor
Dodson, age 7 sitting on the osprey’s nest |
|
Caitlin
Keenan, age 3 touching mussels and snails in the
Teaching Tank |
|
Turtles
often bury their eggs on nature trails |
|
Salt
Marsh at the Wetlands Institue |
