Sixth Grade goes to The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Arthur Sherwood Center
On Thursday, March 16, Mrs. Hertz and Mr. Campion’s classes took a field trip to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Arthur Sherwood Center on Meredith Creek, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. They traveled by boat through Whitehall Bay to Holly Beach Farm, a 300-acre parcel of preserved land made available to CBF for educational programs. The goal for the day was to learn about the species that live in the water and on the surrounding land, and about some of the problems the Bay is facing.
During the water-based segment of the program, students stayed on the boat and used a net to sample the fish population in the deeper bay waters. They also tried oystering, but found few live oysters. During the land-based segment, students learned about the functions of a wetland: Food, Flood Control, Filtering, and Habitat. They then went to the beach and learned that, despite the problem of turbidity from too many nutrients and too much sediment washing into the Bay, a surprising number and variety of critters are found in the shallow water just off the beach.
McLean would like to thank the Chesapeake Bay Trust for their generous grant which helped defray the cost of the trip, making it possible for our student to appreciate that they are connected to the Bay and what they do at home has consequences for the Bay.
The other two classes will go on the same field trip next week. Many thanks to Ms. Chappell for organizing such a terrific opportunity for our grade 6 classes.
