It was a great day to be at Cape Lookout National Seashore - blue skies, light breeze, warm temperatures, and warm water! The Holland students had a chance to do some beachcombing, playing in the sand, and playing in the big waves on the ocean side of Cape Lookout. After lunch, which consisted of sandwiches, chips, fruit cup, cookies, and a drink, the students donned their masks and snorkels and headed for the sound. As they snorkeled, they found a variety of critters living under the water. It was an exhilerating experience for the students. The evening program was about Whales and Whalers. The students learned about several different species of whales. They also learned about what life was like as a whaler when whaling was a big industry. We will be heading out from the Trinity Center soon. We will spend time at the NC Aquarium and then on to Morehead City to see the waterfront as the charter boats unload their catch for the day. Then on to dinner at Capt. Bill's and then on the bus and head towards home.

The weather on Wednesday was rainy, rainy, and rainy! However, there were enough breaks in the clouds to allow the kids to get in all of their classes. There were more trips to the sound to seek out the elusive critters living in the grasses of the salt marsh and beneath the surface of the water. It is always fun to hear one on the kids exclaim, "Come, see what I found!" The one class that everyone looks forward to is squid dissection, but when it actually comes, there are turned up noses, squinty eyes, and frowns, with plenty of "Ugh"s to go around! Thursday looks like it is going to be a bright and sunny day for our trip to Cape Lookout and our attempt at snorkeling.

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More pictures from the Dredge and Trawl trip.

The group picture bleow was taken at the front of the NC Maritime Museum. We had several adults tell us that the Holland students were great - very complimentary to the students.

It was a good day on the water! Holland students spent some time on the Susan Hudson, the Duke University trawler. Boys went out first and then the girls followed them.

During the trip, two different types of nets are used. One is a dredge net - it is like a big basket that is dragged on the bottom of the harbor to collect shell debris. When the huge pile of shells is dumped on the rear deck, the students find all kinds of marine life hidden among the broken shells. They found a variety of crabs - mud crabs, chip crabs, hermit crabs - brittles stars, urchins, blood worms, chitons, and many other things.

The second net that is thrown out is a trawl net. It opens up wide behind the boat and is dragged far behind the boat and catches whatever is swimming along the bottom. There was a lot swimming in its path this year. The catch included two large sting-rays, a bunch of squid, two sea robins, a variety of fish, and a few blunt-nosed sharks. All of the students had an opportunity to touch or hold the specimens. It was pretty exciting to be able to hold a shark!

Tuesday, May 25 - Monday was a good day! Students started the day with a hearty breakfast and then it was off to their first class. All students started off with a class called Barrier Island Ecology - a quick walk around the complex to see each of the five ecosystems that they will be studying throughout the rest of the week. Their afternoon class got them more in-depth information about one ecosystem. Some students studied the beach, while others went to the salt marsh and sound. This happens to be my favorite class. The students use nets to try to catch a variety of marine specimens living in the salt marsh. While wading knee-deep in the salt water of the sound, the students found a couple of varieties of fish, glass shrimp, oysters, blue crabs, along with many other specimens.

The evening class, Beach Walk/Turtle Talk, allowed the students to learn about the life of the various sea turtles living in the oceans of the world. They learned that of the 100+ eggs layed in a sea turtle nest, only a small percentage actually survive to return to their hatching area to reproduce. They face many perils along the way, including predators present at hatching, predators in the ocean as they travel to the area where they will live until reaching adulthood, the possibility of eating plastic bags and even helium balloons - they think that they are jellyfish - which fills their stomachs preventing them from eating nutritious food, and now oil spills! The students spent a little time on the beach learning how the turtles move across the beach.

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Meals are good and plentiful. Dinner on Sunday evening consisted of barbecued chicken, potato, and green beans. Monday breakfast was pancakes and sausage. Students have free access to cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, and the ever-present PB&J. It is always interesting to watch kids eat - they bring so many different eating habits from home! The evening program on Sunday was First in Flight- it teaches the students the principles of flight. Why flight at an environmental program? Remember that the Wright Brothers conducted their first flights north of where we are staying - at Kitty Hawk, NC. In the photo to the right, students are learning the characteristics of birds of prey.

Back to Sunday... the students learned some of the history of the area during a visit to Fort Macon. They got to walk around the fort and view some of the exhibits. One thing the boys especially liked was the firing of the musket - it was loud!

We arrived!

The bus trip was uneventful! The students have been really good during the trip. Upon arrival, we were able to spend some time in the water - it is always fun to see and hear the students the first time they actually get to get into the waves. Since we are very cautious whenever we spend time in the ocean, the kids don't get into very deep water, but they always seem to have fun experiencing the waves as they break right on them. For many this is the first experience with the ocean and they are surprised at the saltiness of the water - they soon learn to keep their mouth shut when in the water.