Exploring Oyster Bay's Estuary - Surf and Turf

Stuart Manor’s Fourth Grade class arrived at the WaterFront Center today for their annual marine biology field trip, ready to learn about the bay and its underwater residents. The group took a brief sail on the Christeen, and learned about her long history while helping Captain Pete hoist the sails. While taking a tour of the harbor, the students also learned about horseshoe crabs, oysters, and other sea creatures from instructors Amy and Joanne. The students were most excited, however, to have the opportunity to hold some of the animals; most of the students agreed that their favorite was the horseshoe crab, and were fascinated 

with its prehistoric history and surprising friendliness! 

Following their sail on the Christeen, the fourth graders headed over to Beekman Beach to learn the art of seining: they gladly put on their waders and helped drag the net through the water, hoping to catch pipe fish and other animals. The students were eager to check out what got caught in the net, and were excited to find mud snail eggs. Their next mission was to find and identify different kinds of sea grass and other wildlife in the grasses of Beekman Beach. Juliana, one of the students, was excited to find mermaid’s hair, a kind of seaweed. Other students, like Danielle, found larger snails and welks, as well as jellyfish and clams. 

 

All in all, Stuart Manor’s fourth-graders enjoyed a sunny day filled with new  discoveries. They were not at all hesitant to get a little wet in their search for sea creatures, and had a blast helping Captain Pete get the Christeen under sail!