AP Environmental Science Students Study Ecosystems, Culture, Fisheries in Tangier Island
AP Environmental Science, APES, students spent three days with Dr. Frank Thomson and Mrs. Sarah Babkov in Port Isobel/Tangier Island studying the ecosystems, culture, fisheries and economics of the largest estuary in the United States.
The three-day trip was the last field experience for the group, which spent the year getting out of the classroom and traversing throughout Hampton Roads and the state studying what they learned in their class and books firsthand.
The three-day trip was the last field experience for the group, which spent the year getting out of the classroom and traversing throughout Hampton Roads and the state studying what they learned in their class and books firsthand.
Day 1
The first day featured a 45-minute ride on the Walter Ridder, a 40-foot vessel used by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to explore the bay.
"Once on the island, we took up residence in a lodge overlooking Tangier Sound," said Dr. Thomson. The afternoon activity involved preparing and setting crab pots, as well as collecting specimens using traps, nets, and oyster tongs. "Related activities taught us about the menhaden fishery and the importance of the blue crab to both the ecology and culture in Chesapeake Bay," he said. "We added critters to our teaching tank in the lodge and set up another tank to monitor the filtering capabilities of the Virginia oyster. After dinner, we went on a sensory Night Hike on a prepared trail through the forest to learn about nocturnal animals. We also used a laser pointer to identify stars and constellations in the night sky."
Day 2
"Everyone mobilized early for sunrise on the second day, even though the clouds moved in just as we gathered on the deck," said Dr. Thomson. "The second day also featured the much-anticipated Marsh Mucking activity. Students were in a conservation challenge to only use 5 gallons of water on the trip, so that meant using the glorious shower facilities was heavily discouraged. Instead, students would have to take a 'Bay Bath' to wash off any mud from the marsh. Through fun activities such as marsh-grass hide-and-seek and capture the flag, students learned about the ecology of the marsh environment and how marsh organisms hide with camouflage."
The afternoon featured a trip to Tangier Island for an introduction to the culture of the Chesapeake Bay.
"In addition to walking the island and meeting locals, we also toured the Tangier Island Museum and learned about the dialect and artifacts from life on the water," Thomson continued. "We finished up our trip out on the boat by retrieving our crab pots, with the most interesting catch being a large oyster toadfish that we took back to the tank in the lodge."
"In addition to walking the island and meeting locals, we also toured the Tangier Island Museum and learned about the dialect and artifacts from life on the water," Thomson continued. "We finished up our trip out on the boat by retrieving our crab pots, with the most interesting catch being a large oyster toadfish that we took back to the tank in the lodge."
Day 3
"Our morning involved a boat trip to a secluded beach where we could see the effects of sea level rise, shoreline erosion, and other factors affecting the islands of the Chesapeake Bay," said Dr. Thomson. "We spent about an hour 'progging', which is basically beachcombing for interesting finds, some of which can be reused or recycled by the locals. Particularly impactful was the submerged cemetery and tombstones that we saw from a previous settlement that had to be abandoned. Afterward, we headed back to Port Isobel Island to pack up, say goodbye, and finish our scrapbook page and species list. In the end we saw over 108 species of plants and animals and made countless memories."
"Our morning involved a boat trip to a secluded beach where we could see the effects of sea level rise, shoreline erosion, and other factors affecting the islands of the Chesapeake Bay," said Dr. Thomson. "We spent about an hour 'progging', which is basically beachcombing for interesting finds, some of which can be reused or recycled by the locals. Particularly impactful was the submerged cemetery and tombstones that we saw from a previous settlement that had to be abandoned. Afterward, we headed back to Port Isobel Island to pack up, say goodbye, and finish our scrapbook page and species list. In the end we saw over 108 species of plants and animals and made countless memories."
If you or your student are interested in learning more about the experience, please reach out to Dr. Thomson at fthomson@norfolkcollegiate.org.
