Last week students from Jericho School District’s A.P Environmental Science classes came to the WFC to kick off their year with a bang! Arriving every day beginning Tuesday through Friday at 9.30 am to begin the hands on learning experiences on the water and on the beach everyone was eager and excited to see what they could find!
Some of th
e activities the students covered on the Christeen included Navigation using a compass and charter, plotting a basic course for a ship to H20 Water Quality testing using a pH meter, refractometer and a Secchi Tube (A Secchi disk is a black and white disk that is lowered by hand into the water to the depth at which it vanishes from sight (Figure 5.10). The distance to vanishing is then recorded. The clearer the water, the greater the distance. ) The kids also got to experience what it was like sailing a boat building over 100 years ago, by hosting the sails and becoming part of the crew, a real treat!
When students weren’t on the Christeen they were on the beach exploring our three different habitats (Fresh Water Stream, Salt Water Beach, and Tidal Marsh). On the shoreline the students performed a stream analysis including the rate of flow, dissolved oxygen, salinity and other key markers 
and also explored and learned about the ecology of the area, who lives where and how many.
The four days the students spent at the WFC was a real treat for us and we hope they felt the same way. The energy they brought to the table and their desire to learn more about the marine environment was inspiring! We look forward to seeing them again soon!
