Outdoor education
activities offered by MCBP
April 7, 2003by Julia
Early. (Early is the education coordinator for the Maryland
Coastal Bays Program.)
Spring is here and with it brings the start
of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program's Outdoor Education Activities.
Since the summer of 2001 Coastal Bays has been offering hands-on
environmental education day trips to local schools, home-school
groups, 4-H clubs, boy/girl scouts, summer camps, and community
organizations.
The trips are run from the scenic 800-acre Weidman Farm, situated
along Greys Creek just south of the Delware border. The property
is being loaned to the program for environmental education and
contains fields of cultivated soybeans, native forest habitat,
tidal and non-tidal wetlands, and water access, making this an
excellent opportunity for learning about the unique qualities
of the Maryland coastal bays watershed.
The education program immerses young people in the natural environment
while providing them with fun, hands-on activities where they
will learnabout the environmental and cultural value of the coastal
bays.
Students come to the Weidman Farm armed with coastal bays knowledge
gleaned through books and pictures. Our mission is to reinforce
that with first hand experiences such as the sound of birds flying
overhead and the marsh grasses rustling in the wind, the smell
of marsh mud as it squishes between toes, and the joy of the day's
first fiddler crab sighting.
This year the MCBP is excited to offer canoe trips as well. Students will learn canoe safety and will have the opportunity to travel by water along the edge of a beautiful salt marsh. Through these activities students have the opportunity to discover the wonders of local ecosystems and in turn become better stewards of their world and of themselves.
Weidman Farm programs are offered Monday-Friday through October. There is no charge and children of all ages can participate. Participants need to bring a packed lunch, and old shoes or boots for walking in the bay.
The best way to learn about the environment is to go out and discover things worth saving. Kids are naturally inclined to cherish other living things. Lessons learned about acting unselfishly to protect nature do as much for character as they do the natural world.
The Weidman Farm schedule fills quickly so call today to schedule your group's visit. To request additional information, or to inquire about
bookings, please contact Julia Early, Education Coordinator at the Maryland Coastal Bays Program by phone (410) 213-2297 or by email at
staff@mdcoastalbays.org.
Part of the National Estuary Program, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program is a cooperative effort between Worcester County, Berlin, and Ocean City which have come together to produce the first ever management plan for their bays.
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