On October 15, 2015, Mrs. Rose’s Environmental Science class took their first field experience of the year to Liberty State Park. Students learned a lesson at the Hudson River estuary in Jersey City with the help of two naturalists, Sara Jane and Alex. The fourteen students donned chest waders and seined the estuary for living specimens. What they found was amazing: an entire school of silversides was captured and then later released after inspection. The students also caught striped bass, blue finned crabs and a Florida Pampano, usually only found in Florida.
While walking the beach, the students had to identify ten Atlantic Ocean mollusk bi-valve shells, which included Atlantic Oysters, Tritons Trumpet, Mussels, Clams, and Horse Shoe crabs.
Students also participated in an on-beach lab of chemical testing. The tests included water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and pH. After further study the estuary was deemed extremely healthy.
