Kid-to-Teen Ecomentors wraps up its first, fantastic year with a splash

Thanks to everyone who helped make this first year of Kid-to-Teen excursions a great success.  (Heads up:  we've been designated as a club for next year.  Stay tuned for information about registering to become a member)  Special thanks to Mr. Clark, Ms. Butler, and Ms. Brunelle, who have been our regular chaperones this whole year through.  Your energy and enthusiasm is a gift to your students!!


The last excursion on Thursday, May 24 might have been rained out, but the weather cooperated and the energy was high enough to have powered a small city for several hours!  The group of regulars - with two new participants who just joined right in without hesitation - enjoyed our snack while imagining our favorite pond critters.

Then it was off to our adventure.  Nets, buckets, basins, and boots, we headed to the waters edge to scoop and swish our way to discovering the best that Lake Wallace has to offer.  The duckweed and goose droppings didn't dampen the spirits, but the sneakers got a bit wet.

The dogged explorers fanned out along the waters edge, carefully examining every net-full and sharing equipment and stories as they went.  Both near the spill way (in duck-weed-land) and over by the backstop, the kids challenged themselves to finding the best new thing to see, whether it was the 6inch long leeches, Ms.Butlers' crayfish, or the biggest dragonfly larva in the lake.

Back at the picnic tables, we spent time scooping, sorting, admiring, sketching, describing, identifying and counting what we'd found.  We even had a precious few minutes of watching a caddisfly emerge from its larval molt.  There was lots ... and every member of the crew learned a little more about how important our waterways are, and how much the health of the ecosystem depends on how well we care for our open spaces.  But, mostly we had fun.