Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center

Fall Sedge Report

2005-11-04T08:40:00.000-05:00

Summer at Sedge was very dry and warm so all the program participants loved the nice weather. Fall was wet and cold so all the program participants had deal with more challenging weather conditions. (see blog notes from Fall groups).

The end of the season at Sedge is always marked by Tony talking about how it is getting too cold to wear shorts. He and Jackie left the island in late October. In his last weeks at Sedge, Tony enlisted the aid of several of his friends to help paint the entire floor including the front porch. This task was made even more difficult as two separate northeasters (one lasting 8 days) flooded the island. (Water covered the docks, bulkhead and all the ground but never reached the floor of the house.)

On Halloween I paddled out to check on things. The air temperature was 70 F and with little wind I was comfortable paddling in a T-shirt. The water temperature however had dropped to a chilly 51 F. The house looked fine (I was careful not to hurt the paint by walking on the floor.) The outside was a different story as the high water had floated any thing not tied down to different parts of the island. This includes the “Balance of Nature” which weighs over 200 lbs and has not moved since 2001 when it was built.

Although the water was murky I did paddle around the shellfish lease to check on the clams. The 5 bags of clams that we planted in June were moved slightly but appeared to be fine. The 24 additional bags that we are over wintering for the Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration program also look fine. The milk crate containing oysters (now 3 years old) is still hanging from the dock and will hopefully make it through another winter.

I will be paddling to Sedge at irregular days throughout the Fall and Winter months. If it is a warm day with no wind this can be quite a pleasant experience even though the air and water can be quite cold. If you are interested in joining me on the spur of the moment, give me a call (609) 658-7965 and maybe we can paddle out together. Jim

Blog Susquehanna University

2005-10-24T20:42:00.000-04:00

Although they never actually touched Sedge Island, Susquehanna University was the last group to have a program associated with the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center this year. Because the new paint on the floor or the McLain center takes so long to dry, we had to conduct the program off site. The group of 14 students led by professor Jennifer Elick camped Friday night at Cedar Creek Campground. On Saturday morning they met Jim Merritt at the Forked River Interpretive Center on Island Beach State Park. The group began indoors due to heavy rain blowing in from a strong northeaster. A hike to the beach along the nature trail was made additionally challenging by the strong winds on the beach. Since a major part of the students’ work was to study diversity, we looked for as many examples as we could find. Our collection included: shells, bones, feathers, plant stems and leaves, but our best find was a four-foot dog fish shark.

Despite the fact that the rain continued, the group wanted to paddle. We hauled the kayaks out of the trailer that was parked near the dock and paddled toward the dike at the southern end of the Marine Conservation Zone. The strong wind pushed us across the sections of open water speeding our trip but in protected areas like the Snake Ditch we observed many Great Egrets, several Blue Heron, and a small flock of Black Brant. We climbed the dike and as we watched the waves lapping up on the geo-tube it seemed to me that it is more exposed than it was as recently as last week. This was a great opportunity for the Oceanography Class to see first hand the effects of the forces they have been studying. A strong downpour chased us back to the boats and we began the trip back – into the wind! We hugged the shore as much as possible. Strong paddlers made the crossing of the open water of Little Bay uneventful. Our final challenge (the longest, most exposed section) was the final half-mile to the dock. After a brief rest in the lee of the northern end of the Snake Ditch, we struck out on our final big push. Everyone pointed their bows directly into the wind (now gusting to twenty MPH) and stroked hard. At one point a pair of paddlers in the Big Banana asked me if they were still moving! Thirty minutes later we were all safely back at the dock. Knowing they couldn’t get much wetter, several of the students held hands and jumped off the dock.

This trip was a great conclusion to a wonderful season at the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center. I hope some of you students will write comments describing how the experience was for you. Jim

AMC October 8-10

2005-10-12T09:26:00.000-04:00

People always ask why members of the Appalachian Mountain Club come to Sedge Island. Little do they know that the common bond for this group is a love of sea kayaking. As usual the group began their experience on Friday afternoon by paddling to the island in their own boats using paddles they had carved themselves. Saturday morning as we paddled through the relatively calm waters of small creeks and mosquito ditches we had good views of the peregrine falcons diving at birds sheltering in the Spartina grass. These birds were hunkered down in an attempt to avoid the high winds generated by yet another hurricane passing off shore. We too avoided high winds when we wisely decided not to paddle into the waves in Oyster Creek Channel out to Gull island (Later that day we measured the wind velocity up to 35 mph!)

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! Meal coordinator, Betsy is an incredible cook. Our Friday night meal consisted of butternut squash soup and a huge freshly baked Ruben hoagie with blond brownies for desert. Cold cereal for breakfast? Not on your life - Puff pancakes with pear compote was the early morning fare. Other members stepped up to the challenge producing incredible stews, and even baking two fresh fruit pies.

On Sunday the wind diminished so we paddled the 3 miles to the dike. We stood on the highest point overlooking Barnegat Inlet to see incredible waves rolling into the beach near the point where the geo-tube is exposed. Eight members of the group seized this incredible opportunity to kayak surf. We portaged our boats over the dike and launched in the small shore break. For several hours we caught wave after wave sometimes riding hundreds of yards on unbroken rollers. It was without question the best kayak surfing I have ever experienced! Later we paddled along the edge of the Oyster Creek Channel around the extreme southwest end of the Marine Conservation Zone. Since we had an incoming tide and the nasty weather had all but eliminated boat traffic, we took a detour to Gull Island. The only signs of the thousands of gulls we encountered in the spring were the crab, clams and other shellfish remains. We finished with a circumnavigation of Sedge Island. Wow, can this group paddle!

Since this was the last group to stay at Sedge this year, we began the task of closing down the McLain House. This required an even greater amount of work than usual as Tony has plans to repaint the entire floor. We spent our Columbus Day moving mattresses, taking apart bunk beds, packing books and equipment and carrying furniture into the boat house.

I can not begin to thank this wonderful group of people for the work they did. They have promised to return in March to reassemble the beds and restore the McLain House to normal prior to the arrival of the first official group. I promised to start a “Friends of Sedge Island” organization to recognize the work that so many individuals and groups do to help out. The Division of Fish and Wildlife could not run the Natural Resource Education Center without all of your help. Thank you so much. Jim

PS Please continue to check this web site throughout the winter. Katina and I will post the latest happenings in the Marine Conservation Zone, at Sedge, and even in our lives. Please respond in our comments section! We love to hear from you.

Haddonfield High School September 18 &19,2005

2005-09-20T20:40:00.000-04:00

On September 18th we welcomed Haddonfield High School for their first visit to Sedge. Prior to boarding the pontoon boat to the island, the group spent several hours exploring Island Beach State Park. We first visited the interpretive center where we examined exhibits relating to the history of the area and learned about some of the plants and animals found in the Marine Conservation Zone. We also took a walk on the beach where we measured ocean water salinity and viewed the topography of the barrier island from the primary dune.

The group of eighteen students and two teachers filled the McLain House. But, because the group worked so well together it never seemed too crowded. Everyone pitched in to help with program activities as well as chores. Warm water and warm air temperatures allowed us to kayak comfortably in bathing suits and many of the students snorkeled on the sandbar south west of the house (AKA - the Bahamas.) After a circumnavigation of Sedge Island, we returned to the house where we fished (several small sea bass and snapper blues) and crabbed (three blue claws and one large green crab). AP Biology teacher Jan Eckhouse and some of the students helped Jim clean, sort and measure a sample of the 10,000 seed clams we have growing in five plastic mesh bags (the average size is now 19 mm compared to 11mm when we put them in the water at the end of June.)

After dinner we gathered on the porch to watch the Harvest Moon rise over the bay. We briefly turned on the lights so students could take notes as AP Environmental Studies teacher Ron Smith talked about estuaries and the general ecology of the salt marsh. Then we walked out on the dock and with the full moon illuminating the entire area we were treated to a display of bio-luminescence in the water. It was such a beautiful night that many of the students elected to sleep out on the upper deck of the house.

At sunrise we had the most unique wakeup call Jim has experienced in his five years at Sedge. Group coordinator, Ron Smith played Revile on his fiddle! The soothing notes were just loud enough to ease the group awake. After breakfast we paddled about ¼ mile east of the island to do some more scientific research. Half the group did a transect study of an eel grass bed while the other half used a seine net to capture and identify as many large aquatic animals as possible. We then paddled through some of the natural canals and a mosquito ditch the marsh near the peregrine falcon nest (we saw two birds on the platform.) We noticed that the only osprey still around seem to be the birds from farther north who are making their way down the coast. Perfect weather allowed for optional activities of more fishing and kayaking in the afternoon prior to departure.

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

2005-08-31T18:05:00.001-04:00

Nine middle school students and three teachers from the Academy’s science camp had a three day experience packed with activities. Starting before sunrise they did most of the traditional activities such as clamming (caught 50), fishing (caught snapper blues, sea bass and even one small king fish), crabbing (scooped lots of mature females which they returned to the bay), kayaking (paddled to the dike at Island Beach), snorkeling (swam against a strong current on both sides of the channel in murky water), and more. In addition they found time to dissect squid, make fish print T-shirts, and play electric clam. They used the squid ink to print their names on their Sedge journals in which they wrote each night. For all their efforts, the group was treated to the best display of planktonic bioluminescence seen yet this summer. Getting off the island in a hurry due to the passing remnants of Hurricane Katrina, the group stopped off at Island Beach to see the wild, wind whiped surf and then went to the Cooper Nature Center at Cattus Island to do some seining.
Jim Merritt

Newark Academy

2005-08-29T17:03:00.000-04:00

Eighteen students in grades 9-12 spent the weekend at Sedge with four of their teachers. Although this was a large group, everyone worked together to share resources. They found places to sleep (on the porch, in the front room, and even on top of the picnic table). Because we didn’t have enough kayaks we used the Mother Ship (our 22’ aluminum canoe) to carry extra people, crab nets, clam rakes, and other gear as we paddled through the Marine Conservation Zone. The group had a special treat when John Wnek (MATES teacher and Ph.D. researcher) demonstrated how his research with the Diamond Backed Terrapins is progressing. It was a warm day and he was able to capture one day old hatchlings which he showed to the students. Special thanks to the students who helped Jim Merritt sort and count the seed clams which are growing on our shellfish lease. Despite the fact that a few sea stars seem to be able to find their way into the protective bags, a high percentage of the original 10,000, 12mm. clams are still alive.

Sedge House Dedication

2005-08-19T10:08:00.000-04:00

On August 17, 2005 a group of seventy people gathered at the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center to name the house for a person who has done more for conservation in Barnegat Bay than any other person. Paul D. (Pete) McLain was commended by the DEP’s Directors of both Fish and Wildlife and Parks and Forestry, for his untiring efforts over the past fifty years.
Other dignitaries from local and national conservation organizations were joined by Pete’s family and friends to honor him. After the dedication of the house, the group enjoyed fresh clams and crabs recently caught in the waters around the island.

For the past five years visitors to the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center have heard tales of Pete’s many accomplishments as they have kayaked in the channels and ditches in the salt marsh. As they gaze at the tall tower south of the sedge house, they hear how Pete almost single handedly reintroduced the peregrine falcon to the eastern United States by bringing chicks from Alaska and rearing them in a nest on the hacking tower he built. Everyone who visits the Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone is impressed by the more than thirty osprey platforms in the area.
In the 1970’s Pete began bringing fertile eggs from Maryland to replace the DDT laden eggs in NJ nests. As a result of this effort, the Sedge Island Area now has the largest osprey concentration in New Jersey and one of the largest on the East Coast.

Two other people were also honored at the dedication. Tony and Jackie Raniero have been the caretakers of the island for over 30 years. They were also recognized for their unrelenting contributions and efforts that make the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center the incredible place that it is. Visitors first meet Tony when he transports them from the Island Beach dock to Sedge Island. Later they see him fixing something, cutting the grass or doing some other work around the island. Now as a result of another plaque being installed, people will be made aware that Tony almost single handedly constructed the shop/boathouse. Jackie, while less visible, keeps track of the visitors and makes sure the house is in order after each group leaves. For the past few years she has made a major contribution to research on the diamond back terrapin by capturing and tagging over 100 nesting females each year.

To Pete, Tony and Jackie: We thank you for your tireless effort and love of this education center and area.

‘…there are those who love Barnegat Bay and consider it a natural resource jewel. They have tasted the salt, smelled the clean air, enjoyed the wildlife, and feasted in its fins and shellfish. To know Barnegat Bay is to love it” ~ Pete McLain

To see more photos from this event:

Sedge House Dedication

NJ Audubon School of Ecology

2005-08-16T20:32:00.000-04:00

It was great to have such a wonderful group of students on Sedge Island!

On our long paddle down to the beach we spoke about different plants and marsh ecology. We made observations about our environment and noted the abundance of green head flies. I was amazed that we could hear the roaring ocean from the bay!

On our way we stopped and dug soft clams, crabbed and gathered 3 different species of worms. We hiked to the beach, had some lunch, and got our feet wet in the surf. Afterwards we spoke about the Army Corps of Engineers Dike and saw the exposed geotubes. We came to the conclusion that no matter how much man tries, he cannot beat Mother Nature.

Back at the Sedge house it rained a bit, but that did not stop us from seining and fishing. We looked at killiefish, mumichugs and even a few small juvenile winter flounder.

That evening the advisors did a great activity demonstrating watersheds, and everyone worked together to put the pieces of huge map together to form one watershed.

Advisors Mary, Pat, Scott and Tara, were all wonderful. From identifying different marsh species (not just the birds) to cooking wonderful meals, you were all great! I hope your time at Sandy Hook was as much fun as your time on Sedge Island. Don't forget to check out the pictures from your trip posted at the right. If you have any problems accessing them, just drop me an email and I will try to resolve the issue.

Katina

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Teacher Training Workshop

2005-08-14T17:55:00.000-04:00

We had record heat and humidity along with mosquitoes, gnats and unbearable hoards of green head flies. All in al I think everyone dealt fantastically with the not-so-ideal conditions.
Everyone was eager to participate and chip in with all the activities and discussions. I think overall I enjoyed all of the discussions about different teaching methods and different school systems.

Our first day we kayaked through the mosquito ditches past the peregrine hacking tower. We stalked crabs and horseshoe crabs, and surveyed the bagged clams in our clam lease. The next day we set out for a long kayak in the record heat and fought with the green head flies the whole way.

We received some relief when lunching across from Barnegat Lighthouse, and then headed to the beach for a well-deserved swim in the ocean. When we got back to the Sedge House, the screen porch was the place to be and we spoke about different curriculums and made paper folding crabs and seaweed presses.

Our last day was also jam packed with clamming and seining. We identified many local species and boarded the boat with a breeze for the mainland.

As a first year teacher everyone had amazing advice to give me. Thank you to everyone for making this a great workshop!

Katina, Jim and Carly

Good Eats!

2005-08-10T00:27:00.000-04:00

For dinner last night we had pasta with a white clam sauce with freshly chased down clams and garlic. I think there was supposed to be a whelk in there too but we threw it back without Marty and Bob noticing. We also had pasta with a red sauce blueclaw crabs, pasta salad and green salad. For desert... there was this lemon tort (which was to die for) and a cherry pie and brownies. For lunch today we had a spread of turkey and ham and salami and this incredible spinach dip! There were crabs and salad and more dessert!
We had an executive chef as well as a budding jazz artist/marine biologist. Of course we did many other things besides eat. A few determined people stood on the dock for it seemed hours and didn't catch a single fish. We went clamming in the back while others stalked crabs. We also went kayaking and seining where we identified many different species of killie fishes and fried up some silversides for lunch.
You were a fantastic group with an interesting and amazing "leader". It was a pleasure meeting all of you and I hope to see you at Sedge next year!
Katina

YMCA Camp

2005-07-31T21:32:00.000-04:00

When we first arrived to Sedge Island, Jacky brought over a terrapin attempting to nest in her garden. This was a unique experience and it was great that everyone helped measure and record the terrapin's data. You were all very attentive and enthusiastic and had great questions.

We went on a small kayak trip through the mosquito ditches at high tide and every one maneuvered all the twists and turns very well. We covered so many aspects of marsh ecology including: plants, animals, food webs and zonation. The group was great at making observations while on the marsh as well as back at the Sedge House while we were netting crabs and aquatic organisms. We identified many crabs including spider, green and blue crabs. The blue crabs later became tasty additions to our lunch.

Every night we sat down as a group and wrote in our Sedge Island Journals, and shared our thoughts of the day with each other. We also compiled a species list of birds, plants and aquatic organisms. We went clamming, crabbing and seining, talked about eelgrass and oysters and paddled all the way to the beach across from Barnegat lighthouse. I know the fishing was a hit, especially since we had 2 campers catch bluefish!

Counselors Megan and Melissa: you were wonderful leaders and with your scientific backgrounds added so much more to the experience. Good luck this year with teaching and don't forget to pass on your knowledge of Sedge Island.

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Audubon Camp

2005-07-02T16:46:00.000-04:00

Most groups visit Sedge Island for 3 days and 2 nights and your experience of being on the island for 5 full days offered us a bit of a unique camp experience. You were all great! Through the duration of your time on Sedge Island we covered so much! Some of our days were wet and overcast, but nothing seemed to affect you guys. Through rain and dense fog we managed to fish and explore and capture unknowing sea creatures. Every night we sat and wrote in our Sedge Island Journals and discussed the new species we saw during the day. You may have been a bit of a rowdy bunch, but once you put your mind to a task you worked wonderfully together as a group.

Our first kayaking adventure included a detritus fest, a beach walk and even a visit by Pete McClain!!! The adventure continued when we paddled in a strong headwind and then got picked up by Tony and towed our "ducks in a row" (kayaks) behind the pontoon boat back to the Sedge House.

We went out after the sunset and found bioluminescent comb jellies, discussed energy sources and even got to tag a terrapin. When it came to fishing the 22 inch fluke won the contest and served up a wonderful dinner. Clamming was an adventure for all, and I know everyone enjoyed baiting the crab traps with aromatic bunker fish.

We were so impressed with everyone's performance when the parents came, and everyone was so knowledgeable and so eager to teach. I also want to personally thank everyone for the wonderful thank you cards, they touched my heart.

Robin and Jeff: Wow. You two are amazing, patient, fantastic teachers! Your leadership on this trip was out of this world! Thank you for allowing me to pick your brains and taking the time to talk to me about your teaching experiences.

Now remember, the lesson is not over until you have passed on your knowledge. You had a great start teaching your parents about your experience, so the next step is to go out and share.

Katina Tsakiris and Dr. Jim Merritt

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Conserve Wildlife

2005-06-25T20:53:00.000-04:00

It was a pleasure to have Conserve Wildlife out on Sedge Island. The osprey banding was an unforgettable experience, and I have linked up all the pictures from the day under the "Pictures" heading on the right, as well as under "Happenings on Sedge". Rick was our terrapin spotter and we got to scan and mark a nesting female terrapin.

During your meeting the girls and I conducted some water quality tests and tried to snag some dinner with our fishing rods. Good thing Jim brought out a striped bass and Tony dropped off a fluke. Jim's new smoker still needs some work, but grilled fish is just as good.

Rick and Bob stayed the night and caught a bunch of feisty blueclaw crabs on the outgoing tide that night. We paddled through the mosquito ditches and past the peregrine hacking tower where mamma pappa and the 3 chicks were all out of the nest box!!! We tried our luck fishing in the mud channel but all we got were bitten off lures!

We hope you enjoyed your day at Sedge and look foward to seeing the group again.

Jim Merritt and Katina Tsakiris

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Appalachian Mt. Club

2005-06-20T18:29:00.000-04:00

It was a pleasure to have the sea kayakers from the AMC return to Sedge. As in previous years having experienced paddlers with real sea kayaks enabled us to visit places I rarely get to see. Our trip across Oyster Creek Channel to Gull Island was safe because we were able to stay together and quickly maneuver around the boat traffic. Our hike around the island rewarded us with views of a large colony of nesting herons, egrets, oyster catchers and, thousands of gulls. The Fathers Day kayak/peace canoe trip through the narrow mosquito ditches was a fun challenge. I will never forget seeing the four juvenile mink swimming near the dock. That was a first for me! Remember me taking the green crabs home for bait? My friend used one to catch a 90.5 lb black drum (7.5lbs. short of the state record) this morning while surf fishing near my house. He is very appreciative.
Jim Merritt

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Frederick Priff School

2005-06-16T16:27:00.000-04:00

It was great to have a group of students from a school so close to Sedge that they could take a boat to the island almost from the school building. Although your visit to Sedge was brief we managed to pack lots of activity in. I’m glad you got a chance to see the Peregrine Falcons during our short kayak trip. The adventure of Mr. West’s boat breakdown will always stay in my mind. My trip back to the island after dropping you off was even more exciting as a dense fog rolled in and I had to navigate the whole way home by GPS. I hope you can convince Ms. Greenhouse, Mr. West and others at your school to come overnight next year.
Jim Merritt

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Troop 350

2005-06-14T10:01:00.000-04:00

The boy scouts from Troop 350 based in Whiting, NJ proved to some of the best crabbers and fishers yet this year. Those who got up at sunrise were rewarded with catches of two pound bluefish and striped bass up to twenty inches (which we of course released.) When we baited crab traps with bluefish frames, we caught more than four dozen green crabs up to five inches when measured from point to point. While this invasive species of crab is not as tasty as the blue claw, we covered them with old bay seasoning, boiled up a full pot, and ate claws from a good percentage of our catch. The crab was only a supplement to our meal of fresh fish and clams. It was a pleasure to have a local scout group on the island especially since it was accompanied by Mr. Dominick Frasco, a NJ Fish and Wildlife conservation officer. Thanks for your assistance in helping Mr. Pete McLain move his boat ramp.

Jim Merritt

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St. Benedict's Girls

2005-06-09T17:14:00.000-04:00

I am sure this was a great adventure for you girls, but I want you to know that it was an amazing adventure for me too. Our days on Sedge Island were jam-packed starting on Monday with an early arrival and then some fishing and clamming. We didn’t have much luck with the fishing, but you girls were all the clam queens!! I enjoyed learning all about you and then was flabbergasted by your ability to actually speak gibberish.

Tuesday morning I was impressed by how many shoes I found in the hallway, and how many of you woke up at 5:20 am to watch a hazy sunrise and try for a bite on your fishing lines. You were a rowdy bunch kayaking, but I was impressed that we mad it all the way to the dike to explore the beach. That trip was about 7 miles total! My favorite part was when we were on the dock conducting water quality. I loved our conversation about the osprey and DDT, and how you girls tied in your knowledge from the day. I also liked it when we collected all sorts of aquatic organisms, creepy crawlies and slimy things and all shared our discoveries and looked at them through the binocular scopes. We saw a few horseshoe crabs along the way but the couple near the Sedge House was the most impressive… could you believe how big that female was?

You are all wonderful girls. You all have such strong personalities and are great leaders. When you girls put your heads together on the island we accomplished amazing tasks!!! Keep learning and exploring and I know you will all grow up to be wonderful amazing women!! Just remember a part of your Sedge Island Journey is to share something you learned on the island with someone else.

Donna- how wonderful for these girls to have such an amazing woman as a leader and role model. Thank you, to you and Barbara for bringing such a wonderful group of girls to Sedge Island.

Katina

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MATES Freshmen

2005-06-08T14:54:00.000-04:00

It is always great to have students and faculty from MATES visit Sedge. You have both the enthusiasm and knowledge to make your experience more valuable than the average group. Nice job with your first coordinator responsibilities Mr. Werner. Having three classes in quick succession is hard work!
We hope you students keep up your interest in marine biology and saltmarsh ecology and some day find yourself working in this field. Remember, you are one of the closest groups to Sedge. We hope you will come back to visit the Marine Conservation Zone with family and friends.
PS What happened with your lab? Were your hypotheses (re. the water sampling at various depths)correct?
Jim

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Irvington

2005-06-05T22:28:00.000-04:00

It was great to have the Irvington teachers, and friends, back at Sedge Island. Once again it was raining, but you guys are troopers! Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day and we paddled through the mosquito ditches and even stopped for lunch on my hero, Pete McClain's, porch.

I want to thank everyone for pitching in on our island walk collecting trash. I am so proud of those of you that were grossed out but still came along, you get used to the squish when you walk.
Clamming, don’t worry Clare, you’ll get em next time!
We found so many different species seining, and who would have known that our cocktail onion was actually an anemone!

We look forward to your future returns to Sedge Island, and hope that you go out and share something about your Sedge Island experience with your students.

Katina and Jim

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Rutgers University

2005-05-31T14:20:00.000-04:00

Well the final count is in…

23 people
3 completely rainy cold days
1 gale blowing miserable day
1 clivus (cletus)
and NO TV!!!!!

The weather may have been cruddy, but I think this was such a unique trip because of the weather. Tony (the caretaker) said he had only seen the water that high 3 times. We really got to see the marsh ecology morph to the changing conditions. Wednesday we counted almost 30 bird species on the island, and the peregrine even picked off birds right in front of some of you!

I think hands on courses like this one, that have gradually been disappearing from college curriculums are essential for so much more than just academics. The course ties in so many different aspects of ecology, real hands on research, and time with your peers and professors to just kick around ideas that you may not have thought of.

David and Julie, you two were wonderful, not only as professors and leaders but also as mentors. You were always one step ahead, and that is so important in this type of setting.

Tom… couldn’t have done it without you, thanks for keeping track of everyone and in general double-checking everything. And who can forget “Tom, TJ and the Goodyear Band” your musical talent and whimsical lyrics make me giggle when I think back to your stellar performances during the trip.

Jim and I look forward to reading your comments, and don’t forget to check out the pictures from the trip on the right. Drop by, or send an email if you are going to be in the area and want to stop by, we could always use a bit more knowledge.

Good luck to everyone... but remember “the lesson is not over until you share it with someone and maybe the whole world” ~Doc Locandro

Katina and Jim

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Hartshorn Arboretum

2005-05-23T02:39:00.000-04:00

I want to start out by saying that I was impressed that the group was still willing to come out in the rainy, blowing weather we had Friday.

The group as a whole preformed wonderfully during the paddle especially considering the windy conditions. It was really great to see parents and kids working together toward a common goal (not flipping, going in a certain direction, resisting the urge to smack the other in the head with the paddle).

My favorite part of your visit to Sedge was of course when Bonnie found the Nudibranch. It is just so much fun to say! And if you missed the live Nudibranch, you can see a picture if you go to the pictures link on the right. It looks like a spikey, colorful slug. I have never seen hermit crabs change shells, nor have I seen so many people get so excited over it! You were also the first group to catch any fish off the dock this season!

As Jim says I am the “Electricity Police” and we want to know if your conservation habits have changed since you visited the island, or if you plan on doing anything differently because of something we did on the Island.

Bonnie, you were a wonderful group leader. Thank you for all your help with the group, and I hope to experience one of your adventures in the future.

Jim Merritt and Katina Tsakiris

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Orchard Friends

2005-05-20T15:43:00.000-04:00

Our experience with the Orchard Friends group started with our visit to Moorsetown in early spring. Our Journey continued when we met the group on Wednesday to start our Sedge Adventure, and what an adventure it was! When we got to sedge you were more knowledgeable than many groups because of your wonderful teachers at school.
We were impressed with everyone the following day when we braved the strong northeast windsin the bay when we paddled to the Buster Islands. We wanted to thanks Bob, Bob, Chuck and Ken from the Jersey Shore Sea Kayakers Association for helping us with the paddle, we couldn't have done it without you!
On our final day of the trip with near gale force winds and driving rain, we ventured across the bay to the waiting bus. Once again the group was amazing and handled the weather very well. Thank you for a great experience, all of you were fantastic!!!
Thank you Mrs. Opdyke, Mrs. Deaner and Mr. Deaner, and also thank you to the fathers Mr. Downer and Mr. Welsh for all your guidance, suport and help with the group. We look foward to future visits and can't wait to read your comments!

Jim and Katina

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M.A.S.T

2005-05-20T15:07:00.000-04:00

It was great to welcome New Jersey's prize winning Shorebowl Team for a second year. This was the first visit to the island for team coach Barbara Boyd, who brought along shellfish expert Debbie Dalton. We hope the group appreciated the unique opportunity to meet Pete and Sam McClain, and enjoyed the delicous striped bass they gave us. Jim Spoke highly of the group especially of your motivation. Jim was very impressed that the group was up at sunrise, and paddled all the way to the dike and back in one day. Usually we do that as a whole day trip! Jim and I had a fabulous time with the group, and we hope this was a relaxing trip after all your hard work preparing for the competition.

Jim and Katina

Watershed Ambassadors

2005-05-07T18:21:00.000-04:00

It was great to have the Watershed Ambassadors this past week at Sedge Island! We hope it was a great experience for everyone. A highlight for Jim was when everyone slept outside, and then organized at sunrise for a paddle. You guys were fantastic and seemed up for anything.

So now we want to know about your experience; whether you had fun or hated the island. Please let us know if you have any suggestions that could have made your visit better. We would also like to know if there was any particular experience that you really liked or disliked, and how you are doing with your Sedge Conservation Resolution.

If anyone is interested in helping out with future groups, we have a group coming Wednesday May 18-20. They are a group of learning disabled children and we are looking for some volunteers to help with our group paddle, most likely on that Thursday. Aside from groups please stop by anytime you are on the marsh and pop in to say hi. We hope this was a positive experience for everyone and that the Watershed ambassadors will be back next year!

Jim Merritt and Katina Tsakiris

Jersey Shore Sea Kayakers

2005-04-20T10:31:00.000-04:00

I want to say thank you to the 14 people who visited Sedge Island with the Jersey Shore Sea Kayakers Association Sunday through Tuesday April 17-19. I had a wonderful time with all of you, and learned so much more than I ever could have imagined. Thank you to Patricia for this blog idea, and thank you to everyone who provided comments about the house and your island experience in general. Please post your thoughts, comments or suggestions for us to see, as well as for future groups visiting Sedge Island. Hope to see you paddling!
-Katina Tsakiris