Katina, former Sedge staff member and environmental science teacher at Cranford High School, lead a small group of Cranford teachers and staff members to Sedge for a weekend in the marsh.
After sampling water quality off the dock, the islands population grew as a small wave of diamond back terrapins came ashore to nest. The group learned how dangerous boat props are to terrapins, one of the nesting females had a wide gash across her back.
After working on several terrapins the group headed to the dike. On the way there Sam, one of Sedge’s great new interns, spotted a red fox in the marsh. At the dike the group saw the damage that some of the year’s northeast storms had inflicted on the dike. Many of the large geotubes were flattened and now acted as nets that trapped horseshoe crabs as the tide receded. Working together the group freed the crabs and set them out in the surf. Later in the day John Wnek came to Sedge and transplanted terrapins eggs for his nesting study. The math teacher in the group was very excited when John started reading off egg measurements.
Before cleaning up the house and heading off island the group went for a hike and clean up around the perimeter trail. Aside from dunkin’ donuts coffee cups and plastic bags in the wrack line there was also ash and charcoal—signs of the recent pinelands forest fires.
Brett Chicotelli
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