Friday, December 7, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Manchester High School
October 12-14,2007
When the students from Manchester HS arrived at the Island Beach State Park launch area the wind was gusting to over 40 mph. Rather than risking life, limb and the pontoon boat, Jim decided to do a program on Island Beach that afternoon and then go to Sedge the following morning. Joined by Dr. Stan Hales, Director of the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program, we spent the afternoon in and around the Forked River Interpretive Center. After a tour of the building we hiked to the beach on the self-guided nature trail. It was chilly in the wind but this experience gave the students a better appreciation of the need to dress properly for the weather conditions.
All the students returned early the following morning and we were on the water in kayaks by 9:30 am (Sedge time.) Because we were a strong paddling group, we were able do our usual full day trip to Barnegat Inlet complete with lunch on the jetty rocks. (Fisherman on the jetty seemed oblivious to the eye shadow war paint on some of the boys’ faces.) We headed back stopping on our way to dig some soft- shelled clams in the water that continues to be in the high 60’s.
Dinner consisted of home made macaroni and cheese and meatballs with some of our usual seafood that we caught like clams and crabs. In addition, we experienced a new first on Sedge Island. We cooked and ate mud snails. Boiled with garlic and lots of spices and then dipped in butter, these snails were (in the opinion of some of the students) “delicious.” Everyone admitted that even though they were tasty, they were a lot of work for so little meat “worse than crabs.” A star lit sky encouraged some of the students to sleep out on the deck. The temperature dipped into the 40’s but some stuck it out for the entire night.
Special thanks to Shang Jen and Jake Raabe for helping out over the weekend. Other than a visit to Sedge with the Rutgers University Outdoor Club, Shang had spent very little time on the island. Sang helped with everything from teaching to cooking and cleaning. Jake, who has been coming to Sedge to since he was nine years old, helped many of the students learn to fish and throw a cast net
When the students from Manchester HS arrived at the Island Beach State Park launch area the wind was gusting to over 40 mph. Rather than risking life, limb and the pontoon boat, Jim decided to do a program on Island Beach that afternoon and then go to Sedge the following morning. Joined by Dr. Stan Hales, Director of the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program, we spent the afternoon in and around the Forked River Interpretive Center. After a tour of the building we hiked to the beach on the self-guided nature trail. It was chilly in the wind but this experience gave the students a better appreciation of the need to dress properly for the weather conditions.
All the students returned early the following morning and we were on the water in kayaks by 9:30 am (Sedge time.) Because we were a strong paddling group, we were able do our usual full day trip to Barnegat Inlet complete with lunch on the jetty rocks. (Fisherman on the jetty seemed oblivious to the eye shadow war paint on some of the boys’ faces.) We headed back stopping on our way to dig some soft- shelled clams in the water that continues to be in the high 60’s.
Dinner consisted of home made macaroni and cheese and meatballs with some of our usual seafood that we caught like clams and crabs. In addition, we experienced a new first on Sedge Island. We cooked and ate mud snails. Boiled with garlic and lots of spices and then dipped in butter, these snails were (in the opinion of some of the students) “delicious.” Everyone admitted that even though they were tasty, they were a lot of work for so little meat “worse than crabs.” A star lit sky encouraged some of the students to sleep out on the deck. The temperature dipped into the 40’s but some stuck it out for the entire night.
Special thanks to Shang Jen and Jake Raabe for helping out over the weekend. Other than a visit to Sedge with the Rutgers University Outdoor Club, Shang had spent very little time on the island. Sang helped with everything from teaching to cooking and cleaning. Jake, who has been coming to Sedge to since he was nine years old, helped many of the students learn to fish and throw a cast net
AMC Blog
September 21-23,2007
Several members of the Appalachian Mt. Club leaving after work on Friday were caught in a traffic jam on the Parkway that was made worse by an accident. As a result some people arrived after dark and had to be transported by boat to Sedge in the dark. This did nothing to dampen the spirits of the group as they joined the others for a late (and as usual delicious) dinner.
A few of the group are part of the “regular crew” of paddlers but there are always a substantial group of members who are new to the area and in this case, new to touring kayaks. This did not present a problem, as the experienced kayakers gave plenty of assistance and encouragement to those less familiar with the sport. Combined with an intimate tour of the salt marsh in the Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone this provided plenty to do during the day light hours on Saturday even though it was too windy to do much open water paddling.
Saturday night the wind dropped and we went for a night paddle. Seven people took out the big canoe and one person paddled his kayak. After a quick circumnavigation of Sedge Island the group decided to paddle straight east into the reflected light of the moon on the tranquil water. We paddled among the Buster Islands in water that was so still that we could see the rings left on the water surface from fish feeding in the shallow water. We were on the water for more than an hour.
Sunday remained calm so we headed west out on to more open water. We circled Gull Island where there are still some pelicans hanging out on the sand bars. We continued west to the newest dredge island where we frequently see kite boarders launching and then skimming across the shallows on the south side of the island. No one was around when we got there so we took a hike into the center of the island. We wondered how many gulls must use this island based on the number of bird bones bleaching in the sun. Several people actually got sunburned as the air temperature was in the 80’s allowed us to paddle in t-shirts and shorts.
Several members of the Appalachian Mt. Club leaving after work on Friday were caught in a traffic jam on the Parkway that was made worse by an accident. As a result some people arrived after dark and had to be transported by boat to Sedge in the dark. This did nothing to dampen the spirits of the group as they joined the others for a late (and as usual delicious) dinner.
A few of the group are part of the “regular crew” of paddlers but there are always a substantial group of members who are new to the area and in this case, new to touring kayaks. This did not present a problem, as the experienced kayakers gave plenty of assistance and encouragement to those less familiar with the sport. Combined with an intimate tour of the salt marsh in the Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone this provided plenty to do during the day light hours on Saturday even though it was too windy to do much open water paddling.
Saturday night the wind dropped and we went for a night paddle. Seven people took out the big canoe and one person paddled his kayak. After a quick circumnavigation of Sedge Island the group decided to paddle straight east into the reflected light of the moon on the tranquil water. We paddled among the Buster Islands in water that was so still that we could see the rings left on the water surface from fish feeding in the shallow water. We were on the water for more than an hour.
Sunday remained calm so we headed west out on to more open water. We circled Gull Island where there are still some pelicans hanging out on the sand bars. We continued west to the newest dredge island where we frequently see kite boarders launching and then skimming across the shallows on the south side of the island. No one was around when we got there so we took a hike into the center of the island. We wondered how many gulls must use this island based on the number of bird bones bleaching in the sun. Several people actually got sunburned as the air temperature was in the 80’s allowed us to paddle in t-shirts and shorts.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Southern Regional High School
October 9-11, 2007
Fifteen students and two teachers made up the first group of Southern Regional High School students to ever participate in a three-day program at Sedge. The warm Fall weather continued allowing us to kayak comfortably to Barnegat Inlet and have lunch on the jetty. Several of the girls got to talking to one of the fisherman. After hearing that they were “camping at Sedge Island” he gave them a good-sized black fish to “cook over the camp fire.” We did cook this fish and added it to the other things that we had caught like soft clams, snapper blues, and ribbed mussels [Note: even with tomato sauce they are the only shellfish that I don’t like.) One of the big hits for that night’s dinner was the fresh tuna caught by Mr. Dorris a few days earlier. We ate it blackened, grilled and raw in Tuna Tar Tar.
The warm water allowed four of the students to snorkel comfortably in the thorofare near the house. Several members of the group were very experienced and they managed to catch crabs using short hand tongs. Other students stood by on the dock catching small sea bass with hook and line. Later that evening we lounged on the upper deck to see shooting stars, and lay on the dock to view spectacular bio-luminesence in the water.
Just as we were ready to leave to return home, thunder began to rumble in the distance. Although the full intensity of the storm didn’t hit until everyone was safely on the bus, we did get a bit wet on the crossing to Island Beach State Park.
Fifteen students and two teachers made up the first group of Southern Regional High School students to ever participate in a three-day program at Sedge. The warm Fall weather continued allowing us to kayak comfortably to Barnegat Inlet and have lunch on the jetty. Several of the girls got to talking to one of the fisherman. After hearing that they were “camping at Sedge Island” he gave them a good-sized black fish to “cook over the camp fire.” We did cook this fish and added it to the other things that we had caught like soft clams, snapper blues, and ribbed mussels [Note: even with tomato sauce they are the only shellfish that I don’t like.) One of the big hits for that night’s dinner was the fresh tuna caught by Mr. Dorris a few days earlier. We ate it blackened, grilled and raw in Tuna Tar Tar.
The warm water allowed four of the students to snorkel comfortably in the thorofare near the house. Several members of the group were very experienced and they managed to catch crabs using short hand tongs. Other students stood by on the dock catching small sea bass with hook and line. Later that evening we lounged on the upper deck to see shooting stars, and lay on the dock to view spectacular bio-luminesence in the water.
Just as we were ready to leave to return home, thunder began to rumble in the distance. Although the full intensity of the storm didn’t hit until everyone was safely on the bus, we did get a bit wet on the crossing to Island Beach State Park.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Montclair Cooperative School
October 3-5,2007
Fourteen 6th graders and five adults arrived at Sedge to find that electricity was in very short supply. As the summer progressed our aging solar system has been delivering less and less power. This has made it necessary for the propane fired electrical generator to come on much more than usual. Finally the entire system went down.
The students and adults were unfazed by lack of electricity. They used flashlights for all their lighting needs. They judiciously used their bottled water for drinking. Knowing that the pump for our well is run by electricity, they even rationed some of their bottled water for a final dish washing after initially cleaning the dishes in the bay. Perhaps it was because they were so careful human generated light that they were treated to two of the most spectacular natural light shows of the year.
On the first night we spent over an hour on the upper deck observing the sky. We were able to observe a number of shooting stars and several satellites. Marie, the MCS science coordinator, did an incredible job of pointing out constellations. She had us pay particular attention to the three stars in the summer triangle. She will continue to observe these when she leaves Sedge Island. She will then join sky watchers all over the world as they email comments on their observations to a special database. This is a one of the initial efforts to monitor the amount of light pollution around the globe.
Not to be out done by light in the sky we also had an incredible light show in the water. Just after dark on the second night, we walked out on the dock. The bioluminescence was incredible. Stirring the water with a hand or crab net resulted in a trail of glowing plankton. Several students held and then jiggled, comb jellies that had ingested plankton. These immediately lit up in their hands. This is real magic!
All this was in addition to the usual kayaking, fishing, crabbing and claming in water that continues to be warm and clear. We wonder how long this Indian summer will continue?
Fourteen 6th graders and five adults arrived at Sedge to find that electricity was in very short supply. As the summer progressed our aging solar system has been delivering less and less power. This has made it necessary for the propane fired electrical generator to come on much more than usual. Finally the entire system went down.
The students and adults were unfazed by lack of electricity. They used flashlights for all their lighting needs. They judiciously used their bottled water for drinking. Knowing that the pump for our well is run by electricity, they even rationed some of their bottled water for a final dish washing after initially cleaning the dishes in the bay. Perhaps it was because they were so careful human generated light that they were treated to two of the most spectacular natural light shows of the year.
On the first night we spent over an hour on the upper deck observing the sky. We were able to observe a number of shooting stars and several satellites. Marie, the MCS science coordinator, did an incredible job of pointing out constellations. She had us pay particular attention to the three stars in the summer triangle. She will continue to observe these when she leaves Sedge Island. She will then join sky watchers all over the world as they email comments on their observations to a special database. This is a one of the initial efforts to monitor the amount of light pollution around the globe.
Not to be out done by light in the sky we also had an incredible light show in the water. Just after dark on the second night, we walked out on the dock. The bioluminescence was incredible. Stirring the water with a hand or crab net resulted in a trail of glowing plankton. Several students held and then jiggled, comb jellies that had ingested plankton. These immediately lit up in their hands. This is real magic!
All this was in addition to the usual kayaking, fishing, crabbing and claming in water that continues to be warm and clear. We wonder how long this Indian summer will continue?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Nutley High School
September, 2007
Indian summer continued with the arrival of the AP Biology class. Due to the low water it was impossible to transport everyone and all the gear to Sedge. As a result, six of the students (several from the Nutley Girls Crew Team) paddled from Island Beach to the island in the big canoe. Soon after the group assembled, we paddled kayaks into the marsh to explore the warm, clear water. The osprey are now gone but two peregrine falcons are still utilizing the new igloo house on the hacking tower.
Taking advantage of the unusually warm water and air, it was peasant to get wet as we paddled to the dike and then hiked to the ocean. AP Biology teacher Mr. Bania, who works in the summer as a Seaside Park life guard, joined most of the students for a dip in the 72 degree surf before lunch on the beach. We stopped to go clamming in one of the creeks on our paddle back to Sedge. Digging by hand in the shallow water, we were rewarded by finding 100 clams of various sizes. Some of these clams were served up for dinner along with crabs and bluefish that we had also caught.
The warm days were complimented by cool nights. Most students slept out under the stars. The only problem was that the moon was so bright it was difficult to pick our constellations. It wasn’t really much of a problem.
Indian summer continued with the arrival of the AP Biology class. Due to the low water it was impossible to transport everyone and all the gear to Sedge. As a result, six of the students (several from the Nutley Girls Crew Team) paddled from Island Beach to the island in the big canoe. Soon after the group assembled, we paddled kayaks into the marsh to explore the warm, clear water. The osprey are now gone but two peregrine falcons are still utilizing the new igloo house on the hacking tower.
Taking advantage of the unusually warm water and air, it was peasant to get wet as we paddled to the dike and then hiked to the ocean. AP Biology teacher Mr. Bania, who works in the summer as a Seaside Park life guard, joined most of the students for a dip in the 72 degree surf before lunch on the beach. We stopped to go clamming in one of the creeks on our paddle back to Sedge. Digging by hand in the shallow water, we were rewarded by finding 100 clams of various sizes. Some of these clams were served up for dinner along with crabs and bluefish that we had also caught.
The warm days were complimented by cool nights. Most students slept out under the stars. The only problem was that the moon was so bright it was difficult to pick our constellations. It wasn’t really much of a problem.
NJ Kayak
September 2007
Fall at the Jersey Shore doesn’t get much better than this. The water was warm (72F) and clear (visibility 10’ off the dock.) The air was warm (80F) and clear (bright blue sky with unlimited visibility.) On arrival the group found the tide had blown out so fat that it was impossible to bring the pontoon boat across the sand bar to reach the IBSP dock. Alton used the small jon boat to shuttle the gear to Sedge as the group paddled out. This was just the first paddle in a series of adventures on the water.
On the second day we paddled south along High Bar Harbor to Viking Village in the town of Barnegat Light. We ate lunch at a picnic table in the center of the tourist shops. Later we paddled past the land based shellfish nursery near the public landing area. Before heading across Barnegat Inlet, the group got into a line with Bill at one end and Jim at the other so that we could minimize potential interference with boat traffic. We paddled straight across the inlet to the dike at Island Beach State Park. Several of the paddlers took advantage of the small waves in the inlet to do some kayak surfing.
Slurping raw clams and oysters and then cracking and picking blue crabs preceded Carmen’s delicious dinner (steak and chicken kabobs.) The night was so cool and clear that half the group slept on the front porch. They were rewarded with a spectacular sunrise. Unfortunately the fish were not up so early and no one caught anything. It was a gorgeous morning and after cleaning up the group paddled over to Island Beach. They hiked on the trail near the Forked River Interpretive Center, and then hung out on the beach before returning home. Another perfect weekend “Down the Shore.”
Fall at the Jersey Shore doesn’t get much better than this. The water was warm (72F) and clear (visibility 10’ off the dock.) The air was warm (80F) and clear (bright blue sky with unlimited visibility.) On arrival the group found the tide had blown out so fat that it was impossible to bring the pontoon boat across the sand bar to reach the IBSP dock. Alton used the small jon boat to shuttle the gear to Sedge as the group paddled out. This was just the first paddle in a series of adventures on the water.
On the second day we paddled south along High Bar Harbor to Viking Village in the town of Barnegat Light. We ate lunch at a picnic table in the center of the tourist shops. Later we paddled past the land based shellfish nursery near the public landing area. Before heading across Barnegat Inlet, the group got into a line with Bill at one end and Jim at the other so that we could minimize potential interference with boat traffic. We paddled straight across the inlet to the dike at Island Beach State Park. Several of the paddlers took advantage of the small waves in the inlet to do some kayak surfing.
Slurping raw clams and oysters and then cracking and picking blue crabs preceded Carmen’s delicious dinner (steak and chicken kabobs.) The night was so cool and clear that half the group slept on the front porch. They were rewarded with a spectacular sunrise. Unfortunately the fish were not up so early and no one caught anything. It was a gorgeous morning and after cleaning up the group paddled over to Island Beach. They hiked on the trail near the Forked River Interpretive Center, and then hung out on the beach before returning home. Another perfect weekend “Down the Shore.”
Monday, September 24, 2007
Rutgers University Outing Club
September 7, 2007
The Rutgers Outdoor Club arrived at the Island Beach State Park Sedge dock just as it was getting dark and starting to rain. Tony ferried them to Sedge in two groups. The thirteen students were a varied group from freshmen to seniors, majoring in anything from English Literature to Astro-physics. We listened with interest to the NOAA weather report that predicted a major change when a cold front passed through the next day.
The forecast proved to be true. After a rainy early morning, the skies cleared, the temperature dropped, and the wind increased. Rather than paddling to the dike and then being forced to fight a strong wind on the return trip, we chose to stay in the confines of the marsh. We paddled through mosquito ditches and natural waterways with a long lunch break in the shelter of John Yoder’s house. A highlight of the trip for some was the digging of soft clams in the Horsefoot Slough.
When we returned from our paddle everyone seemed to want to do something different. Three students went snorkeling. Four students fished. Six students went clamming. Tom Virzi arrived in the late afternoon and talked about his research work with American Oyster Catchers as he helped the students identify a variety of shore birds on a distant sand bar.
The highlight of Sunday was the opportunity to paddle around Sedge Island. Five students chose to paddle in the North Canoe, while others returned to the kayaks. We also had a visit from John Wnek who dug out some of the Diamond Backed Terrapins who had hatched but were still in th
The Rutgers Outdoor Club arrived at the Island Beach State Park Sedge dock just as it was getting dark and starting to rain. Tony ferried them to Sedge in two groups. The thirteen students were a varied group from freshmen to seniors, majoring in anything from English Literature to Astro-physics. We listened with interest to the NOAA weather report that predicted a major change when a cold front passed through the next day.
The forecast proved to be true. After a rainy early morning, the skies cleared, the temperature dropped, and the wind increased. Rather than paddling to the dike and then being forced to fight a strong wind on the return trip, we chose to stay in the confines of the marsh. We paddled through mosquito ditches and natural waterways with a long lunch break in the shelter of John Yoder’s house. A highlight of the trip for some was the digging of soft clams in the Horsefoot Slough.
When we returned from our paddle everyone seemed to want to do something different. Three students went snorkeling. Four students fished. Six students went clamming. Tom Virzi arrived in the late afternoon and talked about his research work with American Oyster Catchers as he helped the students identify a variety of shore birds on a distant sand bar.
The highlight of Sunday was the opportunity to paddle around Sedge Island. Five students chose to paddle in the North Canoe, while others returned to the kayaks. We also had a visit from John Wnek who dug out some of the Diamond Backed Terrapins who had hatched but were still in th
Monday, August 27, 2007
Germantown Academy
August 22-25
The No’easter that hit the Jersey Shore in August of 2007 continued to provide cold, rainy, windy conditions for the students from the Germantown Academy Summer Camp. We managed to paddle several miles one day. We explored the continually narrowing channels in the Spizzle Creek area of Island Beach State Park eventually reaching a dead end where several mosquito ditches joined.
The high point of the trip for many of the students was the fishing. We caught plenty of small blue fish. Some pesky six-inch sea bass would steal bait as fast as it could be put on the hook. But the best catch was the twenty one and nineteen-inch fluke that were landed right off the dock. These we ate along with the blues, crabs and clams. In addition, one diner consisted of squid that the kids had dissected several hours earlier.
The No’easter that hit the Jersey Shore in August of 2007 continued to provide cold, rainy, windy conditions for the students from the Germantown Academy Summer Camp. We managed to paddle several miles one day. We explored the continually narrowing channels in the Spizzle Creek area of Island Beach State Park eventually reaching a dead end where several mosquito ditches joined.
The high point of the trip for many of the students was the fishing. We caught plenty of small blue fish. Some pesky six-inch sea bass would steal bait as fast as it could be put on the hook. But the best catch was the twenty one and nineteen-inch fluke that were landed right off the dock. These we ate along with the blues, crabs and clams. In addition, one diner consisted of squid that the kids had dissected several hours earlier.
NJ Audubon
August 19-21, 2007
Three NJ Audubon Staff and nine teachers from local schools arrived at Sedge on a rainy afternoon. Little did we know that this weather pattern was to be the norm for the three days that they stayed on the island. We began with a paddle in the marsh, in the rain. There was no wind and since it was quite warm no one was uncomfortable. In fact many people remarked that the rain enhanced the experience. The colors seemed more vibrant. The green Spartina grass against the gray clouds was spectacular. The white feathers of the egrets stood out. Osprey wheeled overhead. Pelicans flew over in pairs and small groups.
Audubon leaders frustrated the group by forcing them to look closely at everything they saw. Rather than answering questions about what this or that was, the leaders would encourage the teachers to sharpen their scientific observation skills by making closer observations.
As the NorEaster built into a three day storm the wind rose making kayaking impossible for the remainder of their time at Sedge. Undaunted the group fished, clammed, crabbed and even hiked- all in the rain and wind. On the last day the boat trip back to Island Beach was the heaviest rain and the strongest wind. But the group took it in stride and before changing out of their wet clothes went on a hike to the beach to look at the storm surf.
Three NJ Audubon Staff and nine teachers from local schools arrived at Sedge on a rainy afternoon. Little did we know that this weather pattern was to be the norm for the three days that they stayed on the island. We began with a paddle in the marsh, in the rain. There was no wind and since it was quite warm no one was uncomfortable. In fact many people remarked that the rain enhanced the experience. The colors seemed more vibrant. The green Spartina grass against the gray clouds was spectacular. The white feathers of the egrets stood out. Osprey wheeled overhead. Pelicans flew over in pairs and small groups.
Audubon leaders frustrated the group by forcing them to look closely at everything they saw. Rather than answering questions about what this or that was, the leaders would encourage the teachers to sharpen their scientific observation skills by making closer observations.
As the NorEaster built into a three day storm the wind rose making kayaking impossible for the remainder of their time at Sedge. Undaunted the group fished, clammed, crabbed and even hiked- all in the rain and wind. On the last day the boat trip back to Island Beach was the heaviest rain and the strongest wind. But the group took it in stride and before changing out of their wet clothes went on a hike to the beach to look at the storm surf.
Friday, August 10, 2007
SEDGE LATE SUMMER UPDATE
Staff and Friends of Sedge Clean Up
What happens at Sedge when due to small enrollment our teacher workshop is canceled? The staff and friends get together and do some work. Tony poured new footings to support the front porch. Jim cut dead branches off the big pine tree to the west of the house. Jackie, Karen, Brett, Ryan, scrubbed house walls and floors and the Clivus floor. Jim and his guests from Michigan re-erected the Marine Conservation Zone sign. Brett’s mom scrubbed the kitchen sink. Everyone agreed that although the place looked good to begin with, it is now even better. THANKS EVERY ONE
Staff Update
Today I said good-bye to Brett who is soon to be heading back to school in Maine. It was a sad occasion. Brett is a great worker. He is well liked by everyone who works with him. Jackie thinks of him as the son she didn’t have. He will be missed. I sure hope he comes back next year but Katina has invited him to visit her in Greece for a month next summer so …
Sherry has been gone (she took a course in Maine for one month) and if she makes it back to Sedge it will be only briefly before she heads off to Cornell. Her smile and efficient way of doing things made her a very valuable asset at Sedge this summer. She will be missed by John Wnek as well as she was doing a scholarship project working with diamond backed terrapins.
Ryan was busy not only with his internship at Sedge. He spent much of the summer managing his new restaurant, the Seafood Coop. in Point Pleasant. In addition he worked on his scholarship project monitoring oysters and water quality in three locations around the Bay.
Alton has been the most consistent worker at Sedge this summer. His hard work and dedication was appreciated by all of us. Having graduated from Rowan, Alton is now looking for full time work with the DEP. He will be a valuable asset to anyone lucky enough to employ him. While I hope he gets a great job as soon as possible, I don’t want to lose him.
Samantha has been spending some of her summer up north helping with her family restaurant business. She loves teaching and is looking forward to helping out at Sedge in the fall when she returns to Stockton. A highlight of her summer was visit by her family. She proudly toured them around.
I’m having a great summer due in large part to the fact that I had such a wonderful staff. I spent time at Sedge with some great groups. I was able to offer a greater variety of programs because I had so much help. I was also able to spend lots of time at home. I got to the beach and did some great early morning surfing. I was able to spend time with my family and friends who visited from points far and wide.
Jim
What happens at Sedge when due to small enrollment our teacher workshop is canceled? The staff and friends get together and do some work. Tony poured new footings to support the front porch. Jim cut dead branches off the big pine tree to the west of the house. Jackie, Karen, Brett, Ryan, scrubbed house walls and floors and the Clivus floor. Jim and his guests from Michigan re-erected the Marine Conservation Zone sign. Brett’s mom scrubbed the kitchen sink. Everyone agreed that although the place looked good to begin with, it is now even better. THANKS EVERY ONE
Staff Update
Today I said good-bye to Brett who is soon to be heading back to school in Maine. It was a sad occasion. Brett is a great worker. He is well liked by everyone who works with him. Jackie thinks of him as the son she didn’t have. He will be missed. I sure hope he comes back next year but Katina has invited him to visit her in Greece for a month next summer so …
Sherry has been gone (she took a course in Maine for one month) and if she makes it back to Sedge it will be only briefly before she heads off to Cornell. Her smile and efficient way of doing things made her a very valuable asset at Sedge this summer. She will be missed by John Wnek as well as she was doing a scholarship project working with diamond backed terrapins.
Ryan was busy not only with his internship at Sedge. He spent much of the summer managing his new restaurant, the Seafood Coop. in Point Pleasant. In addition he worked on his scholarship project monitoring oysters and water quality in three locations around the Bay.
Alton has been the most consistent worker at Sedge this summer. His hard work and dedication was appreciated by all of us. Having graduated from Rowan, Alton is now looking for full time work with the DEP. He will be a valuable asset to anyone lucky enough to employ him. While I hope he gets a great job as soon as possible, I don’t want to lose him.
Samantha has been spending some of her summer up north helping with her family restaurant business. She loves teaching and is looking forward to helping out at Sedge in the fall when she returns to Stockton. A highlight of her summer was visit by her family. She proudly toured them around.
I’m having a great summer due in large part to the fact that I had such a wonderful staff. I spent time at Sedge with some great groups. I was able to offer a greater variety of programs because I had so much help. I was also able to spend lots of time at home. I got to the beach and did some great early morning surfing. I was able to spend time with my family and friends who visited from points far and wide.
Jim
NJ Kayak
8/3-8/6/07
NJ Kayak brought a group of it’s customers to Sedge in order to help its paddlers better appreciate the natural environment they frequently paddle in. Everyone had their own single sea kayak complete with spray deck. This, combined with their expertise, made it possible to paddle farther in more challenging conditions than the average Sedge group.
Bucking a strong incoming tide on the edge of the Oyster Creek Channel is never easy. Dealing with power boat traffic on a beautiful Saturday morning made it even more challenging. This group stroked hard to get to the outer side of the dike for some well deserved rest. A potential thunder storm made us leave the early but it never materialized.
Always a highlight for me is the ability to introduce people to new things. It was a real treat to watch one member of the group catch his first fish. A professor from Temple University was very proud when he landed not one but two bluefish. He ate ‘em too!
NJ Kayak brought a group of it’s customers to Sedge in order to help its paddlers better appreciate the natural environment they frequently paddle in. Everyone had their own single sea kayak complete with spray deck. This, combined with their expertise, made it possible to paddle farther in more challenging conditions than the average Sedge group.
Bucking a strong incoming tide on the edge of the Oyster Creek Channel is never easy. Dealing with power boat traffic on a beautiful Saturday morning made it even more challenging. This group stroked hard to get to the outer side of the dike for some well deserved rest. A potential thunder storm made us leave the early but it never materialized.
Always a highlight for me is the ability to introduce people to new things. It was a real treat to watch one member of the group catch his first fish. A professor from Temple University was very proud when he landed not one but two bluefish. He ate ‘em too!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Governor’s School for the Environment
This year four groups from the Governor’s School spent three days each at the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education center. Our entire staff (two program directors and four interns) had an opportunity to work with one or more of these groups. As even though some of the teachers had never been to Sedge before we all had a super time. The paragraph below describes the experience as seen through the eyes of one of the interns.
When this group first stepped off the bus, Jim and I were worried as some of the students seemed to have a rather negative attitude toward their trip to Sedge. However after a couple hours with this group, our first impressions were completely changed. This was a great, enthusiastic bunch of kids from Governor’s School. We went kayaking, crabbing, fishing, claming, and birding. One girl from Jersey City with little outdoor experience had the opportunity to work a great deal with John Wnek, a research scientist from Drexel University. . She helped him tag Diamond Backed Terrapins and together they reburied the turtle eggs in special, protected plots. It was great to see this girl get involved! Also, while this group was on the Island, they got to see and experience a group called YERT. “YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip) is a year-long eco-expedition through all 50 United States. With video camera in hand and tongue in cheek, “we're exploring the landscape of America's unique approach to environmental sustainability.” (check out www.yert.com) Dinner time was especially fun with this group. We had quiet a feast. We ate crabs, clams, mussels, and blue fish (we caught all of this food). It was great to see everyone try everything.
Sedge Intern,
Samantha Tennick
When this group first stepped off the bus, Jim and I were worried as some of the students seemed to have a rather negative attitude toward their trip to Sedge. However after a couple hours with this group, our first impressions were completely changed. This was a great, enthusiastic bunch of kids from Governor’s School. We went kayaking, crabbing, fishing, claming, and birding. One girl from Jersey City with little outdoor experience had the opportunity to work a great deal with John Wnek, a research scientist from Drexel University. . She helped him tag Diamond Backed Terrapins and together they reburied the turtle eggs in special, protected plots. It was great to see this girl get involved! Also, while this group was on the Island, they got to see and experience a group called YERT. “YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip) is a year-long eco-expedition through all 50 United States. With video camera in hand and tongue in cheek, “we're exploring the landscape of America's unique approach to environmental sustainability.” (check out www.yert.com) Dinner time was especially fun with this group. We had quiet a feast. We ate crabs, clams, mussels, and blue fish (we caught all of this food). It was great to see everyone try everything.
Sedge Intern,
Samantha Tennick
Monday, July 2, 2007
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey
The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey's Board of Directors held their annual meeting at Sedge on a gorgeous day in June – the summer solstice. Several board members had spent the previous night and they greeted us at the dock with tales of catching bluefish early that morning. The first part of the day was spent dealing with the business part of the meeting. At lunch intern Ryan Ballou provided a special treat by serving six pounds of pan seared ocean scallops fresh from his Point Pleasant restaurant. Later Tom Virzi, former Assistant Program Director at Sedge, told the group about his research on American Oyster Catchers, calling particular attention to the need for protecting dredge island habitat of these beach-nesting birds.
Almost everyone wanted to go kayaking so we launched the boats and paddled out into the salt marsh. Tom gave the group a great show as he climbed into an osprey nest to bring down and band a three-week-old chick. We then paddled into some of the salt marsh channels closer to the Peregrine Falcon hacking tower. It was a pleasure to have this group checking out “our” peregrines and comparing them to “their” peregrines that can be seen so well on the peregrine cam web site.
Monday, June 18, 2007
NJ Kayak
Bottom line—these people like to kayak! and kayak they did. Half the group paddled across the bay from the town of Barnegat while the others came form IBSP. As always this group was well feed—it took 45 minutes to load the sedge shuttle with all their food. The first evening the group paddled to the dike and saw that one of the few remaining geo-tubes had completed collapsed On the way back, some of the group clammed their way through the marsh. Near the falcon hacking tower they were treated to some aerial maneuvers when the two adult falcons attached a great blue heron.
Bright and early the next morning the group set out on a long paddle to Viking Village on Long Beach Island. The group of 19 sea kayaks worked their way across the channels, around heavy boat traffic, and against strong out going tides. In Viking Village the group paddled past many moored commercial scallop boats and met the fleet’s mechanic, who told the group the ins and outs of the scallop business. When they returned, five kayak instructors from NJ Kayak worked on rescue and paddle skills with the group.
Exhausted form the previous day’s paddle Sunday morning was spent working on kayak rolls, snorkeling, paddling around the calm waters near the Sedge house, and cleaning bags of oysters. After lunch this group had one more short paddle trip left in them—to the dock at IBSP.
Brett Chicotelli
Urban Trekkers
Traveling across the state form Camden for a second year in a row, this group was a blast. The Littoral Society of New Jersey organized and sponsored the Urban Trekkers for this year’s trip to Sedge. Staff from the Littoral Society complemented the sedge staff and provided the four high school students with ample resources for their individual presentations (presented the last day).
After claming in the Bahamas (with little luck), the group settled down to watch the sun set and ended up seeing an amazing rainbow grow over Island Beach State Park. This was followed by a great night of fishing. For many of the group these were the first fish they had ever caught.
On the following morning we paddled to the dike and rescued more horse crabs from the collapsing geo-tubes. After eating lunch on the rocks across from Old Barney, we paddled back through the Sea Dog Trail and Horse foot Slough to avoid some of the increasing strong northeastern winds. To many of the group’s dismay (and other’s delight) we needed to carry our boats through knee-deep detritus. Sadly two shoes were lost. Back at the house garden hose showers were followed by seining and snorkeling. Throughout the trip the students spent their free time researching for their reports. Topics included; terrapins, clams, marsh botany, and underwater life.
Early the third morning the biggest fish of the trip was caught—a 21-½ inch stripper. This earned its fisherperson a tee shirt from the Littoral Society. After presenting reports based on research and field experiences, the Urban Trekkers gave Sedge an Ink Berry Holly, a native shrub. They planted it on the east side of the boathouse. Foul weather chased this awesome group off Sedge before lunch. See you next year Trekkers!
Brett Chicotelli
Cranford High School Teachers
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
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
St. Benedicts School
In spite of the prediction of three days of bad weather, the 6th and 7th grade girls from Lincroft braved the elements and came to Sedge. While they were prepared for the worst possible conditions, they were pleasantly surprised when the only rain to fall was in a brief shower during their last night on the island.
Fishing turned out to be one of the most popular activities. Although the fish were not biting, they kept on trying. Patience paid off as the girl who caught the only fish was the one who spent the most time with her hook in the water.
Everyone enjoyed kayaking so much on the first day that they decided to go on an all day expedition. They paddled to the inlet with no trouble. They had lunch on the beach and took a quick wade in the ocean. Their paddle back to the house via the Horse Foot Slough was uneventful until just north of Pete McLain’s house. The increasingly strong wind (gusting to 25kts) pushed many of the kayaks away from the landing at Sedge that was then only 200 yards away. The girls and three teachers were struggling to make headway against the wind so Jim and Ryan went for the small power boat and towed in several boats. Although the girls were frightened, over half the group stated that kayaking was the best thing that they did.
MATES with Mr. Sprague
Mr. Sprague’s groups did the same activities as Mr. Warner’s group the previous week. But, they were treated to the experience of observing two different scientists working on research projects. Mr. Wnek demonstrated how to tag Diamond Backed Terrapins by inserting a microchip into the body cavity of an old, three legged female, which had crawled into Tony’s shed the day before. As the students were helping record measurements, they were able to watch two biologists from the Division of Fish and Wildlife climb the Peregrine Falcon hacking tower to check on the three chicks in the nest. This was somewhat dangerous as the adult falcons made several passes at the biologists while they were working.
For Jim the highlight of the week came later when he was standing on the marsh with Mr. Sprague’s second group. The students were watching two falcons were sitting on the platform supporting the nest box. They flew off together and began to follow a barn swallow. For the next two minutes these falcons took turns diving at the bird. Finally as the swallow grew tired, one of the falcons went into a short stoop and knocked the swallow to the ground. A short time later both falcons returned to the nest. One carried the swallow and fed it to the chicks. While this sighting seemed some-what gruesome to some, all the students appreciated the fact survival for birds-of-prey means death for other animals.
Monday, June 4, 2007
MATES : 5-30-07 to 6-1-07
Future principal, Allison Carroll and teacher Dave Warner, brought a group of MATES students to Sedge. We were also lucky to have the Superintendent Bill Hooy and the Ocean County Vocational Schools’ business manager join us for part of the day on May 31st. We went kayaking through the salt marsh, looked at the different species of birds flying by, and discussed the history of the Sedge islands and the people who live in the three remaining “shacks” on the islands. We also stopped at the “Bahamas” and the students learned how to clam with their feet and they also identified some of the local fauna. Back at the house we had some lunch and then the students did bird identifications in their journals. The students also had the opportunity to go snorkeling in the water, outside the front of the house. In addition, fishing, claming, seining, and helping John Wnek with his turtle plots also took up part of the day. Next, we had dinner and then the students did the Balance of Nature, which they had their own unique way of solving.
The next morning we got up early, fished and took the six-person canoe out. The students also cleaned their rooms very thoroughly and left June 1st to finish the rest of the school day.
Sedge Intern,
Samantha Tennick
The next morning we got up early, fished and took the six-person canoe out. The students also cleaned their rooms very thoroughly and left June 1st to finish the rest of the school day.
Sedge Intern,
Samantha Tennick
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