From left: Jason Yeung, Katherine Maslankowski, Eddie Miller, and Claire Yannacone (HS Teacher) at Indian Island seining.
(April 27, 2011) Riverhead is bordered by the Peconic River, the Great Peconic Bay on the south, and the Long Island Sound on the north. Its unique location and glacial origin offers Riverhead students a rich scientific learning experience. Approximately 350 seventh grade students explore the varied geography of Long Island and discover firsthand the forces that created and still shape the Island today. This annual trip called ‘Exploring Long Island’ has become a culminating activity for the 7th grade Long Island Geology unit. It is, however, more than just a science outing, the field trip gives students a hands-on experience which enhances not only the science curriculum, but also the English and social studies curriculum. Students travel from the rocky North Shore beaches on the Sound through the farmlands of the North Fork, across the Peconic River to the sandy South Shore beaches of Ponquogue. At each stop, students work in groups and rotate through different activities designed to fit the unique features of that particular beach.
At Indian Island, the seventh graders climbed into water proof boots and overalls and learned how to drag a seining net through the water in the bay at Indian Island to see what they could catch. Some of the marine life caught in their nets included:
Ribbed mussels
Mud Snails
Hermit crabs
Fiddler Crabs
Small crabs
Northern Pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus) in Peconic Bay eelgrass
Atlantic Silversides Menidia Menidia"
"We created this field trip when we realized how many of our students had never even been to their local beaches," noted Earth Science teacher Claire Yannacone.
These seventh graders may not be fishing experts, but they weren't squeamish. After they pulled the net up to the beach, they sorted through the vegetation to see what they had caught. "Wow, look at that! Great catch," could be heard.
Another young woman with a clam rake proudly pointed out her catch -- three clams in a trench lay at her feet. "I can also tell you how to catch crab," she shared. "You take a chicken wing, tie it to a line, and drop it into the water off the dock. In just a few minutes, you'll catch a crab."
Source: Riverhead Central School District press release dated April 27, 2011. Photo courtesy of Riverhead Central School District.