I did something different today which was nice for a change. I was asked to volunteer at the Spring Bay Day held by the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) - a local environmental group that I belong to.
They hold this event each year for local school kids to come and learn about the interconnected web of life that lives in and around the Merrymeeting Bay that is in our part of Maine. Over 250 fourth graders were brought to the headwaters of the Bay and I served as a chaperone for one of the groups from nearby Phippsburg. There were three sessions where the kids were taken to different environmental topic areas and leading ecologists used very creative interactive exercises to teach them about their particular specialty. It rained for the first hour or so but we all kept going and had a great day.
I learned alot watching the kids play in the mud, marvel at live eels, learn about some edible plants, and come to grips with the impact of toxins on the food chain. Beside being cold and wet the kids were quite well behaved which made my job much easier.
Six rivers flow from the north into Merrymeeting Bay which at one time was teeming with life. One of the session leaders told us a story about 14 foot sturgeon that used to be in huge supply - their eggs were harvested and sent to Russia for caviar. These days the fish are a protected species and don't get nearly as big but they are often seen leaping into the air in the bay.
Ed Friedman is the president of the FOMB and I've had him on my public access TV show a couple of times over the years to talk about his work. It's a great group and I was happy that I could be of some use to them for once.
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